Why the check-in record matters
At the end of a tenancy, every conversation about the deposit comes back to one question: what was the property like when the tenant moved in? The check-in inventory (sometimes called a schedule of condition) is the answer. Without one, it is very hard to show that a stain, a scuff or a broken blind is new, however sure you are.
A good check-in record shows the tenant what they are responsible for, gives you something to compare the check-out against item by item, and is the first thing a deposit scheme adjudicator will look at if you can’t agree. Our guide to evidence for deposit disputes covers that side.
Is an inventory a legal requirement?
- England There is no general legal requirement, but the deposit schemes treat the check-in report as the most important evidence if a deposit is disputed. You can’t charge the tenant for it: the Tenant Fees Act 2019 bans every payment it doesn’t expressly permit, and inventory fees aren’t on the list.
- Wales For most standard occupation contracts, the landlord must give the contract-holder an inventory of the contents, fixtures and fittings and their condition, by the same deadline as the written statement (14 days from the occupation date). The contract-holder then has 14 days to comment, otherwise it is treated as accurate. Inventory and check-in fees are banned.
- Scotland Letting agents must produce an inventory under their statutory code of practice unless the landlord agrees otherwise in writing. We found no equivalent duty for landlords who manage their own lets, but it matters just as much as evidence. Tenants can’t be charged fees on top of rent and a refundable deposit.
- NI Not a legal requirement, but the Department for Communities recommends drawing up an inventory of everything in the property and its condition.
Before you start
- Do it as close to the move-in date as you can, ideally on the day. The longer the gap, the easier it is for someone to argue that something changed in between.
- Invite the tenant to be there. Walking round together settles a lot of small questions on the spot. If they can’t attend, give them the report straight away and a clear deadline to comment.
- Get the property ready first. Finish repairs and cleaning before the inventory, not after. If something isn’t done, record it honestly rather than describing the property as you intend it to be.
- Use the same structure every time. Go through the rooms in a fixed order and list the same items in each. The check-out can then follow the check-in line by line.
- Bring what you need: a charged phone, a torch for meters and cupboards, a list of what is provided, and a tape measure or coin for scale in close-ups.
How to describe condition and cleanliness
Most inventory arguments aren’t about whether damage exists but about whether it was already there, and how bad it was. Words matter as much as photos.
- Rate condition and cleanliness separately. A new sofa can be dusty; a spotless carpet can be worn. Keeping the two apart stops a cleaning issue being argued as damage, and the other way round.
- Be specific: where, how big, how many. “Good condition” tells an adjudicator very little. “Two light scuffs, about 5 cm, on the wall to the left of the light switch” can be checked later.
- Note age and quality where you know it. “Carpet fitted 2023” or “oven about 8 years old” helps later when fair wear and tear and the remaining life of an item are weighed up.
- Record whether things work: lights, taps, shower, extractor fan, oven and hob, fridge, heating and hot water, window locks. Write for someone who has never seen the property, because an adjudicator hasn’t.
What to photograph and film
Photos and video show what words can’t, but only if they are clear, complete and can be tied to a date and a place in the property.
- Start wide. In each room, take a shot from the doorway and from the opposite corner, then each wall, the floor and the ceiling.
- Then go close. Photograph every mark, chip, stain or defect you describe, with something in shot for scale.
- Open things. Inside the oven, fridge, freezer, dishwasher and washing machine (including the detergent drawer and door seal), kitchen cupboards and wardrobes.
- Don’t forget the places disputes start: bathroom sealant and grout, the extractor fan, window sills and frames (condensation and mould), skirting boards, behind doors, carpets near doorways, and mattress protectors and mattresses where provided.
- File each photo under its room and item, not in a camera roll of 300 images. A video walk-through is a useful extra, but stills of specific items are easier to compare at check-out.
- Think about the date. The date on an ordinary phone photo comes from metadata that can be changed. Photos included in the report the tenant acknowledges, sent to them at the time, or independently timestamped are much harder to argue about.
The Deposit Protection Service asks for photos that are clear, in colour and date-stamped, and mydeposits suggests check-out photos from the same angles as the check-in, so take the check-in photos with that in mind.
Room-by-room checklist
Adapt this to the property. For every item, record condition, cleanliness, anything that doesn’t work, and a photo.
Throughout the property
- Walls and ceilings: paint, marks, holes from fixings, cracks, damp or mould
- Floors: carpet (stains, wear, burns), hard floors (scratches, lifting), skirting boards
- Doors, frames, handles and locks, including internal doors that stick
- Windows: glass, frames, sills, handles, locks and keys, trickle vents, condensation or mould
- Curtains, blinds, poles and tracks
- Light fittings and bulbs, switches, sockets
- Radiators, valves and thermostats; heating and hot water working
Entrance, hall, stairs and landing
- Front door: both faces, letterbox, door chain or viewer, locks
- Stair carpet and treads, banisters and handrails
- Smoke alarm location and test result (see alarms)
- Consumer unit (fuse box) location, and the meter cupboard
Kitchen
- Worktops (burns, cuts, water damage), splashback, sink, taps and plughole
- Cupboard and drawer fronts, hinges, the inside of each unit
- Oven, grill and hob: cleanliness inside and out, racks and trays present, all rings working
- Extractor hood and filter
- Fridge and freezer: shelves, drawers and seals present and intact, ice build-up
- Washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer: seals, filters, detergent drawer
- Small appliances and inventory items provided (kettle, microwave, crockery), with a count
- Heat alarm, where required (Scotland and Northern Ireland), and a carbon monoxide alarm if the room has a boiler or other combustion appliance
Bathrooms and WCs
- Bath, shower tray, basin and toilet: chips, cracks, limescale, staining
- Sealant and grout: discolouration, mould, gaps
- Taps, shower head and hose, shower screen or curtain and rail
- Extractor fan working; any condensation or mould on ceilings and window reveals
- Mirrors, cabinets, towel rail, toilet seat and cistern
Bedrooms and living areas
- Each item of furniture provided: frames, drawers that run, fabric stains or tears
- Beds and mattresses (and whether mattress protectors are provided)
- Wardrobes: doors, rails, hangers, shelves
Outside, storage and extras
- Garden: lawn, beds, hedges, fences, gates, paths and patio (a dated photo matters here, because gardens change with the season)
- Bins provided and their condition
- Shed, garage, loft or cellar: contents left by you and their condition
- Parking space, bike store, and any tools or equipment left for the tenant’s use
Meter readings
Read every meter on the day the tenancy starts, ideally with the tenant, and photograph each one so the reading and, where visible, the meter’s serial number are legible. Citizens Advice tells people moving home to read their energy meters on the day they move in and give the readings to the supplier, and to read a water meter as soon as they move in.
