A move in move out checklist is two records that have to match: a unit's condition the day someone takes it, and its condition the day they give it back. Here is the whole checklist, plus the documentation that makes it stand up. URBI keeps that record in one place.
Print the tables. Cross out what your building does not have, add what is unique to yours, and put a name beside every row. One caution first. This is written for US buildings, and the parts carrying legal weight, deposit deadlines, itemization rules, and inspection rights, are set by state statute. Read your own state's law and store its deadline on the tenancy record.
What goes on a move in move out checklist, room by room?
The same list, used twice. A move out inspection is only worth something if it compares against a baseline written in identical language, so build one room by room taxonomy and reuse it at handover and at surrender.
Score every line as clean, undamaged, damaged, inoperable, missing, or not applicable, then add a narrative sentence and the photo IDs. HUD's own move in and move out inspection form is built this way: the owner or management agent and tenant conduct it together, and the same component rows repeat for both visits. Washington names the categories its written checklist must describe, including walls and wall paint, carpets and other flooring, furniture, and appliances, under RCW 59.18.260. One tick box for the whole unit does not satisfy that.
| Area | Record on the line item | Photograph |
|---|---|---|
| Entry and hallway | Door, frame, threshold, deadbolt, peephole, door closer, intercom handset, coat closet, flooring, light fixtures, switches. | Wide shot from inside the door, then the lock face, frame edge, and scuffed flooring. |
| Living and dining | Walls and paint, ceiling, baseboards, flooring or carpet, windows, screens, blinds or drapes, outlets, switches, vents, balcony door track. | Every wall corner to corner, the ceiling if stained, each window, close ups of chips and nail holes. |
| Kitchen | Countertops, backsplash, cabinet doors and interiors, drawer glides, sink, faucet, sprayer, disposal, exhaust fan or hood, plus each appliance with make, model, and serial. | Cabinet interiors open, the under sink floor, serial plates, oven and fridge interiors, the fridge door seal. |
| Bathrooms | Toilet and seat, tank fill and flush, vanity, sink, faucet, tub or shower base, surround, grout and caulk, drain, mirror, exhaust fan, towel bars, tile. | Grout and caulk joints in detail, under the vanity, the tub floor, the fan grille. |
| Bedrooms | Walls, ceiling, flooring, closet doors and tracks, shelving and rods, windows and locks, outlets, smoke alarm if present. | Wide shot per wall, closet interior with doors open, window latch. |
| Closets, storage, and locker | Shelving, rods, hooks, door hardware, lighting, the assigned storage locker number and its condition, any contents left behind. | Locker interior with the number visible in frame. |
| Balcony, patio, or terrace | Railing tightness, guard height, decking or tile, drainage, door track and lock, hose bib, light, anything stored outside. | Railing joints, deck surface, drain, anything left outdoors. |
| In suite laundry | Washer and dryer make, model, serial, hoses, shutoffs, drain, lint trap, vent duct behind the unit, pan and floor beneath. | Hose connections, the vent run, the floor behind the machines. |
What has to be checked system by system?
Everything a resident cannot see but will call about within a month. Systems are where the expensive surprises live, and they are the rows most consumer style checklists skip entirely.
| System | Check at both visits | Evidence to file |
|---|---|---|
| Heating and cooling | Thermostat responds in heat and cool, filter size and condition, airflow at each register, condensate pan and drain dry, air handler accessible. | Thermostat screen photo, filter with size legible, model plate on the unit. |
| Water heater | Age plate, temperature setting, relief valve and discharge pipe, drain pan, corrosion or prior leaks, shutoff accessible. | Photo of the rating plate and the pan floor. |
| Plumbing | Every fixture run hot and cold, drain speed, stoppers, toilet flush and refill, leaks under sinks, isolation valves turnable, main shutoff labeled. | Under sink photo per fixture, the labeled shutoff. |
| Electrical | Panel accessible and labeled, every outlet tested, GFCI and AFCI devices trip and reset, no missing plates or exposed conductors. | Panel directory photo, any device that failed the test. |
| Life safety | Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms present, in date, sounding on test, sprinkler heads unobstructed and unpainted, egress path clear. | Alarm test result with date, sprinkler head close up, expiry label. |
| Doors, locks, and windows | Every lock keys and turns, deadbolt throws fully, balcony doors latch, window locks engage, screens present, safety devices intact. | Each lock face and each window latch engaged. |
| Ventilation | Bath and kitchen exhaust pull air, dryer vent clear, makeup air grilles clear, no visible mold at ducts or ceilings. | Tissue test photo at each fan, any staining. |
| Meters and accounts | Which utilities are the resident's, which stay in the owner's name, account start and stop dates, meter readings on both days. | Meter face with the reading and identifier legible. |
| Pests and cleanliness | Evidence at kick plates, under sinks, behind appliances, and in storage. Cleaning standard stated in writing, not implied. | Any evidence found, plus the final clean photos. |
What documentation turns a checklist into evidence?
