Your move-in report works when every photograph has a matching written line, both carry the same date, and your tenant has seen both. Picture a map and its legend. The photo is the map; the written line is the legend. Alone, either one leaves a reader guessing. Together, anyone can find a spot and read what it means. The record describes how the unit started. It does not decide any later deduction.
Key takeaways
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Photograph every room in the same order: wide shots, surfaces, fixtures, appliances, then each existing mark with a scale reference.
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Write one neutral line per item. Name the location, material, condition and size.
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Date both records and note who was present. Collect your tenant’s sign-off and store one unaltered original.
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CA sets a 21-day return window and TX sets 30 days, so the record is easier to build at move-in than at move-out.
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The record shows starting condition only. It does not reach unphotographed areas, later changes, or the legal treatment of a deduction.
What should you photograph and write down at move-in?
Photograph every room in the same order: wide shots, surfaces, then each existing mark with a scale reference. Write one neutral line per item naming location, material, condition and size. Date both records, have your tenant sign, and store one unaltered original. The record shows starting condition only.
Why your move-in record comes first
You carry the deposit process personally, paperwork included. The return window is 21 days in CA and 30 days in TX. Each statute attaches its own consequences to a late or unsupported itemization. A matched move-in record gives you something to itemize from.
An itemization is expected to arrive with receipts, invoices, hourly-rate breakdowns and before/after photos. Your move-in photographs and lines are the ‘before’ side of that set. The sections below build it room by room.
Rule reference
The table states the rule. It does not predict how any dispute would be decided.
Nationwide lease and checklist templates, including those from general-purpose landlord apps such as TurboTenant, are written for every state at once. They can miss local rent control and disclosure ordinances.
Photograph each room in the same order, every time
A fixed sequence keeps each photo easy to match to its written entry, and it makes gaps visible. Run the same sequence in every room.
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Wide shots first. Stand in the doorway and photograph the whole room. Then repeat from the opposite corner so all four walls and the ceiling appear.
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Surfaces next. Floor, each wall, ceiling, trim. Include the areas that look unremarkable.
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Existing marks up close. For each scuff, stain, chip, crack or worn spot, take one photo showing where it sits in the room. Follow it with a close photo beside a ruler or a common object for scale.
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Fixtures and openings. Photograph windows, screens, blinds, door and lock hardware, outlets and switches, light fixtures, and the smoke and carbon monoxide devices.
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Appliances and plumbing. Shoot the inside and outside of each appliance and its data plate. Then cover the area under sinks and around tubs and toilets.
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Readings and counts. Photograph meter readings where they apply, along with the full set of keys and openers you hand over.
Turn the phone’s date and time stamp on. Keep the originals unedited, and take extra frames rather than fewer. A photo of an unmarked surface records that no mark was visible on that date.
Write one specific line per item, using what you see rather than a rating
Photos show appearance. Your written lines supply location, material, condition and size, which a photo alone may not make clear. Each line has four parts.
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Location. Write ‘north wall, bedroom 2, 18 inches above floor,’ not ‘wall’.
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Material. Write ‘laminate countertop,’ not ‘counter’.
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Condition and size. Write ‘3-inch surface scratch near sink,’ not ‘fair.’ For appliances and fixtures, state whether the item operated when you tested it.
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Neutral wording. Describe what is there on the inspection date. Leave out guesses about cause or age.
Write a line for unmarked items too, for example ‘carpet, no stains or tears visible.’ Record existing wear in the same neutral words, because each line describes state and not fault.
Anchor both records so each photo and line can be matched
The record is only as useful as its anchors: when it was made, who saw it, and whether you can show the original unchanged.
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Date and attendance. Write the inspection date and time, and list who was present.
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Cross-reference. Put the photo file name or number beside each written line, so you can find one from the other.
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Tenant additions. Give your tenant a copy of the written report and the photos. Invite additions within a short, stated window, and date any added item separately.
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Signatures. Have both parties sign and date the written report. If signing in person is not possible, keep a dated message in which your tenant confirms receipt.
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One stored original. Save the original photos, the written report and the sent confirmation in one folder labeled by unit and move-in date. Keep it for the length of the tenancy and for any retention period that applies in your state.
When you prepare an itemization, set the matched photo and line next to your receipts and invoices. If you notice a gap, a dated addendum that your tenant acknowledges is the next step open to you.
Anchor the Record
A Date + time
B Who was there
C File no. by line
D Tenant receipt
E Signed or dated message
F Store originals
G Later changes outside fi le
Note: The record is easier to use later when date, receipt, cross-reference, and stored originals stay together [E10][E4].
The record is easier to use later when date, receipt, cross-reference, and stored originals stay together [E10][E4].
What this record does not cover
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Areas you did not photograph. The record reaches only what was photographed and written down on the inspection date.
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Changes after move-in. Anything that happens after the inspection date sits outside this record.
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Legal treatment of a deduction. Which deductions your state allows, and how a dispute is decided, belong to the state deposit rule. This article states the rule and does not predict a ruling.
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Local ordinances. A state rule is one layer. Check your city or county for rent control and disclosure rules that sit on top of it.
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States other than CA and TX. The return windows above apply to those two states only.
FAQ
How many photos should you take in each room?
Enough that every wall, surface, fixture and existing mark appears. Take extra frames rather than fewer, and keep the originals unedited.
Should you write down items that have no damage?
Yes. A line such as ‘carpet, no stains or tears visible’ turns an unmarked item into a recorded observation instead of a blank.
What if your tenant cannot sign in person?
Keep a dated message in which your tenant confirms receipt of the written report and the photos, and store it with the originals.
How long should you keep the move-in folder?
For the length of the tenancy and any retention period that applies in your state.
Does the move-in record decide which deductions you can take?
No. It documents starting condition. Your state’s deposit rule governs deductions.
The short version
A photo shows the room, and a line explains it. Once both carry the same date and your tenant’s sign-off, you hold a record that is easy to match, easy to store, and plain about where it stops.
Your next move-in
Walk one room in the fixed sequence, write one line per item, and save the dated folder before you hand over keys.