Move-In Condition Reports for Tenants: Documenting a Rental From Day One

You have your keys, boxes are being stacked up and you see a scratch next to your bedroom door.

How do you know it wasn't there when you first walked into the house?

Having a tenant’s move-in report will allow you to know if there were existing damages.

Follow these steps to make sure your move in the report works for you.

What you'll learn:

• Check the Report Before You Unpack
• Inspect Each Room Properly
• Take Photos That Tell the Story
• Return the Report and Follow Up on Repairs
• Keep Your Record for Moving Out
• Wrapping It Up

Check the Report Before You Unpack

When you rent a property in Victoria, you should be given a tenancy condition report by your rental provider or agent before you move in. They will provide you with 2 copies of the report (hard copy) or one copy electronically. You can amend the report to add any further information.

Make sure you add your comments to the condition report.

Consumer Affairs Victoria states renters must return a signed copy within five business days. Remember weekends and public holidays are excluded when calculating the five-business-day deadline.

Go through each item listed and look over your rooms while you have the opportunity. Maybe the carpet looks clean but has a mark on it, list it. Make sure if something isn't working correctly don't tick that it is.

If you are also buying a home remember that there are other inspections you need to do when purchasing your home. When buying a property, you should get a final inspection before your settlement date to ensure the property matches the sales contract. These pre-settlement property checks are different to a tenant's move in report.

Inspect Each Room Properly

Make sure to describe everything in detail, don't just state "marks on the wall". This can mean so many things, instead list where the marks are, i.e. 3 scratch marks by the bed room door, half way up the wall.

Go through the rental from the front door and make sure to go through the property in the same manner. This way you will remember each room.

When inspecting each room, make sure to look for:

• Scratches, marks or dents on walls, ceilings and floor. Also look for broken floor tiles, wear on carpet and any mould or moisture build up.
• Doors, make sure they open and close correctly, handles, fly screens, window blinds, seals etc.
• Kitchen and laundry, cupboards, bench tops, sinks and any leaks or faulty appliances that come with the rental.
• Bathrooms, check for any mould, mouldy grout, taps, draining, scratches or breakage.
• Outside of the property, if you have a balcony, garden, fence, garage, bin and storage area check for any damage.

If your rental comes furnished, check for any damage to furniture provided. Make a note of any damages, scratches, holes or burn marks, don't just look at the house.

Where it is safe to do so, test the fixtures, run water through the taps, open and close cup boards, test lights that come with the rental. Just state what the issue is, you don't need to try and figure out why the tap may be dripping.

Also remember to check for cleanliness, maybe the oven is dirty or there is dust on the blinds, or there may even be rubbish in the cupboards.

Take Photos That Tell the Story

As mentioned before pictures can help describe scratches on walls, but having a bigger photo can help show what wall it may be on.

Get a bigger shot of each room, and then get smaller pictures of any damages or dirt. Maybe your scratch mark is near your door, capture the door in the photo so it can be identified where the damage is. Make sure you get clear photos of the damage, don't blur anything.

Give your pictures captions that will make sense to you, i.e. bedroom door, bottom half scratch, move in day. Instead of a long list of numbers.

Have a folder of each room with your completed report. Save your pictures if you are able to, and back them up to another location that you can access.

Video can also be helpful, but still make sure your report has descriptions of what the issues may be.

If your agent has provided you with an electronic form that allows you to upload pictures, make sure your information has been uploaded.

Return the Report and Follow Up on Repairs

Make sure you hand back your tenant's move in report to your agent or rental provider on time. Save a copy of the report and when you hand it back, this way you know which report you gave back.

If you weren't provided a tenants move in report you can fill one out and send it to your rental provider or agent. Consumer Affairs Victoria provides a condition report template.

By filling out your report you can list what needs to be repaired, this doesn't mean the rental provider will fix it but it's a great record of what you noticed on move in. If you believe the rental should be repaired, follow up with your rental provider or agent about the repairs that need to be done. You can find more information on repair maintenance.

Remember that when you fill out your tenant's move in report, it is considered notice to your rental provider if a repair is needed. If your repair is urgent, follow the applicable urgent-repair process.

Save all of your emails of requested repairs, this will be beneficial if your rental provider tries to blame damage you didn't cause. Maybe the rental provider fixed a tap, note when they fixed it, it's best practice to keep all records of any repairs that may be done during your stay.

If you believe your rental provider's condition report is incorrect, contact them to see if you can work it out. Either you or your rental provider can apply to VCAT, this can be done within 30 days of the start of the rental agreement.

Keep Your Record for Moving Out

Renters should retain their entry report and compare it with the exit condition report, which the rental provider or agent completes. They will complete a move out condition report, which can then be compared to the tenant's move in report.

There can be some normal wear and tear, which the rental provider cannot claim your bond for. Make sure you understand the difference between wear and tear and damages when moving out.

In 2025-26, the RTBA reported that 68% of repaid bonds were refunded in full to the tenant. Having your condition report can only help, but doesn't guarantee a refund of your bond.

As mentioned earlier, take photos of your room when you move out. Try to get the same shots as you did when you moved in, and compare to any damages you noticed on your move in report, including any repairs that you had done while you were staying.

Remember your rental provider has to notify you of intention to claim all or part of the bond, with supporting evidence, at least three business days before lodging.

Make sure to keep your tenancy move out and in reports, pictures and any emails of repairs until your bond is resolved.