--- title: "Move-Out & Deposit Checklist (free, printable) - DokuAI" description: "Free move-out checklist for renters: walls, floors, windows, bathroom, kitchen, meters and keys. Printable, no sign-up. Protect your deposit with dated proof." url: "https://dokuai.app/deposit-checklist/" language: "en" last_updated: "2026-10-17" --- [DokuAI](https://dokuai.app/) / Move-Out & Deposit Checklist # They keep the deposit over one scratch. Prove the room was already like that. A free move-out inspection checklist for renters. Walk the flat room by room, tick off what you have documented, and hand back the keys with a dated condition report instead of a bad feeling. No sign-up, printable, works for the deposit and for a rental-car return. Cmd+P / Ctrl+P → "Save as PDF" or pick your printer. Your ticks are saved on this device. Why this works ## Why does a dated photo protect your deposit? A security deposit dispute comes down to one question: what did the room look like, and when. A photo with a verifiable date, time and location answers it. A plain photo with no stamp does not. A condition report is a record of the state of a rented home at handover, room by room, with photos and readings. In most rental markets a landlord can only deduct for damage beyond normal wear and tear, and the party without a dated report carries the burden of proof. That is the whole game: document the state on the day, keep it stamped, keep it until the money is back. - Date & time Places the damage before or after you had the keys. - Location Ties the photo to this address, not another flat. - Coverage Every room shot means no gap to argue over. The checklist ## What should you document before you hand back the keys? Work top to bottom. Tick each item once you have a clear, dated photo of it. Do the same walkthrough on move-in day and on move-out day, then compare, the difference is exactly what a deposit deduction can and cannot cover. 00 ### Before you start, stamp the context This is the part most renters skip. Record it once, up front, and every photo after it has meaning. - [ ] Date and exact time of the walkthrough Written on the report and visible on every photo - [ ] Full address, unit and floor Street, number, apartment, floor, ZIP - [ ] Your name and the landlord or agent name Who handed over, who received - [ ] A witness present (optional but strong) A friend or flatmate who can confirm the state - [ ] One wide photo per room before the close-ups Shows the whole room, then zoom into details 01 ### Walls & ceilings Photograph every wall, even the clean ones. A wall with no photo is a wall you cannot prove was fine. - [ ] Existing marks, scuffs and scratches Especially behind furniture and along corridors - [ ] Nail holes and drill holes you did not make And the ones you did, note them honestly - [ ] Cracks in plaster or paint Corners, around doors and windows - [ ] Damp patches, water stains or mould Ceilings, behind wardrobes, near windows - [ ] Paint condition and colour If you painted, photograph the original colour first 02 ### Floors & skirting Floors are the single most-disputed deposit item. Shoot each floor in daylight and again with a raking light to reveal scratches. - [ ] Scratches, dents and gouges Wood and laminate scratch under furniture legs - [ ] Carpet stains, burns and worn tracks Doorways, in front of the sofa, under the desk chair - [ ] Loose, cracked or missing tiles Tap them, a hollow sound means a loose tile - [ ] Skirting boards and thresholds Chips, gaps and paint condition - [ ] Water damage or lifting near wet areas Kitchen, bathroom, radiators, balcony doors 03 ### Windows & doors Open and close everything on camera. A door that jams or a window that will not lock is a repair someone pays for. - [ ] Cracked or chipped glass Each pane, including balcony and cellar windows - [ ] Frames, seals and any draughts Rubber seals harden and split over years - [ ] Handles, hinges and locks all work Film the key turning and the handle moving - [ ] Blinds, shutters and fly screens Do the slats and cords still work - [ ] Interior doors and door stops Scuffs, holes and missing hardware 04 ### Bathroom Limescale, silicone and mould are the usual arguments here. Photograph the joints close up so nobody can claim you left them black. - [ ] Silicone and grout condition Around the bath, shower, sink and tiles - [ ] Limescale, mould and discolouration Screens, taps, tile joints, ceiling corners - [ ] Chips or cracks in bath, sink and toilet Enamel chips are easy to blame on the last tenant - [ ] Taps, shower and toilet all work No drips, flush works, drains run freely - [ ] Extractor fan and any mould behind it Turn it on, does it actually pull air 05 ### Kitchen & appliances List every appliance that stays, and prove it works. "The oven was already broken" is only true if you filmed it working, or not. - [ ] Worktop scratches, burns and chips And the splashback behind the hob - [ ] Oven, hob and extractor, present and working Switch each ring and the oven light on camera - [ ] Fridge, freezer and dishwasher, running Note any that are