Scott schedules: answer a letter of claim item by item, from the evidence you already hold.

When a tenant's solicitor sends a letter of claim for housing disrepair, the landlord has to answer each defect it lists. Under the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims (England), the landlord replies within 20 working days of receiving the letter (para 6.2), saying whether liability is admitted and for which defects, giving reasons where it is disputed and any point on lack of notice or access, and setting out a full schedule of intended works with start and completion dates (para 6.3). A Scott schedule puts all of that in one table, one row per defect, with each side's case next to the other's.

HousingSurvey Pro builds that table from the inspection: the surveyor's findings and photos are already there, the works orders you raise carry their own dates, and your schedule of rates prices the works.

Team planIncluded on the Team plan and above. See pricing.

What each row records

Location

The room or area, picked from the survey or typed.

Defect alleged

What the tenant (in Wales, the contract-holder) says is wrong, the works they want, and their cost.

Findings on inspection

What the surveyor found. Rows started from the survey bring the room's observations and photos with them.

Landlord's position

Admitted, partly admitted, denied or no access, with the reasons. Common reasons are one tap: no notice before the letter of claim, not present at inspection, already repaired, condensation from occupation, access refused, works agreed and scheduled.

Landlord's works and cost

The works the landlord will do and what they cost, typed or priced from your own schedule of rates.

Dates

When the defect was reported to the landlord, when the works start and finish, and whether they are done.

Photos

Any of the survey photos, with their markup and captions, printed after the table.

The case details sit above the rows: the parties, the letter of claim's reference and date, and the claim number once proceedings are issued. Totals add up both sides' costs and the difference between them, and a line counts how many items are admitted, denied and still waiting for a response.

On site, in the field app

The surveyor switches the Scott schedule on for the survey and works through the letter of claim on site. Rows can be added from the rooms and external areas already recorded, then reordered, duplicated or deleted, with running totals. When the case was raised as a disrepair claim, the step is part of the survey and the survey dashboard says so. The schedule is sealed with the survey, like the rest of the record.

In the office, in the portal

The sealed survey never changes, so the office answers the claim on its own copy, started from the on-site schedule, from the survey's findings, or blank. From there:

• Dates from your works orders. The date the defect was reported comes from the case, and works start and finish dates from the works orders raised from the survey for that room. Only blank fields are filled, and the portal says which job each date came from.
• Costs from your rates. Search your own schedule of rates by code or keyword and add a line: its description and price go into the landlord's works and cost.
• Works orders from admitted items. Raise a works order for an admitted row through the usual works-order form, with the matching findings ticked, and it is linked to the row.

Only people in your organisation who raise works orders or edit evidence can change the office copy; anyone who can view your evidence can read it.

In the report PDF

The schedule prints after the sign-off, on its own A4 landscape pages so the table has room: the case details, what the schedule is for and the protocol steps that shape it, the table with its header row repeated on every page, the totals, the works still outstanding, any overall comments, each item's photos, and the sources. Columns nobody used, such as findings or costs, are left out. When the office copy is printed, the report says it was prepared in the office and is not part of the sealed survey record.

England, Wales and other jurisdictions

Two templates come first. Housing disrepair (England) follows the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims and the county court's model direction for a schedule of alleged disrepair. Housing disrepair (Wales) follows the Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Disrepair Cases (Wales) and speaks of contract-holders, as the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 does; it is picked by default when the case's nation is Wales. Templates for commercial dilapidations, building disputes and other jurisdictions are under "Other jurisdictions".

What it does not do

It does not work out your reply date or decide liability: the schedule records the surveyor's findings and each party's position, and your team makes the decisions. It is not legal advice, a statement of case, or an expert's report in the court's form.

Frequently asked questions

This page is general information, not legal advice. Sources: Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims (England), paras 6 and 7; Civil Procedure Rules model direction C05; Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Disrepair Cases (Wales), paras 6 and 7; Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. Always confirm the current requirements with your legal team.