The Unknown Dev

Move-in photo checklist

What to photograph the day you get the keys — and what to record alongside the photos. Free to print, copy and hand out. No signup, nothing to install.

Before you start

• Do it before you unpack a single box, and before you clean or move anything.
• Check your phone's date and time are set automatically. A photo's date is most of its value.
• Wide shot first, then close-ups. A close-up of a scratch proves a scratch exists. It doesn't prove which room it was in.
• Put something in frame for scale on close-ups — keys, a phone, a coin.
• Photograph things that look fine, not just damage. Proving a worktop was unmarked is as useful as proving a door was chipped.
• If a room is dark, turn the light on and open the curtains. A dim photo proves nothing.

Every room

• Each wall, separately
• Ceiling, including corners — look for damp staining
• Floor or carpet: edges, doorways, under windows, under radiators
• Skirting boards
• Windows: frame, sill, catches, locks, and the window keys
• Blinds or curtains, and whether they work
• Doors, both sides, plus handle and lock
• Light fittings, switches and every socket
• Radiators, including behind and underneath
• Anything already marked, worn or broken — close up, with scale

Kitchen

• Oven inside, including the door glass and the shelves
• Hob, and the extractor hood and filter
• Fridge and freezer inside, and the door seals
• Washing machine drum, drawer and seal
• Worktops — scorches, knife cuts, stains, burst edges
• Sink, taps, plug and drainer
• Inside every cupboard and drawer
• Tiles and grout, especially behind the sink and hob

Bathroom

• Bath or shower tray, and the sealant and grout — mould here is a common deduction
• Shower screen or curtain
• Toilet, seat and cistern
• Basin, taps and plug
• Extractor fan, and whether it runs
• Mirror and cabinet

Bedrooms

• Mattress, both sides, and the label
• Bed frame and slats
• Wardrobe inside: rails, shelves, doors
• Desk, chair and drawers

Living room

• Sofa and chairs with the cushions lifted, and underneath
• Any other supplied furniture, all sides

Outside and shared areas

• Garden, lawn, fences, gates and the state they're in
• Shed, garage, bin store and the bins themselves
• Shared hallways, stairs and landings
• Parking space or bay, and any marking on it

Record, don't just photograph

• Meter readings: gas, electricity (both rates if you have two) and water. Photograph the meter so the serial number and the reading are in the same shot.
• Every key and fob you were given, including window keys — all of them together in one photo, and write down how many.
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: press the test button, photograph each one.
• Boiler: make, model and the service sticker.
• The paperwork you were given, and the date you got it.

The agent's inventory

• You'll normally be given a short window to comment on it. Check your tenancy paperwork for the deadline and put it in your calendar.
• Go through it line by line against your own photos.
• Note anything missing, anything described as "good" that isn't, and anything listed that isn't actually there.
• Email your comments rather than handing back a signed copy. You want a dated record that you also hold.
• Keep the sent email. That's the bit people lose.

In your first week

• Check your deposit has been protected in a government-approved scheme, and that you've been told which one and given the reference. The scheme will confirm it directly — don't take the agent's word for it.
• Write down the scheme name, the reference and the date.

And on the day you leave

• Re-shoot every photo from the same position as the move-in one.
• Final meter readings, same way — serial number and reading together.
• Note who you handed the keys to, when, and get that in writing.

Write it down

Print the sheet and fill these in on the day. They are the details people are asked for months later and can never find.

• Date you moved in
• Gas meter — serial and reading
• Electricity — serial and reading (both rates)
• Water meter — serial and reading
• Keys received — how many, and what they open
• Deposit scheme, reference, and the date it was confirmed

Free to print, copy, link to or hand out. Not legal advice. For your rights, see gov.uk, Shelter or Citizens Advice.

unknowndev.co.uk/move-in-checklist · The Unknown Dev Ltd