Move-In Inventory Form (Free Printable PDF)
Almost every deposit dispute comes from one omission: nothing was written down on day one. At move-out both sides believe they’re right, neither has proof, and the argument comes down to memory — which convinces nobody.
Filling in this form takes fifteen minutes. A year later, those fifteen minutes end an argument before it starts.
📄 Download the move-in inventory form (PDF, free) — no sign-up, no email; print two copies and have both signed.
What’s on the form
1 · Parties and property — names, contact details, full address, unit number, date of handover.
2 · Meter readings — electricity, water, gas. All three written and photographed. This is the only antidote to a transfer-bill argument later.
3 · Room-by-room condition — for each room: walls, floors, doors and windows, lighting, sockets. Every line has a good / defective box and a “if defective, what” note.
4 · Contents list — boiler, air conditioning, appliances, cupboards, built-in kitchen units, furniture. Make and model, quantity, and a working / not working mark for each.
5 · Keys — how many, which doors, whether building or parking fobs are included.
6 · Signature block — both parties, the date, and the line “the attached photographs form an integral part of this report.”
Three rules while filling it in
A report without photos is half a report. Text says “there’s a scratch on the wall”; a photo shows how big. Three or four frames per room, and a separate frame for each meter. You don’t need a timestamp overlay — the file date already carries it.
Test it before you write “working.” Fire the boiler, run the air conditioning, try all four burners, open every tap. An appliance that doesn’t work on handover day becomes the tenant’s problem at move-out if nobody checked.
Two copies, two signatures. A single copy leaves the door open to “I never saw that.” Send the tenant a digital copy too — even a PDF sent over a messaging app is a timestamped record.
How to use it at move-out
On move-out day, fill in the same form a second time and put the move-in copy beside it. With two columns side by side there’s nothing left to argue: you discuss the lines that changed, and every unchanged line is already closed.
What can and can’t be deducted is a separate question — what can be deducted from a security deposit works through it line by line. For the full move-out process, the move-out inspection checklist.
🔴 Paper gets lost. A record doesn’t.
The one weakness of this form is that it’s paper. A year from now you have to remember which folder it’s in — and the photos are on your phone, sitting somewhere else entirely.
RentMind puts the two together: the inventory list, move-in photos, deposit amount and lease dates all live on the same tenant record. On move-out day you open one screen and the file is ready. Free for your first two properties.
For what belongs in the lease itself, see what to include in a lease agreement; for the reasoning behind the inventory, the move-in inventory checklist.
Note: this is a practical record-keeping tool, not legal advice. Deposit rules and dispute procedures vary by country and state — get proper advice for an actual dispute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a move-in inventory legally required? Usually not, but in a deposit dispute the side with the evidence wins, and this is where that evidence comes from. Adding a line to the lease — “the attached inventory forms part of this agreement” — makes the report an annex to the contract.
Why do meter readings matter so much? Because the second most common move-out argument is an unpaid utility balance. Three readings, written and photographed on day one, settle on their own who is responsible for which period.
Do I need one for an unfurnished rental? Yes. An unfurnished property still has a boiler, air conditioning, a built-in hob, cupboards, meters, doors, windows and floors. The contents list gets shorter, but the room-by-room condition section is exactly as necessary — most disputes are about walls, floors and plumbing anyway.