Property Condition Checklist

What this document is

Almost every deposit argument comes down to one question: what did the place look like before? A property condition checklist answers it in advance. Room by room, it records the state of walls, floors, doors, windows, fixtures, furniture, and appliances, with notes on existing marks or faults and photo references for anything worth remembering. Both landlord and tenant sign it, and each keeps a copy.

This checklist is evidence first and paperwork second. Completed at the start of a tenancy and reviewed again at the end, it turns claims like that scratch was already there from assertion into documented fact. For tenants it protects the deposit; for landlords it supports fair deductions when there is genuine damage. Paired with dated photos, it is the single most useful document in a deposit dispute.

When to use it

• A new tenancy is starting and the property's baseline condition needs recording before the boxes arrive.
• The unit is rented furnished and the furniture and appliances need an itemized condition note.
• A tenancy is ending and you are walking through the property to compare against the original record.
• The property changed hands mid-tenancy and the new landlord wants an agreed snapshot of its state.
• You rent out several rooms and want the same condition record format for each one.

When not to use it

• Documenting damage for an insurance claim — insurers usually have their own forms and evidence requirements.
• A structural or safety concern, like cracks or wiring faults — that needs a qualified inspector, not a checklist.
• A dispute already underway about old damage with no baseline record — the checklist works forward, not backward.

Information you will need

• Property address and the date of the inspection
• Names of the people doing the walkthrough, ideally both landlord and tenant
• A room-by-room list: walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, lights, sockets
• Condition and working state of appliances: air conditioner, water heater, fridge, stove
• Furniture inventory with condition notes, if rented furnished
• Existing damage described specifically — location, size, and what it is
• Photo numbers or file names linked to each noted item
• Meter readings, if the checklist doubles as the move-in record

Clauses included

How to sign it

Walk through the property together and fill in the checklist as you go — a record made jointly is far harder to challenge than one side's list. Both people sign and date it, and each keeps a copy along with the full photo set.

Take photos in good light, close enough to show detail, and keep the original files with their timestamps; a photo's date matters as much as its content. Store the checklist with the lease and the deposit receipt so everything needed for the end-of-tenancy conversation sits in one place.

If the two sides cannot inspect together, one can complete the checklist and send it to the other to confirm in writing within an agreed number of days. Silence is much weaker than a signature, so push for an actual reply.

Common mistakes

• Writing vague entries like some damage in kitchen instead of naming the exact spot and size — vague notes settle nothing.
• Taking photos but never linking them to checklist items, leaving a pile of images nobody can match up later.
• Letting only one side fill it in and sign it, which turns shared evidence back into one person's claim.
• Skipping the working test on appliances — an air conditioner that never cooled is easier to prove on day one than day three hundred.
• Losing the original photo files and keeping only compressed chat versions with the dates stripped out.

Frequently asked questions