# Move-In and Move-Out Photos: How to Document a Rental and Get Your Deposit Back

> A room-by-room shot list for move-in and move-out photos, how to date them so they hold up, what California and UK rules say, and how to use the photos in a deposit dispute.

*Published: 2026-09-01* · *8 min read*

Canonical URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/move-in-move-out-photos-rental-deposit


**Quick answer:** Photograph the empty unit before you move a single box in: one wide shot per room from the doorway, then a close-up of every scratch, stain, chip, and missing item. Make sure the date is on the photos, email them to your landlord that week, and keep the originals. When you leave, take the same photos from the same spots. A matching pair of dated photos is the strongest thing a tenant can bring to a deposit dispute.

Most deposit disputes are arguments about memory. The landlord says the carpet stain is new. You're sure it was there when you moved in. Neither of you can prove it, and the landlord is the one holding the money.

Photos end that argument, but only if you take them at the right time, in the right way, and can show when they were taken. This guide covers all three.

## Why photos decide deposit disputes

A deposit can usually be kept for damage beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid rent, or cleaning needed to return the unit to its move-in condition. Every one of those depends on a comparison: what the place looked like when you arrived versus when you left.

If nobody recorded the "before", the comparison comes down to whose account sounds more believable. A dated photo of the "before" changes that. It's hard to argue a scratch is new when there's a photo of it from the day you got the keys.

## What the rules say (two examples)

Deposit rules depend on where you live, so check your own state, province, or country. Two places with clear written rules are worth knowing because they show where things are heading.

**California.** Under California Civil Code section 1950.5, landlords themselves now have to take photos:

- For tenancies that begin on or after July 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit immediately before, or at the start of, the tenancy.
- Since April 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit within a reasonable time after getting it back, before any repairs or cleaning they plan to charge you for, and again after those repairs or cleaning are done.
- The landlord has 21 calendar days after you move out to send an itemized statement of deductions, and the photos can be sent by mail, email, flash drive, or an online link.
- You can ask for an initial inspection, no earlier than two weeks before you move out, so you have a chance to fix problems before the final inspection.

That the landlord takes photos doesn't mean you should skip your own. Their photos show what they chose to capture. Yours show what you saw.

**England and Wales.** On GOV.UK, the rules say your landlord must put your deposit in a government-approved protection scheme within 30 days of getting it, and must return it within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you'll get back. If you disagree, the deposit stays protected in the scheme until the dispute is resolved. An inventory, a written record of the condition at the start of the tenancy, is what those disputes are decided on. Photos are what make an inventory believable.

## Move-in: the shot list

Do this before you unpack. Boxes and furniture hide floors and walls, and anything you find after moving in is harder to prove was already there.

Turn on every light and open the blinds. Then, for each room, take:

1. **One wide shot from the doorway**, showing as much of the room as possible.
2. **One wide shot from the opposite corner**, looking back at the door.
3. **A close-up of every problem**, with something for scale in the frame (a coin, your hand, a tape measure).

These are the spots landlords most often charge for, so give them extra attention:

| Area | What to photograph |
|---|---|
| Floors | Carpet stains, burns, and wear paths; scratches and dents in hardwood; cracked or chipped tiles |
| Walls | Nail holes, scuffs, patched areas, paint that doesn't match |
| Kitchen | Inside the oven and fridge, stovetop burners, countertop burns and cuts, cabinet doors and hinges |
| Bathroom | Grout and caulk, mold spots, tub and sink chips, toilet seat, exhaust fan |
| Windows and doors | Cracked glass, torn screens, broken blinds, locks, door frames |
| Fixtures | Missing bulbs, broken light covers, smoke detector present |
| Outside | Balcony, patio, yard, garage, parking space, anything you're responsible for |
| Meters | Electricity, gas, and water readings, if they're in your name from move-in day |

A short video walkthrough is a good extra, narrating the room and the date as you go. It isn't a replacement for photos, because a video frame is often too blurry to show a small mark clearly.

