Move-Out Inspections: What to Expect and How to Prepare

A move-out inspection is the landlord's walkthrough to record the cleaning and damage it may charge against your security deposit. California and New York let you ask for an inspection in the last two weeks before you leave, get a written list of proposed deductions, and fix those items first; New York's rule does not cover rent-controlled apartments or rent-stabilized leases signed before November 15, 2025. Maryland, Virginia, Arizona, and Missouri give you a right to attend the final inspection; Maryland and Virginia require you to ask in writing first. In other states, ask for a joint walkthrough in writing, and document the unit yourself before you return the keys.

Which states give you an inspection right

A Maryland landlord that ignores a proper request loses the right to withhold any of the deposit for damage. If your state is not listed, check its deposit statute; where the law is silent, a landlord can still agree to a joint walkthrough if you ask.

Two more California rules limit what the landlord can charge. If the unit is empty enough at the initial inspection for the landlord to see what needs repair or cleaning, the landlord cannot later deduct for repairs or cleaning that were not on its list, except for damage that happens after the inspection or that your belongings hid. California landlords must also photograph the unit after you move out, before and after any repair or cleaning they charge for, and send those photos with the deduction. If repair and cleaning charges total $125 or less, or you signed a waiver after a notice to end the tenancy or within 60 days before a fixed lease ends, the landlord can skip sending the photos and receipts, but must provide them if you ask within 14 days of getting the itemized statement.

How to request an inspection and what notice applies

1. Ask in writing when you give notice to move out. Propose dates after your belongings are out but early enough to fix problems: no earlier than two weeks before the tenancy ends in California, between two weeks and one week before in New York, and within the last week in Montana. In Maryland, use certified mail at least 15 days before your move date.
2. Expect written notice of the time. California and New York require 48 hours' written notice of the inspection's date and time. In California, you and the landlord can skip that notice only by both signing a written waiver, and the landlord can go ahead whether or not you attend unless you withdraw the request.
3. Know the entry rules for other visits. Massachusetts lets a landlord enter to inspect for damage within the last 30 days of the tenancy or after either side gives notice to end it. Privacy rights and landlord entry covers how much notice landlords must give for other entries.

What to do during the walkthrough

1. Bring your move-in record. Have your signed move-in checklist and dated photos on hand; documenting your apartment's condition explains what that record should include.
2. Photograph each item the landlord points out, with the room and date, so your record matches the landlord's list.
3. Ask how each item will be charged. For each one, ask whether the landlord calls it damage or cleaning and what it plans to deduct. California, Maryland, and Texas bar deductions for normal wear and tear.
4. Get the list in writing. California and New York require an itemized statement after the inspection; in California, the landlord may leave it inside the unit if you are not there. Virginia requires a written statement with itemized damages after its move-out inspection. In other states, email the landlord your own list the same day and ask it to confirm.
5. Do not sign a list you disagree with. In Georgia, where the inspection rule applies to your landlord, a list you sign at the inspection is conclusive evidence that it is accurate; if you refuse to sign, you must state in writing which items you dispute and sign that statement.

Fix listed items before you return the keys

California and New York give you until the tenancy ends to fix the items on the inspection list. California requires the fix to be consistent with your rental agreement, so check whether your lease requires the landlord's approval or vendor for repairs. A California landlord can still deduct for listed items you do not fix and for damage that happens after the inspection.

Keep receipts for supplies and repair work, and take after photos of each fixed item. In Montana, if you gave notice that you were moving out, a landlord cannot deduct cleaning charges until it gives you written notice of the cleaning still needed, and you then have 24 hours to do it. Cleaning deductions explains what cleaning a landlord can charge for.

Returning the keys and the final walkthrough

Once you hand the unit back, the landlord decides on deductions and lists them on the itemized statement. On your last day:

1. Record the empty unit. Take a dated video of every room, including inside appliances and closets, after cleaning.
2. Return every key and access device, including fobs, garage remotes, and mailbox keys, and get a written receipt listing what you returned and the date.
3. Give your forwarding address in writing. In Texas, the landlord does not have to refund the deposit or send the list of deductions until you do, although you do not lose the deposit by leaving it out.

The return deadline then runs: 21 days after you vacate in California, 30 days after you surrender the unit in Texas, 45 days after the tenancy ends in Maryland, and 45 days after the tenancy ends or you move out, whichever is later, in Virginia. Getting your security deposit back covers tracking that deadline and checking the itemized statement, your security deposit rights in California covers California's other deposit rules, and the overview of state security deposit laws covers return deadlines in other states.