Tenant Move-In Checklist: What to Check and Photograph Before You Unpack

Short answer: Before a single box comes through the door, walk the empty unit room by room, test everything that opens, locks, switches on or runs water, and photograph every room wide plus every existing flaw close up, with the date recorded. Write each defect on a move-in report, sign it with your landlord, and keep a copy. That signed report is what decides whether you get your security deposit back when you leave, so the hour you spend on it is the best-paid hour of the whole move.

Tenatur Editorial Team · · 9 min read

Most deposit disputes are not really about damage. They are about memory: whose memory of the unit on move-in day is right. A landlord who sees a scratched floor at move-out will assume you did it. Unless something written and dated says the scratch was there before you arrived, it is your word against theirs, and the landlord is holding the money.

This checklist is written for renters. Landlords have a parallel version, the landlord move-in inspection checklist, and it is worth a look so you know what a careful landlord will be recording on their side.

Before move-in day

  • Ask for an inspection time while the unit is empty. Furniture and boxes hide floors and walls. If the landlord suggests doing it "later", ask for a time before you move in.
  • Ask which report they use. Some provinces have an official form (BC's RTB-27, Manitoba's Form 5). Many landlords use their own form or an app. Either is fine, as long as you both sign it.
  • Charge your phone and clear storage. You will take more photos than you expect, and a dead battery halfway through is how rooms get skipped.
  • Bring a small kit: a phone charger for testing outlets, a flashlight for under sinks and inside cupboards, and a pen.
  • Read the lease clauses on condition and cleaning. If the lease says the carpets must be professionally cleaned at move-out, you want to know whether they were professionally cleaned before you arrived.

The room-by-room checklist

Go in the same order every time: entrance, living areas, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, then laundry, storage and outside. For each item, record whether it works and anything that is already marked, stained, cracked, loose or missing.

Every room

  • Walls and ceiling: holes, nail holes, scuffs, cracks, water stains, peeling paint, signs of mould.
  • Floors: scratches, dents, burns, stains, lifting tiles, carpet wear and seams.
  • Windows: cracks, broken seals (fogging between panes), locks, screens, blinds or curtains.
  • Doors: frames, handles, locks, stoppers, sticking or rubbing.
  • Lights and switches: every switch, every bulb.
  • Outlets: plug in your charger at each one.
  • Heating and cooling: vents, baseboard heaters, thermostat response.

Kitchen

  • Stove and oven: every burner, the oven light, the inside of the oven (grease and burnt residue are common disputes), the range hood fan and filter.
  • Fridge and freezer: cold, clean, shelves and drawers intact, door seals not torn.
  • Dishwasher and microwave if provided: run a short cycle if you can.
  • Sink and tap: water pressure, hot water, leaks under the sink, drain speed.
  • Cabinets and drawers: hinges, doors that close, shelf damage, water damage under the sink.
  • Countertops and backsplash: chips, burns, cuts, staining.

Bathrooms

  • Toilet: flushes fully, does not run, base is solid, seat attached.
  • Tub or shower: drain speed, caulking and grout (black spots are mould), cracks in the surround, shower head and doors.
  • Sink and vanity: leaks, pressure, the cabinet floor underneath.
  • Exhaust fan: switch it on and hold a tissue to it.
  • Mirror, towel bars and toilet paper holder: secure, not cracked.

Bedrooms and closets

  • Closet doors and tracks, shelves and rods.
  • Carpet condition, especially near doorways and under where a bed sat.
  • Window coverings and window locks.

Laundry, storage and outside

  • Washer and dryer if provided, hookups, the dryer vent.
  • Storage lockers, garage door and opener, parking stall markings.
  • Balcony or patio surface and railing, yard condition if the lease makes you responsible for it.

Safety (check these first)

  • Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms: press the test button on each.
  • Locks on every exterior door. Ask whether the locks were changed or rekeyed since the last tenant.
  • Windows that lock, especially on the ground floor.
  • Any sign of pests: droppings in cupboards, under the sink and behind the fridge.
  • Where the main water shut-off and the electrical panel are, so you can find them in an emergency.

How to take photos that actually hold up

A camera roll full of random pictures is weak evidence. A short, organized set of dated photos is strong evidence. Five habits make the difference:

  1. One wide shot per room from the doorway first. It shows which room you are in and the overall condition.
  2. Then a close-up of every flaw, close enough to see it and wide enough to show where it is (the corner of the wall, the edge of the counter).
  3. Keep the date on every photo. Phone photos store the date and time in the file; do not strip it by screenshotting or editing. An inspection app adds the date to each photo for you.
  4. Take a slow video of each room as a backup. It is harder to argue with than a single photo.
  5. Send them to the landlord the same day. An email with the photos attached creates a dated record that both of you received. Keep the sent email.

Photograph things that are fine too, not only damage. A clean, intact oven at move-in is just as useful at move-out as a photo of a scratch.