If there's a move-in checklist from your landlord, fill it in and make sure every problem you photographed is written on it. A checklist and photos that agree with each other carry more weight than either on its own.

## Put the date on the photos

A photo only helps if you can show when it was taken. There are two ways a date gets attached to a photo, and you want both.

**The date in the file.** Your phone writes the capture date into the photo's metadata (EXIF). You can check it with an [EXIF viewer](/exif-viewer). The problem is that this date is invisible, and it's often removed when a photo is sent through a messaging app or uploaded to some websites.

**The date on the image.** A timestamp camera prints the date, time, and address into the photo itself, where anyone can see it and no upload can strip it. The [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) does this as you shoot. For photos you have already taken, the free [browser tool adds a timestamp](/add-timestamp-to-photo) from each photo's own EXIF date, without uploading anything.

Be honest with yourself about what a printed date proves. A determined person can fake a timestamp, and a landlord's lawyer may say so. That's why the next step matters more than any app.

## Send the photos to your landlord the same week

The single most useful thing you can do is email the photos to your landlord or property manager within a few days of moving in, with a short note:

> "Attached are photos of the unit taken on move-in day, [date]. Please note the existing damage listed below so it isn't charged to my deposit."

Now there's a copy of your photos, dated by the email itself, sitting in someone else's inbox. It's very hard to claim you took them later.

To keep the email manageable, turn the photos into one file. The [photo report generator](/photo-report-generator) puts them into a single dated PDF in your browser, and [photo to PDF](/photo-to-pdf) does a simpler version. A shared folder link works too, as long as you never edit what is in it.

If the landlord replies and agrees, save that reply. If they don't reply, the email still counts as a record that you raised the issues.

## During the tenancy

Photograph anything that breaks, and the date you reported it. A leak under the sink that you reported in March and the landlord fixed in May isn't your water damage. The report and the photos together show that.

## Move-out: the same photos, the same spots

Clean first, remove everything, and then repeat the move-in shoot from the same positions. Open your move-in photos on another device and match each one: same doorway, same corner, same close-ups.

Matching pairs are what win disputes. A move-in close-up of a carpet stain next to a move-out close-up of the same stain, the same size, makes the point with no explanation needed.

Also photograph:

- The clean oven, fridge, and bathroom, because cleaning fees are one of the most common deductions.
- The keys on the counter, or the key handover.
- Meter readings on your last day.

If your area allows a pre-move-out inspection, like the one in California, ask for it. It gives you a list of issues while you still have time to fix them.

## If the landlord keeps part of your deposit

1. **Ask for the itemized list** of deductions in writing, if you didn't already get one.
2. **Match each deduction to a photo pair.** For each item, show the move-in photo and the move-out photo side by side.
3. **Reply in writing**, calmly, with the pairs attached. Point out anything that was already there at move-in, and anything that is normal wear and tear.
4. **Use the formal route if that fails:** the deposit protection scheme's dispute service in England and Wales, or small claims court or your local tenant agency in the US.

Keep the original photo files, not just the PDF. If anyone questions the dates, the originals still carry the capture date in their metadata, and the email shows when you sent them.

## What photos can't do

Photos are strong evidence, not magic. They can't prove that a stain wasn't made worse, that an appliance worked, or that a smell was there. For things like that, write them in your move-in note to the landlord, where they become part of the dated record.

And photos only help if they're clear. A dark, blurry photo of a corner proves very little. Take a second shot if the first one isn't sharp. It costs nothing, and you only get one move-in day.

## The short version

If you only remember one thing, make it this: the day you get the keys, before a single box comes in, walk every room with your phone and then email those photos to your landlord. Everything else in this guide builds on that one habit. It takes less than an hour, and it's the difference between arguing from memory and pointing at a dated photo.

Sources: California Civil Code section 1950.5 (California Legislative Information); GOV.UK, "Tenancy deposit protection" and "Private renting: deposits".