Guide

Move-out inspection form

A move-out walkthrough is a dated record of how the unit looked when the tenant handed back the keys. Do it with the tenant if they will show up. Walk the same rooms you walked at move-in. This page is practical field advice — not legal advice, not a lease, and not a court form.

Open the move-out checklist

Order of the walk

Exterior, entry, living, kitchen, each bath, each bedroom, hall/stairs, laundry, garage/storage.
Start each room at the door, then walls, ceiling, floor, windows, then fixtures and appliances.
Test lights, GFCI buttons, water at every fixture, and the oven/burners if the stove stays.
Photograph anything you might later describe as more than ordinary wear.

What to photograph

Wide shot of each room from the doorway (context), then a tight shot of every Fair or Poor item.
Appliance model tags if something is missing or dead.
Meter readings, remaining paint cans, extra keys, garage remotes.
Trash left behind, pet damage, unapproved holes, burned counters, overflowing drains.
The unit’s cleanliness overall — empty and swept is different from “still moving out.”

Photos in Walkthrough never leave the phone. Print or save PDF if you need a copy in the tenant file.

Fair vs Poor (field rule of thumb)

Good — works, intact, ordinary soil that a standard turnover clean handles.

Fair — worn but serviceable: scuffed walls, tired carpet in a traffic lane, a weak burner, grout that needs recaulking. Note size and location. Fair is often ordinary wear on a long tenancy; do not treat it as automatic deposit fuel.

Poor — broken, unsafe, missing, or stained/damaged beyond a normal clean: inoperable disposal, cracked toilet, burn in linoleum, large unexplained holes, pet urine that needs replacement. Photograph it. Write what you saw, not what you plan to charge.

N/A — the unit does not have that item (no dishwasher, no garage).

Ratings on a Walkthrough report are observations on a date. They are not a bill, not a statutory deposit itemization, and not a finding that the tenant “owes” a dollar amount. Your state sets how and when you must itemize deductions.

Compare to the move-in report

If you skipped the move-in walk, you will argue about whether the stain was already there. Pull the move-in photos first. Charge (if your law allows) only for documented change, not for age of carpet you never replaced.

This is not a court form

Judges look at contemporaneous photos, notices you actually sent, and the lease you signed — not at a pretty PDF title. Walkthrough does not file anything, calculate damages, or replace counsel. Use it to remember the unit, then follow the statute.

Generate a move-out report Security deposit notes

Walkthrough. Form/checklist product only. Not legal advice.