Move in and move out inspection photos for landlords and property managers

Most deposit arguments come down to one question: what was the property like on the day the tenant moved in? With clear photos of every room from that day, the answer no longer depends on anyone's memory.

What to photograph at move in and move out

• Every room from the doorway, then each wall, so the whole room is covered.
• Floors and carpets, including existing marks, burns and worn areas.
• Kitchen appliances inside and out: oven, hob, fridge, freezer and extractor.
• Bathrooms: sealant, grout, taps, the shower screen and any limescale.
• Meter readings and the keys handed over, on the day.
• Smoke alarms, and anything the tenancy lists as included, such as blinds or furniture.

Shoot the move out to match the move in

A move-out inspection is only useful if it can be compared with the move-in one. Use one job per tenancy, treat the move-in photos as the before and the move-out photos as the after, and label rooms the same way both times, such as Kitchen, Bedroom 2 or Ensuite. When you take a move-out photo, the move-in photo of that spot shows faintly on the camera screen, so you can stand where you stood a year earlier. The result is a slider for each room, from the start of the tenancy to the end.

Take the photos in daylight with the lights on, and keep the phone level. Wide shots show the room as a whole; close-ups show the detail that a deposit discussion turns on. Take both.

Fair wear or damage

Carpet worn along a hallway after several years is usually viewed differently from a burn or a pet stain. Photos from both days help everyone see which is which, and they shorten the email chain that follows. Each photo in the job is saved with who added it and when.

Check the deposit rules that apply where your property is. JobProof gives you the photo record; it doesn't decide who pays for what.

Managing many units

Assign inspections to staff with the address pinned and a due date, and they get an alert on their phone. Keep the job open through the tenancy and complete it at move out; it can't be completed without an After photo, so no inspection is closed empty. The dashboard shows open, overdue and finished inspections person by person. Send the landlord or tenant a link to the job, or export the list to Excel. If you prefer to walk a property with a written list, a printed move-out checklist works well next to the photos.

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