A property inspection report is the dated record of what a rental looked like at a specific moment — usually when a tenant moves in and again when they leave. Its whole job is to settle one question later: which damage was already there, and which happened on this tenancy. Do it well and a deposit dispute takes five minutes; skip it and it becomes one person's word against another's. You can fill one out as you walk the property in our inspection report generator, but the method below matters more than the form.
Create an inspection report free →Why the dated record is the point
Deposits are withheld for damage beyond fair wear and tear. Without a move-in baseline, a landlord cannot prove a stain or a crack is new, and a tenant cannot prove it was already there. The report is that baseline: a condition snapshot both sides sign and date, so the move-out comparison is factual rather than a memory contest.
That is why the two inspections are a pair. A move-in report alone records the start; the move-out report measures the change against it. Keep the same structure for both so the comparison is line for line.
What to include, room by room
Go room by room and record the condition of every surface and fixture, not just the obvious ones. A reader who never saw the property should be able to picture it from the report.
- Walls, ceilings, floors and skirting — marks, cracks, stains, scuffs
- Doors, windows, locks and keys handed over
- Kitchen and bathroom fittings, taps, seals, appliances (and whether they work)
- Heating, smoke and CO alarms (tested), fuse board
- Furniture and white goods in a furnished let, with make and condition
- Meter readings (gas, electric, water) with the date — these settle the final bills, not just the deposit
For each item note the condition in plain words and, wherever there is a defect, attach a photo. "Good / fair / poor" on its own is an opinion; "2 cm chip, bottom-left of the oven door" with a picture is a fact.
Move-in vs move-out: the same form, used twice
At move-in, the tenant should check the report against the property and flag anything missing before signing — once signed, it is the agreed starting condition. At move-out, walk the same list and record only what changed, separating genuine damage from fair wear and tear (faded paint and lightly worn carpet after years of normal use are wear; a burn, a hole or a missing door are damage).
How to word a defect so it holds up
Describe, locate, measure, date — and photograph. "Scratch" is weak; "8 cm scratch on the left worktop, near the sink, photo 4, 14 Jan" is strong. Avoid blame and adjectives ("filthy", "destroyed"); state the observable condition and let the photo carry the weight. Objective wording is what makes a report persuasive to a deposit scheme or a small-claims adjudicator.
Photos, timestamps and signatures
Photos are the backbone of the report. Take wide shots of each room plus close-ups of every defect, and keep the original files — their embedded timestamps prove when the shot was taken. Number the photos and reference them in the text so each one maps to a line.
Finish with the date, the property address, who inspected, and space for both signatures. A report both parties signed at move-in is near-unarguable later; one side's unsigned notes are not. Share a copy with the tenant the same day, so there is a single agreed version rather than two.
Move-in vs move-out report
| Move-in | Move-out | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Agree the starting condition | Measure the change against move-in |
| Who checks | Tenant verifies before signing | Landlord/agent, ideally with tenant present |
| Focus | Every item, full baseline | Only what changed; wear vs damage |
| Meters | Opening readings | Closing readings for final bills |
Frequently asked questions
Is a property inspection report legally required?+
It is rarely required by law, but deposit-protection schemes and small-claims adjudicators treat a dated, signed, photographed report as the main evidence. Without one, the party trying to withhold or recover a deposit usually loses by default.
What's the difference between fair wear and tear and damage?+
Wear and tear is the gradual, expected decline from normal living — faded paint, lightly worn carpet, small scuffs over years. Damage is beyond that: burns, holes, breakages, stains or anything caused by neglect or misuse. Only damage can fairly be charged to a deposit.
Do both parties have to sign it?+
Signatures make it far stronger, because a signed move-in report is an agreed fact rather than one side's claim. If the tenant can't sign in person, send it the same day and ask them to confirm or flag issues in writing within a set window.
How many photos should I take?+
Enough that someone who never saw the property could picture every room: a wide shot of each space plus a close-up of each defect. Keep the originals — their timestamps are part of the evidence.
Related guides
The iznkit editorial team builds and documents free, no-sign-up tools for freelancers, small businesses and developers — and writes these guides to go with them.
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