The Landlord's Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Checklist (2026)

Most deposit disputes are not won by whoever is right — they are won by whoever has the better evidence. This is the room-by-room inspection checklist we built SnapInspect around, plus exactly how to document each item so a disagreement six months later is settled in minutes, not arguments.

Why inspections go wrong

Ask any independent landlord why they lost a deposit dispute and you'll hear the same story: there was a move-in walkthrough, but the record was a few blurry photos in a phone gallery, a half-filled paper form, or nothing at all. By move-out, nobody can prove whether the stain on the bedroom carpet was there on day one. The tenant remembers it one way; the landlord another. Without a dated, side-by-side record, the deposit gets split out of fairness rather than fact — and the landlord usually eats the difference.

The fix is not a thicker paper form. It is a consistent, photo-first process: the same rooms, the same angles, the same checklist, every single time — captured with timestamps you can defend.

The room-by-room checklist

1. Entrance & hallway

• Front door: locks, latch, weatherstripping, peephole, paint.
• Walls and skirting: scuffs, marks, holes from previous fixings.
• Floor: scratches on wood, wear or stains on carpet, loose tiles.
• Light fittings and switches: all working, covers intact.

2. Living room

• Walls and ceiling: cracks, damp patches, mould near corners and windows.
• Windows: glass, locks, hinges, sills, blinds or curtains.
• Flooring: photograph each corner and any existing damage close up.
• Power points and any provided furniture or electronics.

3. Kitchen

• Cabinets and countertops: chips, water damage, hinge condition.
• Appliances: hob, oven, fridge, exhaust — switch each on, photograph model and condition.
• Sink and taps: leaks, water pressure, sealant around the basin.
• Under-sink: signs of leaks, mould, or pest activity.

4. Bedrooms

• Walls: marks, nail holes, paint condition.
• Wardrobes and built-ins: doors, rails, shelves.
• Flooring and windows as above; note carpet condition near the bed and door.

5. Bathroom

• Tiles and grout: cracks, mould, missing grout.
• Toilet, basin, shower or tub: leaks, sealant, working fittings.
• Extractor fan and ventilation — a common source of later damp disputes.
• Water pressure and drainage on every tap.

6. Utilities & exterior

• Meter readings (electricity, gas, water) — photograph the actual dials.
• Boiler / water heater condition and last service date if known.
• Balcony, parking, garden, or shared areas the tenant is responsible for.

How to photograph so it holds up

1. One wide shot per room, then close-ups of every defect. The wide shot proves context; the close-up proves detail.
2. Shoot the same angles at move-in and move-out. Comparable photos are the whole game — they let you (or an AI) line up before and after.
3. Capture timestamps. A photo without a verifiable date is far weaker evidence. Tools that record the capture time for you remove the argument entirely.
4. Note normal wear vs damage. Faded paint and light carpet wear are usually the landlord's cost; a burn, a hole, or a broken fitting usually is not.

Where this gets painful — and where AI helps

Doing the above by hand for even five units a month is hours of typing up notes and squinting at two photo galleries trying to spot what changed. This is the exact friction that pushed one landlord to publicly complain about wasting tens of thousands of rupees on inspection apps that were "severely lacking". The walkthrough is not the hard part; the write-up and the comparison are.

That is what we built SnapInspect to remove. You walk the unit and snap photos room-by-room from your phone. The AI reads each photo, writes the condition notes for you, and flags visible damage. At move-out, it compares the two sets of photos room-by-room and tells you what is new — and whether it looks like ordinary wear or tenant-caused damage. You hand the tenant a timestamped, tenant-ready PDF instead of arguing from memory.

Quick-start

You can run your next inspection free — two properties and five inspections a month, no credit card. Upgrade to Pro (₹999/month, or $19 internationally) only when you want unlimited inspections and the move-in/move-out photo-diff.