TilerowMove-in photo checklist: protect your rental deposit
Exactly what to photograph on move-in day, room by room — so that at move-out nobody can blame you for damage that was already there.
Room by room
| Room | Photograph |
|---|---|
| Every room | Each wall from the door, ceiling corners, floor, skirting boards, windows and sills, doors and handles, light switches and sockets, radiators |
| Kitchen | Worktops, inside every cupboard, sink and tap, hob and oven (inside too), fridge and freezer inside, extractor, tiles and grout |
| Bathroom | Bath or shower tray, sealant lines, tiles, toilet, sink, mirror, extractor fan, any mould in corners |
| Bedrooms | Mattress (both sides, if furnished), wardrobe inside, curtains or blinds, carpet stains |
| Living room | Sofa and chairs (if furnished), TV wall, carpet or floor wear in walkways |
| Hall and outside | Front door and lock, letterbox, intercom, balcony, garden, bins, parking space |
| Utility | Meter readings (electricity, gas, water), boiler, smoke alarms, keys and fobs on a table |
Make the photos count
- Shoot on move-in day, before your boxes come in.
- One wide shot of each wall, then a close-up of every scratch, chip or stain with something for scale (a coin, a pen).
- Keep the date and time on — photos with dates are much harder to argue with.
- Turn on every light and tap, open every appliance and photograph it working.
- Record a slow video walk-through as well; narrate what you see.
- Write a short list of the defects and send it with the photos to the landlord or agent the same day.
- Ask them to confirm or sign. If they do not answer, your dated message is still a record.
- Keep everything until the deposit is fully returned — not just until you move out.
Why “before” photos win disputes
At the end of a lease, the question is simple: was this damage there when you moved in? Without proof, it often comes down to the landlord's word against yours. A dated photo from move-in day that shows the same scratch settles it. That is why the most valuable photos are the boring ones — a clean wall, an undamaged floor — taken before you lived there.
Fair wear and tear
In many places a landlord can deduct for damage, but not for normal wear and tear: slightly faded paint, light wear on a carpet in a walkway, small nail holes from pictures. Rules differ by country and by lease, so check yours. Clear before-and-after photos make it much easier to show which is which.
At move-out
- Clean to the standard in your lease and take the same photos from the same spots.
- Put each move-in photo next to the move-out one.
- Take final meter readings and photograph the keys you return.
- Note the date your deposit should be returned, and send a polite written request if it is late.
Doing it without a spreadsheet
Keyback walks you through the home room by room, keeps dated photos for every item, lets you both sign on the phone and makes a clear PDF report. At move-out it puts before and after side by side and reminds you on the return date, with a polite letter ready. Keyback records the condition and dates; it is not legal advice.
