The Move-In Inspection Checklist Every Landlord Should Use

Every security deposit dispute is really an argument about one question: what did the unit look like on the day the tenant moved in? The landlord remembers a clean unit; the tenant remembers the carpet stain that was already there. Without a record, it's one memory against another, and in a Louisiana small claims court the landlord is the one who has to prove the deduction. A move-in inspection — done with the tenant, photographed, and signed — replaces memory with evidence. It takes about an hour and prevents nearly every deposit fight you'd otherwise have. Here's how to run one.

Why this hour matters

Louisiana law gives you one month after move-out to return the deposit or send an itemized list of deductions, and it limits those deductions to unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear. A tenant who disputes a deduction can send a written demand and, if you don't respond within 30 days, sue for at least $200 plus attorney's fees. Our guide to Louisiana security deposit law covers the statute; the short version is that the burden is on you to show the damage happened during the tenancy.

A signed move-in checklist with dated photos does that. It also does something less obvious: it tells the tenant, on day one, that you're organized, fair, and paying attention — which is the tenant who takes care of the place and renews instead of leaving.

Before the walkthrough

• Finish the turnover first. Inspect after cleaning, repairs, and paint are done, so what you're documenting is the condition the tenant is actually receiving.
• Schedule it with the tenant, ideally right before handing over keys. Doing it together means the tenant can't later claim you missed something, and you both sign the same record.
• Bring the checklist, your phone, and a flashlight. A printed form with room-by-room lines works; so does a simple app. What matters is that the result is written, dated, and signed by both parties.
• Set a standard. Decide what "clean" and "good condition" mean in your lease and apply it here so move-out is judged against the same bar.

How to document

• Photograph everything, including what's fine. A photo of an undamaged wall proves it was undamaged. Shoot every wall, floor, ceiling, door, window, fixture, and appliance — wide shots of each room plus close-ups of any existing flaw.
• Time-stamp it. Phone photos carry a date automatically; back them up somewhere you'll still have them in eighteen months. Emailing the set to yourself and the tenant time-stamps it for both of you.
• Note flaws specifically. "Bedroom 2 — 1-inch nail hole left of window, scuff on closet door" beats "some wear." The precision is what makes the record credible.
• Test, don't look. Run the water, flip the switches, open the windows, start the appliances. A note that the dishwasher worked on move-in day is what lets you deduct for a dishwasher that was returned broken.
• Record meter readings for any utility the tenant is responsible for.

The room-by-room checklist

Use this as the spine of your form. For every item, note the condition and any existing damage.

Every room

• Walls, ceiling, and trim — holes, cracks, stains, paint condition
• Flooring — stains, tears, scratches, loose boards or tiles
• Windows — glass, locks, screens, blinds or curtains, and whether they open and lock
• Doors — operation, locks, knobs, stops, closet doors on track
• Outlets and switches — all working, cover plates present
• Light fixtures and bulbs
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors — present and tested
• Ceiling fans — working, not wobbling
• HVAC vents and returns — filter condition, thermostat working

Kitchen

• Refrigerator — cold, shelves and drawers present, seals intact, ice maker if any
• Stove and oven — every burner and the oven heat, knobs present, drip pans, interior cleanliness
• Range hood or microwave — fan and light
• Dishwasher — runs a cycle, no leaks
• Garbage disposal
• Sink and faucet — pressure, drain speed, no leaks under the cabinet
• Cabinets and drawers — doors and hardware, interior condition
• Countertops — chips, burns, stains
• Pantry

Bathrooms

• Toilet — flushes, doesn't run, seat and lid intact, secure to floor
• Tub and shower — drains, no cracks, caulk and grout condition, showerhead pressure
• Sink and faucet — drain, leaks below
• Exhaust fan
• Mirror, medicine cabinet, towel bars, toilet paper holder
• Tile and flooring, especially around the tub and toilet base

Bedrooms

• Closet — rod, shelves, doors
• Everything under "every room"

Living and dining areas

• Built-ins, shelving, fireplace if any

Laundry

• Washer and dryer if provided — run a cycle
• Hookups, dryer vent, drain pan

Exterior and shared

• Front and back doors — deadbolts, weatherstripping, screen or storm door
• Porch, steps, railings, exterior lights
• Yard, fence, gates, sprinklers, and who maintains them
• Driveway, parking, garage door and opener
• Mailbox and key
• Water heater — location, age, any leaks
• Breaker panel — labeled, accessible

Keys and access

• Count and list every key, fob, remote, and code handed over

Signing and sharing

When the walkthrough is done, both of you sign and date the checklist. Give the tenant a copy — a scan or photo by email is fine — and keep your own with the lease. If the tenant spots something in the first few days you both missed, let them add it in writing within a set window (a week is reasonable) and initial the addition. That flexibility costs you nothing and removes the "I didn't notice until later" argument.

Some landlords also give tenants a few days to submit their own photos of anything they think was missed. Accepting those into the file is a small courtesy that makes the record stronger, not weaker, because it means the tenant agreed to it too.

Using it at move-out

The move-out inspection is the same walkthrough in reverse. Bring the move-in checklist and photos, go room by room, and note what's changed. For each change, decide: is this normal wear from a year of living, or damage? Nail holes and worn carpet paths are wear. Holes in the door and a burned countertop are damage.

For anything you plan to deduct, take the matching move-out photo, get a repair invoice or a reasonable written estimate, and put it on the itemized statement with the cost. Send that statement with the balance of the deposit within the month. When the move-in record shows a clean wall and the move-out photo shows a hole, there's nothing to argue about — and when the move-in record shows the stain was already there, you already know not to deduct for it.

The bottom line

A move-in inspection is an hour spent so you never spend a day in court. Walk the unit with the tenant after turnover is complete, test everything, photograph everything, write down every existing flaw specifically, and have both parties sign and keep a copy. Do the same walkthrough at move-out and compare. That one habit is what turns Louisiana's deposit statute from a risk into a routine — and it's the same discipline that makes tenants trust you enough to stay.