- Electricity, including both day and night readings on a two-rate meter
- Gas
- Water, if metered
- Heating oil or LPG tank level, where there is one
- Credit or debt showing on any prepayment meter
- Where each meter and stopcock is, and who is responsible for each bill
Keys, fobs and remotes
Missing keys are a common and avoidable deduction argument. Record exactly what was handed over:
- Each key or fob by what it opens (front door, back door, window locks, post box, bike store, garage) and how many of each
- Remote controls and access cards, for gates, garages or communal doors
- Who received them and on what date
- A single photo of all of them laid out together, so the count is not in question later
Keep the same list for the check-out, and note any keys the tenant has copied with your agreement.
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Test every smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarm at check-in, and record its location, type, the date and result of the test, and any expiry date printed on the unit.
In England this is a legal requirement: alarms must be in proper working order on the day a new tenancy begins, and government guidance suggests the tenant signing the inventory to confirm it. Rent Smart Wales and Northern Ireland’s guidance also point to the check-in record as the way to show alarms were fitted and working. Which alarms are required differs across the UK: see the compliance calendar.
Documents and information given
Check-in is a good moment to record, in writing, what the tenant has been given and when. In England that typically includes the gas safety record, electrical safety report and EPC (all due before the tenant moves in), the prescribed information about their deposit (within 30 days of receiving it), confirmation that Right to Rent checks were done, and, for tenancies from 1 May 2026, the written information about the tenancy, which has to be given before the tenancy is agreed. The How to Rent guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own documents and deadlines, which are set out in our landlord compliance calendar.
Signatures and the tenant’s chance to comment
- Ask the tenant to sign the finished report, ideally on the day. The Deposit Protection Service says a report signed by all parties carries more weight, and that an unsigned one leaves an adjudicator unsure how accurate it is. mydeposits goes further for reports written by the landlord or agent: the tenant’s signature is essential.
- Give them time to check it. If the tenant wasn’t there, or wants to look properly, send a full copy and set a deadline for comments. mydeposits describes seven to ten days as the industry norm; in Wales it is 14 days by law for most standard occupation contracts.
- Add comments; don’t rewrite. If the tenant disagrees with something, attach their comment and say whether you accept it. In Wales, the regulations set out exactly this: amend the inventory, or re-send it with the comments you don’t agree attached.
- Tie the signature to a fixed version. Initialling each page, or signing a digital copy that can’t be quietly edited afterwards, avoids any later argument about what was actually agreed.
- Keep proof of delivery: when the tenant received the report, and how.
Short lets and holiday lets
Holiday-let guests don’t usually pay a tenancy deposit protected in a scheme, but the logic of the record is the same, repeated for every stay: a quick, dated turnover inspection before each guest arrives and after they leave, with photos of anything that has changed. Booking platforms set their own time limits and evidence rules for damage claims, so check the terms of the one you use and inspect promptly after checkout.
Making it hold up at check-out
- Give the tenant a full copy, photos included, at the start of the tenancy, and keep proof of when you sent it.
- Keep the original unchanged. If something needs correcting, add a dated note rather than editing the report, so there is never a question about which version the tenant saw.
- Use the same structure for the check-out, room by room and item by item, so each difference is easy to see.
- Allow for fair wear and tear. A check-out that lists every change as damage invites a dispute. The deposit disputes guide explains how adjudicators approach it.
- Consider mid-term inspections, with reasonable written notice. They catch problems such as damp, leaks and mould early, and give you dated records in between. See our guide to damp and mould.
Official and scheme sources
- Deposit Protection Service: preparing for disputes: the check-in and common dispute questions
- mydeposits: advice for check-in and check-out inspections and inventories: the complete guide
- Tenancy Deposit Scheme: guide to check-in and check-out reports, inventories and schedules of condition
- Tenant Fees Act 2019: statutory guidance and Welsh Government: letting fees
- Renting Homes (Supplementary Provisions) (Wales) Regulations 2022, regulation 27 (inventory)
- Letting Agent Code of Practice (Scotland) Regulations 2016
- Department for Communities: landlord’s checklist for new private tenancies (NI)
- Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, regulation 4 and the GOV.UK Q&A booklet
- Rent Smart Wales: evidencing smoke and CO alarms and Department for Communities: alarms guidance (NI)
- Citizens Advice: moving home and your energy supply and moving home and water bills
- GOV.UK: written information for your tenant and How to Rent (withdrawn)
More guides
This guide is general information for private landlords, letting agents and hosts in the UK, not legal advice. It was last reviewed in September 2026 and the rules change, so check the official sources linked above for your nation and your tenancy, and take advice from a qualified professional where a lot is at stake. How evidence is weighed in a dispute is always up to the adjudicator or court.