When you leave a rental, the landlord compares the place to how it was. If nobody wrote down how it was, that comparison is one person's memory against another's. Photographs and dates turn it into a record.
This guide is about habit, not law. Rules about deposits, notice and repairs differ from place to place, and this is not legal advice. Check your own lease and local rules for the specifics.
The day one list
Do this before you unpack, while every room is still empty.
5 things to do
Ticks are for this visit only. Nothing here is saved anywhere.
The four records
Photos
- What to write
- Room, date, the problem if any
- Why it helps later
- Shows the condition on day one
Lease dates
- What to write
- Started, renews on, notice by
- Why it helps later
- The dates that cost money to miss
Deposit
- What to write
- Amount, held by, returned in
- Why it helps later
- You know what to ask for and when
What you reported
- What to write
- Date, what, the answer
- Why it helps later
- A trail if a problem comes back
| Record | What to write | Why it helps later |
|---|---|---|
| Photos | Room, date, the problem if any | Shows the condition on day one |
| Lease dates | Started, renews on, notice by | The dates that cost money to miss |
| Deposit | Amount, held by, returned in | You know what to ask for and when |
| What you reported | Date, what, the answer | A trail if a problem comes back |
What you look after, and what the landlord does
- Keeping the place clean
- Changing smoke alarm batteries
- Reporting problems promptly
- Renters insurance, if you have it
- The roof and structure
- Major systems like heating and plumbing
- Repairs that are not your fault
- Deciding what happens with the deposit
Usually yours
- Keeping the place clean
- Changing smoke alarm batteries
- Reporting problems promptly
- Renters insurance, if you have it
Usually the landlord's
- The roof and structure
- Major systems like heating and plumbing
- Repairs that are not your fault
- Deciding what happens with the deposit
Report in writing, and log it
When something breaks, tell the landlord in writing and keep a copy. A message is better than a phone call because it has a date. Add a line to your log with the date, what you said and what they answered. If the same problem comes back, that log is your record that you flagged it.
Renters do not have to write down the roof, the gutters or the furnace. The list that matters is short: the lease, the deposit, the smoke alarm, and what you reported.
The photos, done properly
Take wide shots of each room, then close shots of anything that is scratched, stained or worn. Photograph the inside of the oven and the refrigerator, and the floor near the door. Keep the photos where you cannot lose them, and record the date you took them. The point is a set that anyone can look at and understand in a minute.