Rental Move-In & Move-Out Inspection: A Checklist to Protect Your Deposit
Why a Move-In & Move-Out Inspection Can Save Your Deposit
Deposit disputes are one of the most common problems in the rental market. In many cities, tenants losing part of their deposit at move-out is hardly rare — and most disputes trace back to the same root cause: damage that already existed when you moved in was never documented, so it ended up being charged to the tenant. A scratch on the wall that was there before you arrived, a stain on an old carpet, a cabinet door that never closed properly — any of these can become a reason to withhold money when you move out.
For landlords, a detailed move-in record works the same way: once the tenant leaves, it's immediately clear which damage is new.
The fix is simple: do a systematic inspection at move-in and move-out, and capture the original condition of the home with photos and video. This isn't overkill — it's half an hour of work that protects you.
Move-In Checklist: Do It the Day You Get the Keys
Do the inspection the day you get the keys — don't put it off. Go through the place room by room:
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Walls & ceilings | Scratches, stains, cracks, nail holes, peeling paint; damp or mold near corners |
| Floors | Scratches on wood floors, cracked or hollow tiles, carpet stains; loose baseboards |
| Kitchen | Countertops, cabinet doors and drawers, hardware complete; sink leaks, hot/cold water working |
| Bathroom | Tiles, toilet, shower head, floor drain; signs of seepage under the vanity |
| Appliances | Air conditioner, fridge, washing machine, water heater running properly; remotes, manuals, warranty cards present |
| Doors & windows | Locks and handles work, cracked glass, damaged screens; windows close tightly |
| Meters | Record electricity, water and gas meter readings and photograph them |
Photograph every finding: first a wide shot showing the whole room, then a close-up of the problem area. You get both context and detail.
Move-Out Inspection: Do It a Day Early, Item by Item
At least one day before moving out, go through your move-in record item by item:
- Take photos after cleaning — dust makes things look worse than they are
- Re-check every item you recorded at move-in: each "already existed at move-in" issue should have its photo to prove you didn't cause new damage
- Walk through with the landlord or agent, confirm no new damage on the spot, and ideally have both parties sign the checklist
If you have move-in photos and move-out photos side by side, most disputes never happen in the first place. The problem is always "you say it existed, I say it didn't" — with no record either way.
How to Turn the Inspection into a Shareable Report with SceneBox
Using SceneBox on your iPhone, you can compress the whole process into under half an hour:
Capture: Put photos, video and notes into a single record. Photograph the wall scratch, record a video of the leaking faucet, add a voice note saying "seepage under the kitchen sink" — the location marker is saved along with it. Everything lives in one record, no jumping between the camera, notes app and voice memos.
Annotate: Draw arrows and add text labels directly on the photos to point out where the problem is. For example, label the wall scratch "existed before move-in, about 15 cm long". The original photo is never modified — annotations are layered on top.
Generate a report: When you're done, export the record to a fixed-layout PDF or EPUB with one tap. The report includes your photos, annotations and notes with consistent formatting that anyone can understand.
Share: Email the PDF to your landlord for their records, or forward it to the agent. Send the move-in report the day you get the keys, and the move-out report the day you leave. That's how you keep the upper hand in any deposit dispute.
SceneBox runs entirely on-device — no account, no uploads, and your data never leaves your phone.
In Summary: Half an Hour for Peace of Mind
Whether your deposit comes back often has little to do with luck. It depends on whether you spent half an hour documenting things on day one. Inspect at move-in, photograph everything, re-check at move-out, document again, and send the landlord a PDF — once you've done this, what remains between you and the landlord is a clear record, not a he-said-she-said argument.
Next time you move, give SceneBox a try: move-in inspection, move-out inspection, report generation and email sharing — one app for the whole job. Download: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6789491378
