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Guide · Site visits and photos

How to do a move-in or move-out inspection with photos on your phone (and what your state or province requires)

By Blink Brief · Updated  · How pages are made

On move-in day, walk each room with the landlord, take a wide photo of every wall, floor and fixture and a close-up of every flaw, and write one line per item saying where it is and what's wrong. Both of you sign the list and both keep a copy. Then check the rules where you live: California requires the landlord to photograph the unit at the start of tenancies that began on or after July 1, 2025; British Columbia and Alberta set the inspection's timing and form; Washington doesn't allow a deposit without a checklist both sides sign.

Short answer

  • Photos: wide shot of each room from the doorway, then a close-up of each flaw with something for scale.
  • Notes: one line per photo: room, place, what's wrong, how big.
  • Paper trail: both sign and date, both keep a copy, and keep the original photos.
  • At move-out: the same items, in the same order, from the same spots.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current rules for your state or province.

What to photograph, room by room

Start at the front door and go clockwise through each room, so the move-out photos can follow the same path. In every room, take one wide photo from the doorway, then go around the walls.

  • Every room: walls and ceiling (marks, holes, stains), floor or carpet, doors and their frames, windows, screens and blinds, light fixtures and switches, outlets, and the smoke alarm.
  • Kitchen: counters, sink and taps, the inside of the oven, fridge and dishwasher, the stovetop, cabinet doors and drawers, and the floor in front of the appliances.
  • Bathrooms: tub or shower and its caulking, toilet, sink and vanity, mirror, tiles and grout, the fan, and any sign of water damage.
  • Elsewhere: closets, the balcony or yard, the garage or parking spot, keys and fobs (count them), and the meter readings.

For each flaw, take the close-up with something for scale, such as a coin or a tape measure, and test what you can: run the taps, flush the toilet, open each window. More on getting clear, usable photos is in How to make an inspection report with photos on your phone and send the client a PDF.

One note per photo, and the date

A photo without a note is hard to use a year later: which bedroom, which wall, and was that mark there before? Pair each photo with a line such as "Bedroom 2, wall left of the window: 3 nail holes, about 2 mm" or "Kitchen counter, right of the sink: burn mark, 4 cm". Write "OK" for rooms with nothing wrong, so it's clear you looked.

For the date, keep the original photos in your phone's library and don't edit them: the phone records when each was taken. The report itself should carry the inspection date on its first page and next to the signatures. California's Department of Real Estate mentions "date stamped photographs" in its guide for tenants. To show the date on the picture itself, the free Photo Timestamp tool stamps the date saved in each photo on a corner of a copy, in your browser, without uploading it. A stamp shows the date the file says, not proof of when the photo was taken, so send the originals too.

Signatures and copies: who keeps what

  • Both the landlord and the tenant sign and date the report at the inspection. If the tenant disagrees about an item, the tenant writes so next to it or in a statement on the report. British Columbia and Alberta both give the tenant this right.
  • The tenant gets a copy. In British Columbia, within 7 days of the move-in inspection, and within 15 days of the later of the move-out inspection and the day the landlord receives the tenant's forwarding address in writing. In Alberta, immediately. In Washington, a copy of the signed checklist.
  • Both keep it, and the photos, until the deposit is settled. Alberta's fact sheet says the landlord must keep copies of the inspection reports "for three years after the tenancy terminates".
  • Send the copy as a PDF by email as well as on paper. The sent email shows when the other side received it.

Rules by place: California, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta

Each row is from the statute or the government's own page, read on 2026-11-03 or 2026-11-04. Cities and other states and provinces have their own rules; check yours.

Place Inspection and form Photos Signatures, copies, deposit
California (Civil Code 1950.5) No set move-in form. Before move-out, the landlord must tell the tenant in writing that they can ask for an initial inspection. If the tenant asks, the landlord gives at least 48 hours' written notice, inspects no earlier than 2 weeks before the tenancy ends, and lists the repairs or cleaning they plan to charge for. The landlord must photograph the unit at the start of tenancies that began on or after July 1, 2025. Since April 1, 2025, after the tenant moves out, the landlord must also photograph it before and after any repairs or cleaning the landlord will charge to the deposit. Those photos go to the tenant with the deduction. Deposit back, with an itemized statement of deductions, within 21 days. Ordinary wear and tear can't be charged.
Washington (RCW 59.18.260, .280) No deposit unless the rental agreement is in writing and the landlord gives the tenant a written checklist or statement of the unit's condition at the start. Not mentioned in the statute. "Signed and dated by the landlord and the tenant", with a copy to the tenant. Without the checklist, the landlord is liable to the tenant for the deposit amount. Deposit back within 30 days.
British Columbia The walk-through "should happen on the day the tenant gets the keys". The landlord offers 2 opportunities, the second on Form RTB-22. Form RTB-27 is the government's report, but "landlords can decide to use their own form". The move-out inspection follows the same steps. Recommended: "It's a good idea for both parties to take many photos and videos". Both sign; the tenant can note disagreement. The tenant gets a copy within 7 days of the move-in inspection. After the move-out inspection, it's within 15 days of the later of the inspection and the day the landlord receives the tenant's forwarding address in writing (Residential Tenancy Regulation, s. 18). A landlord who doesn't offer the inspection or complete the report loses the right to claim against the deposit for damage.
Alberta An inspection report "within one week before or after a tenant takes or gives up possession", at move-in and move-out. Not required by the fact sheet. The tenant signs a statement agreeing or disagreeing and gets a copy immediately. Deducting for damage without completed, signed reports is an offence. The landlord keeps reports for 3 years.

