A move-in inspection is a written, room-by-room record of the unit's condition on the day the tenant receives the keys, signed by you and the tenant, with photos. It is the baseline you compare with the move-out inspection when you decide what you may deduct from the deposit. Complete it before the tenant moves belongings in, or on the same day if the lease starts with a same-day walk-through. This is general practice, and it is not legal advice. The statute that applies is the one for the unit's state or province.

An empty apartment living room with dark wood floors, a white door, and windows covered by blinds.
Image: Downtowngal · CC BY-SA 3.0

What is a move-in inspection?

A move-in inspection is the condition report at the start of the lease. Each room gets a line for walls, floors, windows, and fixtures, plus a note of anything that is already damaged, stained, or missing. Photos are numbered and stored with the form. The tenant receives a copy.

The report is not a repair wish list and it is not the move-out deduction letter. It freezes the starting condition so a stain from the prior resident is not billed to the new one. Ordinary wear during the tenancy is a separate question you answer at move-out, under the lease and under local deposit law.

Do the walk-through with the tenant when you can. If the tenant cannot attend, complete the form, date it, and deliver a copy with a short deadline to add notes, if local practice allows that path. Some statutes require the tenant's signature before you may collect a deposit. Read that rule before you hand over keys and a receipt for the deposit on the same afternoon.

When do you walk the unit?

Walk the unit on the start date, after your make-ready and before the tenant places furniture. For a lease that starts May 1, 2026, the inspection date on the form is May 1, 2026. A form dated a week later, after the sofa is in, is a weaker record of the floors.

If you discover a condition the tenant should see, such as a cracked fridge shelf, point it out and write it down while you are both in the room. Give the tenant time to add items you missed. Initial any line added after the first pass, with the date. Both of you sign the last page. The tenant leaves with a paper copy or a same-day PDF.

Keys, the signed lease, and the deposit receipt can happen in the same meeting. The inspection form is its own signature. Do not staple it unsigned into a lease packet and call the job finished. How much security deposit should you collect? covers the amount. The form covers the condition that amount is tied to.

What should the checklist cover?

Cover every room a later deduction might name. A short form that says "good" for the whole unit will not help you eighteen months later. Use one line per item, and a fixed scale you define at the top, such as "clean," "worn," and "damaged," plus a blank for notes.

Area What you note Example note
Walls and paint Holes, scuffs, color Living room, north wall, nail holes filled, paint fresh
Floors Stains, scratches, burns Bedroom 2 carpet, bleach spot about 6 inches by the window
Windows and blinds Cracks, missing slats, locks Kitchen window lock sticks, blinds intact
Kitchen Appliances, counters, cabinets Fridge, lower door shelf cracked on the right side
Bath Tub, toilet, fan, tile Tub chip near the drain, about the size of a dime
Keys and devices Count and whether they work Two unit keys, one mailbox key, one garage remote, all tested
Safety Detectors, with test date Smoke detector tested May 1, 2026, alarm sounded

Add exterior items you maintain, such as a patio or a garage door, when they are part of this lease. Number photos to match the lines. Photo 4 is the bleach spot. Photo 9 is the cracked shelf. A photo with no number on the form is hard to use at move-out.

Which states require a written checklist?

Requirements differ, and these two are examples, not a full list.

Washington is direct about deposits. RCW 59.18.260 says that if the tenant pays a deposit, the rental agreement must be in writing and must state when you may keep the deposit. The same section says you may not collect a deposit unless you give the tenant, at the start of the tenancy, a written checklist or statement describing the condition and cleanliness of the premises, fixtures, equipment, appliances, and furnishings, including walls, paint, wallpaper, carpets and other flooring, furniture, and appliances. The checklist is signed and dated by you and the tenant, and the tenant gets a copy of the signed form.

Arizona requires a move-in form as well. Arizona Revised Statutes section 33-1321 says that on move-in the landlord shall furnish the tenant with a signed copy of the lease, a move-in form for specifying any existing damages to the dwelling unit, and written notification that the tenant may be present at the move-out inspection. On request, you tell the tenant when your move-out inspection will occur. The section has a narrow exception when you are evicting for a material and irreparable breach and you reasonably fear violence. Read the current text before you rely on that exception.

Other states expect an itemized move-out letter and say less about the move-in form. Provinces set their own rules. Use the stricter of your house rule and the local statute. A checklist you would complete in Washington is a sound file in a state that does not mention one. If you manage units in more than one state, the form follows the unit, not the office.

What does the form change at move-out?

Here is Unit 12B at 9 Harbor Lane. The lease starts May 1, 2026. Rent is $1,900 a month. The security deposit is $1,900, collected at move-in and deposited to the trust account. The signed checklist notes three items: a bleach spot about six inches wide on the bedroom 2 carpet by the window, photo 4; a cracked lower shelf on the fridge door, photo 9; and fresh paint on the living room walls, with no holes.

Fourteen months later the tenant moves out. The bleach spot is still there, the same size. The fridge shelf is still cracked. There is a new hole in the bedroom wall, about three inches across, that was not on the move-in form. Your vendor prices the patch and paint at $175. You do not bill the bleach spot. You do not bill the shelf.

Item On the May 1 form At move-out Deduction
Bedroom 2 carpet bleach spot Yes, photo 4 Same spot $0
Fridge door shelf Cracked, photo 9 Still cracked $0
Bedroom wall Fresh paint, no holes New 3-inch hole $175
Deposit $1,900 held in trust Return the rest $1,725

The arithmetic is $1,900 minus $175, which is $1,725, and only if local law allows that charge and you meet that state's deadline and itemization rules. Ordinary wear may bar a charge that looked fair in the vendor quote. How to return a security deposit is the deadline and letter. The move-in form is the evidence inside that letter. Without photo 4, a later reader can argue the bleach spot was new, and you may be returning the $175 as well, or more, if a statute awards extra damages for a bad deduction.

How do you handle a disagreement on the walk-through?

Write both versions on the form. If you see a carpet spot and the tenant says it was not there, note "manager: bleach spot, photo 4; tenant: disputes, says spot not present." Sign anyway. A form that records a dispute is more useful than a form the tenant refused to sign because you would not edit a line.

If the tenant refuses to sign at all, note the refusal, the date, and the witness. Leave a copy in the unit and mail a copy the same day. Then check whether local law lets you hold a deposit without the signature. In Washington, the statute ties the deposit to the signed checklist. Do not treat a refusal as a reason to skip the statute. Ask counsel before you keep the deposit on an unsigned file.

Fix hazards you find on the walk-through, such as a missing smoke detector, as a work order, and note the repair on the form after it is done. The condition report can create a maintenance task. It does not replace one.

How long do you keep the file?

Keep the signed form, the photos, and the deposit receipt for at least as long as your state's deposit statute and your records policy require, and long enough to answer a dispute after move-out. A practical house rule is the whole tenancy plus the deposit deadline plus at least two years, unless your attorney or your state says to keep it longer. Store photos where they cannot be detached from the unit and the date.

Tivio is property management software for independent property managers. The lease can list several tenants and the deposit, along with recurring charges, a renewal, and the move-out. Keep the signed inspection with that lease so the $1,900 deposit and the May 1 condition notes stay on the same file.

Name files so a coworker can find them: "9 Harbor Lane Unit 12B move-in 2026-05-01." Match photo numbers to the form before you leave the unit. A folder of unnamed images will not win a deposit dispute.

Use Tivio to keep the deposit on the lease, and keep the signed move-in form with that same file.