Essential Rental Inspection Photo Checklist

Before the inspection

Prepare these things before you start:

• Charge your phone and make sure that it has free storage.
• Plan the inspection in daylight. Turn on all the lights in each room.
• Get the move-in or move-out form from the landlord, if one exists. Photograph each item on the form.
• Bring a coin or a small ruler. You will put it next to damage to show the size.
• Ask the other party to attend. Then both of you see the same condition.

Most phone cameras save the date and time in each photo file. Keep the original files. A copy that you send or edit can lose this data.

How to photograph

Use the same method in every room:

1. Start at the front door. Go around each room in the same direction.
2. Photograph the walls, then the floor, the ceiling, the windows and the fixtures.
3. For each damage, take three photos: a wide shot that shows the location, a medium shot, and a close-up.
4. Put the coin or the ruler next to the damage in the close-up.
5. Photograph each appliance while it runs, with its light or display on.
6. Record a slow video of each room. Say the name of the room at the start.

Room-by-room photo checklist

Entry and living areas

• Front door from both sides, the lock, the deadbolt and the peephole
• Each wall section, also the areas behind furniture: scuffs, nail holes, marks, paint damage
• Floor: carpet stains and wear, scratches in wood, cracked tiles
• Ceiling: stains and cracks
• Windows: glass, locks, screens, blinds and curtains
• Light switches, outlet covers and light fixtures, with the lights on
• Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms
• Thermostat display, vents and radiators

Kitchen

• Countertops: chips, burns and stains
• The inside of each cabinet and drawer: water damage, shelves, hinges
• Sink, faucet, and the area under the sink
• Stove with the burners on, and the inside of the oven
• Refrigerator and freezer inside, with the light on, and the door seals
• Dishwasher inside, and a short video while it runs
• Microwave, range hood and garbage disposal

Bathrooms

• Caulk around the tub and the shower: gaps and mold
• Tiles and grout: cracks and missing grout
• Toilet: base, tank, seat, and a video of a flush
• Sinks and tub: faucets, and a video of the drains
• Mirror, cabinet, towel bars and exhaust fan
• Walls and ceiling near the shower: peeling paint and mold

Bedrooms and closets

• Walls, floor and ceiling, as in the living areas
• Floor near the windows, where sunlight can fade carpet or wood
• Closets: shelves, rods, doors and the closet floor

Outside, storage and utilities

• Balcony, patio, yard and fences
• Garage, parking space and storage unit
• Water heater, washer and dryer
• Meter readings for electricity, gas and water
• All keys, fobs and remotes that you receive or return

Organize and share the photos

1. Make one folder for each inspection. Name it with the address, “move-in” or “move-out”, and the date.
2. Put the photos of each room in a subfolder.
3. Back up the folder to cloud storage.
4. On the same day, email the photos or a shared link to the other party. The email gives both of you a dated record.
5. At move-out, take the same photos from the same positions. Then you can compare each pair.

Deposit rules: two examples

The rules for deposits differ by state and by country. Read the rules for your location. These two US examples show the type of rules that photos support.

In California, the landlord must refund the deposit within 21 days after the tenant leaves. The landlord must tell tenants that they can ask for an inspection in the two weeks before they leave. Since April 1, 2025, landlords must photograph the unit after the tenant returns it. They must take these photos before any repairs or cleaning that they deduct from the deposit, and again after that work. For tenancies that start on or after July 1, 2025, landlords must also photograph the unit at the start (San Francisco Rent Board).

In New York, most rentals follow General Obligations Law 7-108, but rent-controlled units do not. The landlord cannot keep any part of the deposit for ordinary wear and tear. If the tenant asks, the landlord and the tenant sign a written agreement about the condition before move-in. The landlord cannot keep money for a defect that this agreement lists. Within 14 days after the tenant leaves, the landlord must give an itemized statement and return the rest of the deposit. A landlord who misses this deadline loses the right to keep any part of the deposit (N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 7-108).

Use this checklist with Claude or ChatGPT

You can upload your photos to Claude or ChatGPT, or describe them, together with this checklist. Ask the AI which checklist items have no photo. You can also give it your move-in photos and your move-out photos and ask it to list the differences. Use its answer as a list of places to look again, not as proof.

Below is a rental inspection photo checklist. I attached my photos,
named by room. For each checklist item, tell me which photo shows it,
or say "no photo". Then list any damage you can see, with the photo
name, and say where the photo is too dark or too far away to judge.

CHECKLIST:
[paste the checklist]

Look at each photo that the AI names before you act on its answer. The AI can miss damage, and it can report damage that is not there.

Remove photos that show personal documents, mail or faces before you upload them. Also read the data settings of your workspace.

For a deposit dispute, the deposit law of your state and, if necessary, a tenant organization or a lawyer have the final word.

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