Make the report on your phone and send the PDF

A notes app and the camera are enough, if you're careful to pair each note with its photo. If you'd rather have the photo, the note and the signature together in one PDF, our free Inspection Report tool does that in the phone's browser, with no sign-up. Your photos are never uploaded; the page loads its PDF library from cdnjs. It was made for inspections done for a client, so the fields use that word:

  1. Under Report details, set Report title to "Move-in Inspection" (or "Move-out Inspection"). Put the other party's name in Client, the rental's address in Site address, and your name in Inspector. Date of inspection starts at today.
  2. Under Items you checked, add one item per photo: What did you check? ("Bedroom 2, wall left of window"), Take photo or Choose photo, a Status (OK, Needs attention or Fail) and a Note. Each item holds one photo, so a wide shot and its close-up are two items.
  3. Under Summary and next steps, list anything to be fixed and by when, and the number of keys.
  4. Under Client signature, the other party types their name in Client's name and signs in the box with a finger.
  5. Choose US Letter or A4 and tap Download PDF. Send it to the other party right away.

What it doesn't do:

  • It has one signature box. Where both sides must sign, the person who made the report signs the PDF too: print it and sign by hand, or add a signature with a PDF app, then send the signed copy to the other side.
  • It doesn't keep the photos' own timestamps. Photos are reduced to 1600 pixels for the PDF, and the copy doesn't carry the date the phone recorded. The report shows the inspection date, and your originals keep the rest.
  • It doesn't save your work. The report lives only in that browser tab, so download the PDF before you close it.
  • Each page of the PDF has a "Made with Blink Brief" line at the foot.

To send loose photos as one PDF instead, see How to combine photos into one PDF on an iPhone or Android phone. Other inspection apps, free and paid, are compared in Inspection report apps compared.

At move-out: the same items, side by side

Take the move-in report with you and go through it in the same order. For each item, stand where you stood before and take the same shot, so the two photos can sit side by side. Clean first: the comparison is fairer to both sides when dirt doesn't hide or add marks.

For each item, note one of three things: as it was at move-in, normal wear from living there, or new damage. California's Department of Real Estate gives an example of where that line falls: "Generally, minor marks or nicks in walls are the landlord's responsibility as normal wear and tear", while "a large number of holes in the walls or ceiling that require filling with plaster" could justify charging for repainting, and "large marks or paint gouges are the tenant's responsibility". Sign and date the move-out report the same way as the move-in one, and keep both until the deposit is settled.

Questions

What is a move-in inspection?

A walk through the rental with the landlord, room by room, on or near the day the tenant moves in. You record the condition of each room and every flaw with notes and photos, both sign, and both keep a copy. At move-out it's the record that separates damage from what was already there.

Do I need photos for a move-in inspection in California?

The landlord does. Since July 1, 2025, Civil Code 1950.5(g)(1) says: "For tenancies that begin on or after July 1, 2025, the landlord shall take photographs of the unit immediately before, or at the inception of, the tenancy." The law doesn't require the tenant to take any, but your own dated photos are your record if you disagree later.

What is the RTB-27 form in BC?

Form RTB-27 is the Condition Inspection Report from British Columbia's Residential Tenancy Branch. The government says landlords can use their own form instead. The landlord fills it in with the tenant at the move-in and move-out inspections. The tenant gets a copy within 7 days of the move-in inspection. After the move-out inspection, the deadline is 15 days from the later of the inspection and the day the landlord receives the tenant's forwarding address in writing.

Can a landlord charge for nail holes?

It depends on how many and how large. California's Department of Real Estate guide says "minor marks or nicks in walls" are generally normal wear and tear, the landlord's cost, while "a large number of holes in the walls or ceiling that require filling with plaster" could justify withholding the cost of repainting. Photos of the walls at move-in show which holes were already there.

What if the landlord won't sign the move-in checklist?

Do the walk-through anyway, take dated photos, and send your list and photos to the landlord in writing, by email or message, so there's a record of when they got it. In Washington a landlord can't collect a deposit without a checklist signed by both. In British Columbia a landlord who doesn't offer the inspection or complete the report loses the right to claim against the deposit for damage.

Sources

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