Signatures, dated photographs, and a copy in the resident's hands the same day. A checklist nobody signed, or one the office cannot produce, is not a record of anything, and it is the most common way a deposit dispute is lost months later.
Photograph to a protocol, not by instinct. Use one shot list at move in, at any pre move out inspection, at surrender, before chargeable work, and after it. Wide frame first, then the detail, and every detail shot carries a label naming unit, room, and component. Keep originals unedited, keep the camera clock correct, and record who took them. A timestamp cannot tell anyone which wall it is looking at.
Then make the paper match the money. Washington requires the landlord to give a full and specific statement of the basis for keeping any part of a deposit, and to include copies of estimates received or invoices paid to substantiate damage charges, under RCW 59.18.280. That is the standard to build to everywhere, whatever your state's deadline: a condition difference, the work actually done, and the cost support, all pointing at the same component ID.
The consequence of skipping that is not theoretical. In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission took action against Invitation Homes, alleging it withheld deposits for normal wear, for damage predating the tenancy, and for work unrelated to anything a resident did. Lina M. Khan, then chair of the agency, said in its announcement that the company had "preyed on tenants through a variety of unfair and deceptive tactics". The proposed order requires withheld money to be spent on the damage it was withheld for. That is a classification failure, and a clean baseline is what prevents it.
| Record | Who signs | When | Resident copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move in condition report | Staff and resident, both dated | At handover, before keys change hands | Yes, same day. Washington bars collecting a deposit at all unless a written checklist is provided, signed and dated by both parties, with a copy to the tenant. |
| Photo set and index | Named photographer on the index | Same visit as the report | Index yes, originals on request |
| Key and fob receipt | Resident | At issue, and again at return | Yes. Never print a master key stamping on a resident facing receipt. |
| Move booking and mover certificate | Staff approver | Before the move date, by your published cutoff | Yes, the approved slot in writing |
| Rules and orientation acknowledgment | Resident | At handover | Yes, with the handbook version number on it |
| Pre move out inspection note | Staff and resident | After notice, before surrender | Yes, including the list of what to fix or clean |
| Final condition report | Staff and resident, or a recorded refusal or no show | At surrender | Yes, with proof of delivery |
| Deposit itemization and support | The approver, named | Inside your state's deadline | Yes, with the estimates or invoices attached |
Three details decide the rest. First, offer the inspection before move out where the law contemplates it: New York's attorney general tells tenants plainly that they can ask the landlord to inspect before the move out date, in its residential tenants rights guide, and a resident who fixes something is a resident who does not dispute a charge for it. Second, collect the forwarding address in writing, because in Texas the landlord is not obligated to return a deposit or give a written description of charges until the tenant provides one, per the Texas State Law Library. Third, retain deliberately. Keep the closed file through the dispute and limitations window your counsel sets, and dispose of screening material properly, since the FTC's Disposal Rule covers anyone who keeps consumer reports for a business purpose.
What does the building side of a move need?
A slot, a route, and a gate. Unit checklists almost never cover the building itself, which is where the damage, the arguments, and the blocked elevators actually happen.
