Rental Property Inspection Checklist: Move-In, Routine, and Move-Out

Choose the inspection type and purpose

State the purpose in the report and stay within it. The timing, notice, permissible reasons for entry, tenant presence, photography, and deposit deductions vary by jurisdiction and lease. Verify current local requirements before arranging access or relying on the report for a charge.

• Move-in: establish baseline cleanliness, condition, provided contents, readings, keys, and visible defects before occupancy.
• Routine: identify maintenance needs, safety concerns, leaks, ventilation problems, and developing damage during the tenancy.
• Move-out: compare current condition with the signed baseline and record cleaning, missing items, damage, and meter or key handover.
• Maintenance visit: document a specific problem, access, work performed, and any necessary follow-up without turning it into an unrelated whole-home inspection.

Prepare a consistent room-by-room route

1. 1

   Confirm lawful access

   Provide required notice, agree the time where applicable, and explain the purpose and expected duration.

2. 2

   Bring the baseline

   For routine and move-out visits, have the signed move-in condition report and relevant repair history available.

3. 3

   Start outside

   Record address, exterior, access, utilities or meters where permitted, and any shared areas within scope.

4. 4

   Move through each room consistently

   Check from ceiling to floor, then doors, windows, fixed fixtures, services, and provided contents.

5. 5

   Review and acknowledge

   Give the tenant a reasonable opportunity to add comments or note disagreement, and provide a copy when required or good practice.

What to inspect in each area

• General: ceiling, walls, trim, flooring, doors, windows, locks, lighting, outlets, heating or cooling, smoke and carbon monoxide devices where applicable.
• Kitchen: counters, cabinets, sink and seals, drainage, appliances supplied with the property, ventilation, and visible signs of pests or leaks.
• Bathroom: water flow, drainage, toilet stability, sealant, grout, ventilation, moisture staining, fixtures, and safe hot-water operation.
• Bedrooms and living spaces: finishes, glazing, window operation, coverings supplied, storage, heating, and provided furniture.
• Exterior or balcony: rails, surfaces, drainage, doors, obvious damage, vegetation responsibilities, and any accessible equipment within scope.

Describe condition without deciding the dispute

Record observable facts: material, location, size, pattern, operation, and comparison with the baseline. “Three chips, approximately 5–12 mm, on the enamel edge of the bathroom basin; none visible in the signed move-in photo” is more useful than “tenant damaged sink.” Responsibility may depend on age, maintenance history, reasonable wear, evidence, lease terms, and local law.

Use consistent condition grades only if you define them. Words such as good or fair can mean different things. A short description and representative photo provide a better comparison than a grade alone.

Protect privacy while documenting condition

Keep photos focused on the property, not the tenant’s life. Avoid documents, family images, children, computer screens, medicine, valuables, and security details unless essential and lawfully documented. Never publish inspection images. Limit report distribution to people with a legitimate role.

FieldCheck saves the working report locally in the browser. On shared devices, export the required record and clear browser data or the saved project as appropriate. Do not assume local storage is a substitute for your organization’s secure records system or statutory retention process.

Turn findings into fair follow-up

Separate urgent safety or water issues, landlord maintenance, tenant actions, and observations that need expert review. Give each follow-up a responsible party, target date, and status. Send urgent issues through the required maintenance channel rather than relying solely on a report attachment.

For move-out, compare like with like: the same room, element, and preferably similar photo angle. Account for documented pre-existing condition and avoid treating ordinary aging as automatically chargeable damage. Obtain local advice for deposit deductions or contested liability.