Get it on the report and get it signed

Photos help, but the signed move-in report is the document that tribunals and courts look at first. Before you sign:

  • Make sure every defect you found is written on it, by room and item, in plain words: "bedroom 2, carpet, 10 cm stain near closet", not "carpet fair".
  • If the landlord has written something you disagree with, write your note next to it. Signing with your comments is better than refusing to sign.
  • Get your copy right away, or within the deadline your province sets. In BC, the landlord must give you a signed copy within 7 days of the inspection.
  • Store the report and photos somewhere you will still have in two years: email, cloud storage, or the app you used.

What the law says where you rent

Move-in inspection rules vary a lot. This table covers the places where the rule is clearest. Your local tenancy office has the full detail.

Move-in inspection rules by province and state
Where Move-in inspection Why it matters to you
Alberta Required. Done within a week of moving in, signed by both, and you get a copy. Without the move-in and move-out reports, the landlord cannot deduct for damage from your deposit.
British Columbia Required. The landlord must offer you at least two times; RTB-27 is the government form. A landlord who skips it loses the right to claim against the deposit for damage. If you skip both offered times, you can lose yours.
Manitoba Optional, but either side can ask for one, and then it must be done (Form 5). Ask for it. The Residential Tenancies Branch recommends one at every move-in and move-out.
Ontario Not required, and landlords cannot take a damage deposit. Damage claims go to the Landlord and Tenant Board instead, where your photos are your defence.
Washington A written checklist, signed and dated by both, is required before any deposit is collected. No checklist means the landlord owes you the full deposit back.
New York The landlord must offer you an inspection before you move in; if you ask, both sign a written record. The landlord cannot later keep deposit money for anything listed in that record.
California No signed move-in report is required, but AB 2801 added photo rules for landlords. You can ask for an inspection before you move out, and the deposit is due within 21 days. See the California deposit guide.

For the landlord's side of these rules, see the guides for Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Washington and New York.

If your landlord will not do an inspection

Do your own, the same day or the next. Walk the unit with this checklist, take the photos, write a short list of everything already damaged, and email it to the landlord with a line like: "Attached is the condition of the unit when I moved in on [date]. Please let me know by [date] if you see anything different." Keep the sent email.

That email will not have the landlord's signature, but it is dated, it was sent to them, and silence after a clear request reads badly for them later. In provinces where the inspection is required, it also shows that you were ready to do one.

At move-out, do it all again

When you leave, repeat the walk-through in the same order with the same photos, after your belongings are out and the unit is clean. The comparison between the two sets is what settles disputes: same wall, same angle, two dates.

In California and New York you can ask the landlord for an inspection before you move out, so they have to tell you what they plan to deduct for while you still have time to fix it. For what landlords document on their side at move-out, see the move-out inspection guide.

Paper, phone or app?

Paper checklists work if both of you sign them and you photograph the signed pages. A phone camera plus an email to the landlord works if you are organized. An inspection app does the organizing for you: it walks you through each room, stamps the date on every photo, collects both signatures on the phone and produces a PDF report you can send on the spot.

If you are choosing one, we compared the main options in the best move-in and move-out inspection apps. Tenatur is one of them and is free to start; anyone can use it, whether you are the landlord or the tenant.

Frequently asked questions

What should a tenant check when moving into a rental?

Every surface, fixture and appliance in every room: walls, floors, windows and screens, doors and locks, taps, toilets and drains, the stove, fridge and dishwasher, heating, and the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Photograph any existing damage and get it written on a move-in report that both you and the landlord sign.

Is a move-in inspection required?

It depends on where you live. Alberta and British Columbia require a move-in inspection report signed by both parties, and Washington requires a signed checklist before a deposit can be collected. In Manitoba either side can ask for one. Ontario and many US states do not require one, but documenting the unit still protects you.

What if my landlord will not do a move-in inspection?

Do your own within the first day or two: photograph every room, write a list of existing damage, and email it to the landlord asking them to confirm or reply. The dated email is your record. In BC and Alberta, a landlord who skips the required inspection can lose the right to claim against the deposit for damage.

How many photos should I take at move-in?

At least one wide photo of every room from the doorway, plus a close-up of every existing mark, stain, crack or broken item. A short video walking through each room is a useful backup. What matters most is that each photo can be tied to a date and a room.

Should I sign the move-in report if I disagree with it?

Yes, but write your disagreement on the report first, for example that the carpet stain in the bedroom was already there. A signed report with your notes is far better evidence than an unsigned one. Keep a copy.

Can I use an app for my move-in inspection?

Yes. An inspection app keeps photos organized by room, records the date and time, collects signatures and produces a PDF you can send to the landlord. Your phone camera and an email to the landlord also work if you are disciplined about it.

What should I do at move-out?

Repeat the same walk-through, in the same order, with the same photos, after your belongings are out and the unit is clean. In California and New York you can ask for an inspection before you move out so you have a chance to fix anything the landlord plans to deduct for.

Do the whole checklist on your phone

Tenatur walks you room by room, dates every photo, collects both signatures and gives you a PDF report to send the same day. Free to start.

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Related reading

Sources

General information for renters, not legal advice. Tenancy rules change; check your local tenancy office or a lawyer for your situation.