Is a Move-In Inspection Required?

It depends on your state. Washington, Massachusetts, Georgia, Michigan (if you require a security deposit), Virginia, Kansas, and Arizona require a written move-in checklist, report, or form, and New York requires you to offer the tenant an inspection before move-in. California requires move-in photos for tenancies that began on or after July 1, 2025.

Which states require a move-in checklist or inspection?

Under Ga. Code section 44-7-36, Georgia's list requirement does not apply to an individual who, with a spouse and minor children, owns 10 or fewer rental units, unless a third party manages them for a fee. If your state is not in the table, check your state's deposit statute and your city's rental code before relying on that.

What do you lose without a move-in record?

The deposit dispute at move-out turns on one question: was this damage there when the tenant moved in? Without a signed record from move-in, you have no agreed starting point. In several states the landlord carries the burden of proof. Iowa's deposit statute puts the burden on the landlord to prove the reason for keeping any part of the deposit, and California requires the landlord to prove the amounts kept were reasonable.

The record also limits you. In New York, you cannot deduct for damage listed on the move-in statement. Massachusetts has the same rule unless you repaired the listed damage and can prove the tenant or someone under their control or on the premises with their consent caused new damage unrelated to the earlier damage. An accurate list protects the tenant from being charged twice for old damage and protects you from a claim that new damage was there before.

If the signed checklist and a dated photo show clean carpet at move-in, you have evidence a stain found at move-out is new, and if it goes beyond normal wear and tear you can support the deduction. If the checklist says nothing about the carpet, dated photos or other records may still show its move-in condition. What security deposits are usually used for explains what counts as damage versus normal wear and tear.

How do you document condition so the record holds up?

1. Use a room-by-room checklist. List every room and, in each, walls, ceiling, floor, windows and screens, doors and locks, lights and outlets, and fixtures. Add each appliance by name.
2. Describe damage precisely. Write the location, size, and type ("2-inch chip in kitchen countertop left of sink") instead of "fair" or "some wear."
3. Take dated photos and video. Shoot each room from the doorway, then close-ups of each listed defect. Keep the original files, which carry the date and time.
4. Test what works. Run each appliance, faucet, and the heat and air conditioning, and note the result.
5. Sign and date it together. Both you and the tenant sign, and the tenant gets a copy the same day. If your state gives the tenant time to add items (15 days after receiving the statement or moving in, whichever is later, in Massachusetts; 7 days in Michigan; 5 days in Virginia), put that deadline in writing and file what comes back. In Massachusetts, answer within 15 days after receiving the tenant's separate damage list.
6. Repeat at move-out. Use the same checklist and take photos from the same angles so the two records compare item by item.

Store the checklist, photos, and any tenant additions with the lease. You will need them when you itemize deductions after move-out, a process covered in how to return a security deposit.

Where can you find more on the state rules?

Washington security deposit laws covers the checklist that must exist before you collect a deposit, and Massachusetts security deposit laws covers the statement of condition and its required notice. The inspection is one step in the full move-in sequence described in how to help your tenant get set up.