DIY InventoryRenting in Woking: check-in and getting your deposit back
What to check when you move in, how to protect your deposit, and where renters in Woking can get help.
Homes to rent in Woking
Woking is a commuter town with fast trains to London, and its private rented share rose sharply between 2011 and 2021. The town centre has been rebuilt with tall apartment blocks, and many of its rented homes are flats there. Maybury has older terraces, Goldsworth Park and Sheerwater are large planned estates, and Hook Heath and Horsell have big detached houses. The council licenses smaller shared houses as well as large ones since January 2026.
Average rent: £1,615 a month (ONS, April 2026), down 1.4% on a year earlier. Source
On moving-in day
- Before unpacking, photograph every room: a wide shot, then each item, with the date and time on every photo.
- Photograph the meters (gas, electricity, water) and write down the readings.
- Count the keys and fobs, and test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
- Note anything worn, marked or not working, and send it to the landlord or agent within a few days.
Things to look at in Woking homes
- Tall apartment blocks in the town centre: record fobs, parking and bike store access, entry phones and the condition of shared lifts and corridors.
- Shared houses with three or more sharers: check the HMO licence, and photograph each bedroom's lock, furniture and fire doors.
- Victorian terraces in Maybury: photograph sash windows, damp in rear kitchens and rear gardens.
- Homes near the River Wey in Byfleet and Old Woking: check for flood damage, airbricks and watermarks.
- 1970s and 1980s houses in Goldsworth Park: note shared parking courts, garages in blocks and older double glazing.
- Large houses in Hook Heath and Horsell: photograph gardens, gates, outbuildings and trees close to the house.
Your deposit
Your landlord must protect your deposit in the DPS, TDS or mydeposits within 30 days and tell you which. At the end, deductions can only be for damage beyond fair wear and tear, cleaning back to the check-in standard, or rent owed. A dated check-in record is your best protection.
Help from the council
Woking Borough Council's private sector housing team investigates disrepair and unsafe conditions in private rented homes and licenses HMOs. Woking Borough Council: private renting.
Renting in Woking: questions
What should I check when I move into a rented home in Woking?
Photograph every room and item before you unpack, with the date on each photo: walls, floors, windows, appliances, meters and keys. Note anything worn or damaged and get the landlord or agent to agree it in writing.
How do I get my deposit back?
Leave the home as you found it, allowing for fair wear and tear, and compare it with the check-in record. If you disagree with deductions, the deposit scheme’s free dispute service decides on the evidence.
Where can renters in Woking get help?
Woking Borough Council's private sector housing team investigates disrepair and unsafe conditions in private rented homes and licenses HMOs.
Can a tenant do the check-in inventory?
Yes. With DIY Inventory a tenant can do it on their phone and send the landlord a link to check and sign it, so both sides have the same dated record.