How to do a check-in inventory yourself

A check-in inventory is a dated record of a property’s condition on the day a tenancy starts: every room, every item, with photos. It protects everyone. The tenant can show that a mark was already there; the landlord can show what has changed by the check-out. You don’t need a clerk to make a good one. You need time, light and a method.

Before you start

Do it early. The best time is before you unpack, while every surface is visible. Many tenancies expect it within the first week.
Charge your phone and clear some storage: a flat can take 80 to 150 photos.
Open the curtains and switch the lights on. Dark photos hide the detail that matters.

1. Start with the outside

Photograph the front of the property, including the front door and anything shared outside it. This goes on the cover of the report and shows the date the record begins.

2. Go room by room, item by item

Work round each room in the same direction every time, so nothing is missed. For each item (door, window, flooring, walls, furniture, appliances):

Take one wide photo showing the whole item.
Take close-ups of anything worn, marked or damaged, close enough to read.
Record its condition: new, good, fair or poor.
Add a short description (colour, material, type), any marks, whether it’s clean, and whether it works.

Our room-by-room checklists list what to photograph in every room.

3. Meters and keys

Photograph each meter close enough to read every digit, and note the reading. Lay the keys out flat and photograph them so each one can be counted.

4. Sign it, and share it

Sign the report and confirm it’s an honest record. Then send it to the other party (your landlord or agent, or your tenant) and ask them to check and sign it too. A report both sides have seen is much harder to dispute later.

Common mistakes

Only taking wide shots: small damage disappears.
Photos without a date: a photo should carry the date and time it was taken, ideally in the image itself.
Skipping inside cupboards, ovens and fridges.
Leaving it until the end of the first month.

DIY Inventory does all of this on your phone: a checklist for every room, the date and time burned into every photo, and a signed PDF report at the end.

Updated 22 October 2026