These rules are local by nature. Columbia Residential, for example, requires a certificate of liability insurance for all moves handled by a moving company and for deliveries of large furniture items, submitted ahead of the scheduled date. A commercial building in Washington DC publishes rules stating that the loading dock is the only building entrance permitted for large moves and that all debris is the tenant's responsibility. Neither is a national standard. Publish your own and give residents enough lead time to meet it.
| Item | Decide before the season starts | Record on the day |
|---|---|---|
| Freight or service elevator | Which car, its capacity, who installs pads and when, slot length, buffer between bookings, blackout days, what happens if a move runs over. | Pads on and off with photos, actual start and end, cab and hoistway door condition before and after. |
| Loading dock or service entrance | Which entrance large moves must use, height clearance, dock plate condition, whether front lobby access is permitted at all. | Truck size and plate, arrival and departure, any protection installed. |
| Time window | Permitted hours, weekend and holiday rules, booking cutoff, how a window is released when a mover cancels. | Booked window versus actual, and who approved any overrun. |
| Mover certificate of insurance | Your exact wording, named insured, policy dates that span the move, limits, the certificate holder line, any endorsement the contract requires, the submission deadline, and whether self moves need one. | Reviewer name, approval or exception, and the mover's contact on site. |
| Keys, fobs, and remotes | What is issued per unit, unique identifiers, activation and expiry, replacement rule, who deactivates and how fast. | Issue and return timestamps, signature, and the access system deactivation log entry. |
| Parking | Where the truck stages, whether it blocks resident or visitor spaces, permits needed, and the impact on the guest parking allowance that day. | Permit issued and returned, spaces used, any complaint logged. |
| Waste and packing debris | Where cardboard and packing material go, whether the mover removes it, bin capacity on the day, whether an extra pickup is needed, and who pays when a bin overflows. | Bin condition after, photo of the chute or bin room, extra pickup booked. |
| Common areas on the route | The exact route from dock to door, corner protection, floor covering, staff coverage, and the damage protocol. | Before and after photos of corridors, lobby floors, and door frames, plus an incident record if anything is marked. |
One trap is worth naming, because it catches experienced staff. A certificate of insurance is evidence, not coverage. New York's Department of Financial Services publishes the standard ACORD evidence form, and the form itself says it is issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights, and that it does not amend, extend, or alter the coverage in the policies listed. Check the insured's legal name, the policy dates against the move date, the operations covered, and any endorsement your agreement actually requires. A PDF with your building's name typed in a box is not a promise from an insurer.
How do you keep all of this in one record?
By making the booking, the gate, and the evidence the same object instead of four systems that never speak. That is the part URBI handles. The elevator is a bookable resource with capacity awareness, conflict detection, deposits, and cancellation rules, so a move window and a party room booking cannot collide. Fobs, vehicles, bikes, and storage are registrations on the unit profile, so a credential has an owner and a history. Photos, typed notes, reports, and incidents attach to the unit and stay searchable, and anything found on a walk through becomes a service ticket with the pictures already on it.
Arthur, URBI's resident facing AI, takes the questions that fill a manager's week during a move: what the window is, what the mover has to send, how to register the truck. It verifies by PIN before anything sensitive, it books, registers, and sends forms rather than only answering, and when it does not know it escalates to the manager with a summary instead of guessing. HERO is the manager side of the same records. One thing to be plain about: centralized certificate of insurance tracking with expiry alerts is on URBI's roadmap and is not shipped, so today the certificate lives with the move booking as an attachment and a reviewer's note. See what URBI is, URBI for residential buildings, elevator booking, document management, and visitor and guest parking.
Frequently asked questions
How long do we keep move in and move out records?
Long enough to defend a charge, and no longer than you can justify holding personal information. Your state's limitations period, your lease, your insurer, and any subsidy program all pull on that answer, so set a written retention schedule with counsel rather than a habit. Tenant screening material carries its own duty: the FTC's Disposal Rule requires proper disposal of consumer report information by anyone keeping it for business purposes.
Do we need a certificate of insurance for every move?
That is a building policy decision, not a legal default, and it should be written down before anyone asks. Many buildings require one for moves handled by a moving company and for large furniture deliveries, and treat a self move differently. Whatever you choose, publish the requirement, the exact wording you need, the submission deadline, and who reviews it, so the answer is never invented at the dock.
What is the difference between ordinary wear and damage?
Wear is what time and normal use do. Damage is what a specific person did beyond that, and the burden of showing the difference sits with the operator. Judge it on component age, expected life, the documented condition at move in, severity, and cause. Then keep them in separate accounting buckets, because the enforcement risk lands squarely on operators who let owner costs drift into resident charges.
Take the tables, cut what does not apply, add what does, and put a name and a date beside every row. Also worth a look if this is your season: turnover at scale and a move in checklist for senior living operators. If you want the elevator booking, the move window, the certificate, and the condition record living in one place instead of a binder, a shared drive, and someone's phone, reach us at hello@myurbi.co.
