Move-In and Move-Out Inspections: A Photo Checklist That Holds Up at the Tribunal

When a deposit or damage claim goes to a tenancy tribunal, the question is rarely whether there's a stain on the carpet now. It's whether the stain was there when the tenant moved in. A careful move-in inspection answers that question for both sides, and a matching move-out inspection makes the comparison straightforward. This guide covers what some provinces require, and a photo method that produces evidence people can rely on.

What the rules say (they vary)

Inspection requirements differ by province, and in some provinces skipping them has direct consequences for the deposit. Three examples:

• British Columbia: landlords and tenants complete a condition inspection report at the start and end of a tenancy (Form RTB-27). The landlord must offer at least two opportunities for the move-out inspection. The BC government warns that if a move-out inspection isn't properly completed, landlords and tenants may lose their right to the deposit. See British Columbia.
• Alberta: written inspection reports are required within one week before or after the tenant moves in and out, signed by both parties (or noting the tenant's disagreement or absence), with a copy to the tenant. Landlords keep copies for three years. Deducting damages from the deposit without completed reports is an offence. See Alberta.
• Ontario: there is no mandatory inspection form, and a landlord can only collect a rent deposit, which is applied to the last month's rent. Claims for damage are made through the Landlord and Tenant Board (or, in some cases, the courts), where photos and dated records are the evidence. See Ontario.

Check your province's page or tenancy authority for the current form and process. Where an official form exists, use it, and treat your photos as the attachment that makes it convincing.

Before you start

• Do it in daylight, with the unit empty if at all possible. Furniture hides floors and walls.
• Use a phone with the date and time set correctly. Keep location and timestamps on; they're recorded in the photo's metadata.
• Follow the same route every time: entry, then clockwise through each room, then mechanical, exterior and storage. The same order at move-out makes the comparison easy.
• Invite the tenant. A joint walk-through, with the tenant pointing out what they see, avoids most later disputes.
• Bring the report form or checklist and fill it in as you go, not from memory afterwards.

The room-by-room photo checklist

Every room

• One wide photo from each doorway, then one from the opposite corner.
• Floors, including corners and the area in front of doors.
• Each wall, plus close-ups of any marks, holes or patches.
• Ceilings, especially around light fixtures and under bathrooms.
• Windows, screens, blinds and sills.
• Doors, handles, locks and closet interiors.
• Outlets, switches, light fixtures, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Kitchen

• Each appliance closed and open: fridge and freezer interior, oven interior, stovetop, dishwasher, range hood filter.
• Countertops, especially around the sink and stove.
• Cabinet doors and the inside of the sink cabinet (look for water damage).
• Taps running, and the floor in front of the dishwasher.

Bathrooms

• Tub or shower surface, caulking and grout, close up.
• Toilet base and the floor around it.
• Vanity, mirror, fan, towel bars and the ceiling above the shower.

Mechanical, exterior and storage

• Furnace or heat pump, water heater (including the date label), electrical panel.
• Balcony, deck, yard, parking spot and storage locker, if included in the lease.
• Each meter, with the reading legible. Meter photos settle the first and last utility bills.
• Keys, fobs, remotes and garage openers laid out together in one photo.

Making photos persuasive

1. Wide, then close. A close-up of a scratch proves a scratch exists. The wide shot proves which room and which wall it's on.
2. Give scale. Put a coin, a pen or a tape measure next to small damage.
3. Match angles at move-out. Stand where you stood at move-in. Side-by-side comparisons are what tribunal members and tenants find most convincing.
4. Don't edit or filter. Keep the original files. Cropped or enhanced images invite questions about what was changed.
5. Write it down too. Note existing damage in words on the report: what, where, and how big. A photo plus a sentence beats either alone.
6. Share a copy the same day. Emailing the photos or report to the tenant creates a dated record both sides hold.

Wear and tear vs damage

Provinces describe this differently, but the general idea is consistent: landlords can't charge tenants for the normal effects of living in a home over time. Some common examples:

Age matters too. A carpet near the end of its useful life has little remaining value, which tribunals often take into account when deciding what a tenant should pay.

For tenants

Take your own photos on the day you get the keys, before you move anything in, and email them to the landlord or manager. If you notice something later that wasn't on the move-in report, report it in writing right away. At move-out, clean, take the same photos again, and ask to do the inspection together.

Doing this in Propvara today

Propvara's inspections build a room-by-room checklist from the unit's bedrooms and bathrooms. You rate each item and add photos from your phone, and the tenant reviews and signs the report, with room to add a comment. At move-out, each item and room's photos sit beside the move-in version, and anything worse can become a repair case in one tap. Completed reports are locked, so they hold up as a record.