The Complete Move-In Checklist for Renters

Work through a move-in in four stages: get the lease and every charge in writing before you pay, record the unit's condition on the day you get keys, check that the alarms, locks, and utilities work, and send the landlord a written list of problems in the first week. Some states make the landlord start the condition record. Washington, Massachusetts, Michigan, Arizona, and Virginia require the landlord to give you a checklist, form, or report. Check the deadlines and conditions for your state below.

Before you pay: what to get in writing

Get these on paper or by email before you pay, or at the moment you pay:

1. The signed lease. Get a copy signed by you and the landlord. Arizona requires the landlord to hand you one at move-in. Check the move-in date, which utilities will be in your name, and whether the lease requires renters insurance.
2. An itemized list of move-in charges. Each line should say whether it is rent, a refundable deposit, or a nonrefundable fee, and the total should match the lease.
3. A receipt for each payment. Pay by check, card, or bank transfer so you also have a bank record. In Massachusetts, the landlord must give you a signed receipt for a security deposit showing the amount, the date, who received it, and the unit, plus a separate receipt for any prepaid last month's rent.
4. Repair and emergency contacts. Get a phone number and an email address or online portal for repair requests, and ask who answers after hours.
5. The key handoff. Confirm the date and time you get keys, and how many keys, fobs, garage remotes, and mailbox keys you will receive.

If you are still weeks away from key day, our move timeline from notice to move-in covers giving notice at your current place and booking the move.

On key day: walk through and record the unit's condition

Do the walk-through before any furniture comes in. Photograph and video every room, open every appliance and cabinet, run each faucet and shower, and flush each toilet. Write down every flaw with its location and size, such as "2-inch burn mark on counter left of sink," rather than a rating like "fair." Sign and date your list, ask the landlord to sign it, and email it with your photos the same day.

In these five states, the landlord must provide the checklist, form, or report:

Wherever the landlord gives you nothing, build the same record yourself and send it to the landlord. Our guide to documenting your apartment's condition covers the photo method, the move-out comparison, and how long to keep the file.

Test the smoke alarms, CO alarms, and locks

• Smoke alarms. Press the test button on each one. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends alarms inside and outside each bedroom and on every level, and says to replace any alarm 10 years after its manufacture date. Report a missing, silent, or expired alarm to the landlord in writing. In Texas, the landlord must test each smoke alarm when your tenancy begins but, if the alarm worked then, does not have to supply batteries after that, so note the battery type. The Fire Administration advises replacing 9-volt batteries at least once a year.
• Carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. California requires the owner to install a CO alarm in any unit with a gas or other fossil-fuel heater or appliance, a fireplace, or an attached garage. If your unit has any of these and no CO alarm, ask for one in writing.
• Locks and latches. Work every exterior door lock from inside and outside, try each window latch, and confirm that every key, fob, and code you were given works. Ask whether the locks were rekeyed (changed so old keys no longer work) after the last tenant. Texas requires the landlord to rekey within 7 days after you move in, at its own expense. Our guide to changing the locks when you move in explains what to do if they were not.

For who must install, test, and replace alarms in your state, see smoke detectors in rental housing.

Have insurance and utilities on by key day

• Renters insurance. Set the policy to start on the day you get keys, not the day you finish moving, so belongings you bring in early are covered. If your lease requires a policy, send the landlord proof before key day. Setting up renters insurance when you move covers coverage amounts and timing.
• Utilities. Check the lease for which services are in your name. Schedule electricity, gas, and water to start on key day, and book internet installation as soon as you have a move-in date. On key day, photograph each meter so your first bill starts from the right reading. Transferring utilities walks through each service.

Report problems in writing during the first week

Send every repair request by email, text, or the landlord's portal, with a photo and the date you found the problem, and save the replies. A dated request records when you reported the problem, and in some states it starts the landlord's repair deadline:

• Washington: send the notice to the person who collects rent or the person named to receive notices, and name the unit, the owner if you know it, and the problem. After the landlord receives it, repairs must start within 24 hours if you have no hot or cold water, heat, or electricity, or the problem is imminently hazardous to life. The deadline is 72 hours if a refrigerator, range and oven, or major plumbing fixture the landlord supplied does not work, and 10 days for other problems.
• Texas: the landlord's duty to repair a condition that materially affects health or safety starts when you notify the person or office where you pay rent, and only if you are current on rent. Notice must be in writing only if your written lease requires it, though a written request is easier to prove. A water heater that cannot supply water of at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit is one of the conditions a Texas landlord must repair after notice.

First apartment: what has to work and what to have on hand

Before your first night, confirm that these work: hot and cold water, heat, electricity in every room, each toilet and drain, the refrigerator and stove if the landlord supplies them, every exterior lock, and every smoke alarm. Most of these are the items on Washington's 24-hour and 72-hour repair deadlines. Ask the landlord to show you the main water shutoff valve, the circuit breaker panel, and the gas shutoff if the unit has gas service, so you can stop a leak or reset a tripped breaker yourself.

Have these on hand for move-in night:

• Toilet paper, hand soap, towels, and a shower curtain
• Trash bags, dish soap, a sponge, and cleaning spray
• A plunger and spare light bulbs
• Sheets and a pillow, even if your bed arrives later

Ready.gov's basic emergency kit adds a flashlight, extra batteries, a first-aid kit, a phone charger with a backup battery, a wrench or pliers for turning off utilities, nonperishable food for several days, and water at one gallon per person per day for several days.