included in the tenancy - [ ] Cupboard doors, hinges and drawers Every soft-close that no longer closes - [ ] Sink, taps and under-sink for leaks Open the cupboard, check for water marks 06 ### Meters & keys Meter readings and key counts are quick to record and expensive to get wrong. Photograph each meter face with its serial number visible. - [ ] Electricity reading and serial number Photograph the display and the number plate - [ ] Gas reading and serial number Same, display and serial in one shot - [ ] Water meter reading (cold and hot) And the heating meter if there is one - [ ] Every key and fob counted Flat, building, mailbox, cellar, garage, bike store - [ ] Remotes, manuals and anything handed over Gate remote, appliance manuals, spare parts 07 ### Sign it off Both sides sign the same report. If a signature is refused, note it with the date and, if given, the reason. Signature, tenant Place, date:   Signature, landlord / agent Place, date:   Free checklist from dokuai.app, document your rental before the handover. The same move, everywhere ## Where else does a dated walkthrough save you money? Any time you hand something back that someone can inspect later, the same habit protects you. Document the state, stamp it, keep it. Rental-car return Film a slow walk-around in good light before you drop the keys: every panel, the wheels, the interior, the fuel gauge and the dashboard mileage, all with the date and time. Damage claims often land days later, the dated video is your answer. A car park scrape or a delivery dent Photograph the damage where it happened, with the surroundings in frame. Date, time and place decide whose insurance pays for a damage report. Move-in day, not just move-out The strongest deposit case is a before-and-after pair. Run this exact checklist the day you get the keys, so on move-out day you can show what was already there. Or skip the folders ## Or do the whole walkthrough in about five minutes. This checklist works on paper for free. If you would rather not manage folders of photos and typed notes, DokuAI runs the same walkthrough for you: photograph each room and speak what you see, and it turns your photos and voice into a dated, structured PDF, timestamps, location and the photos already attached. Same evidence, less admin. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6749177847) [Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pro.docuai.docuai) 7 days free on the weekly plan · iOS & Android · 15 languages · GDPR compliant More on documenting a handover: [the property handover app overview](https://dokuai.app/property-handover-app/). FAQ ## Common questions about deposits and move-out. Last updated: October 17, 2026 **How do I get my full security deposit back?** Document the condition of the flat with dated photos before you move in and again before you move out. A landlord can only deduct from a deposit for damage beyond normal wear and tear, and in a dispute the party without a dated condition report usually loses. Photograph every room, every existing mark, all meters and all keys, and keep the evidence until the money is returned. **Why does the date and time on a photo matter so much?** Because a deposit dispute is a question of "what did it look like, and when". A photo with a verifiable date, time and location proves the state of the room on the day you handed it over. Without that stamp, a landlord can claim the damage happened on your watch, and a plain photo with no date is hard to place. Dated evidence turns a "he said, she said" into a fact. **What counts as normal wear and tear versus damage?** Normal wear and tear is the gradual, expected ageing of a home lived in reasonably, light scuffs, small nail holes, faded paint, worn carpet tracks. Damage is beyond that: burns, large stains, broken fittings, holes, cracked tiles. Landlords can charge for damage, not for wear. Your before-and-after photos are what decide which side a mark falls on. **Do I need a witness or a signature?** A signed condition report from both sides is the strongest proof, so aim for it. If the landlord will not sign, a witness who was present, a friend or flatmate, and a full set of dated photos still carry weight. Note in the report if a signature was refused, with the date and reason. **Does this checklist work for a rental car return too?** Yes. The same idea applies: before you hand back a hire car, film a slow walk-around in good light, capture every existing scratch, the wheels, the interior, the fuel gauge and the dashboard mileage, all with the date and time. Rental-car damage claims often arrive days later, and a dated video is the fastest way to prove the car left you in the same state it arrived. **Can I just do all of this with an app instead?** You can. This checklist works on paper for free. If you would rather not manage folders of photos and typed notes, the DokuAI app runs the same walkthrough in about five minutes: you photograph and speak, and it turns that into a dated, structured PDF with the photos, timestamps and location already attached. Same evidence, less admin.