Check-out checklist for landlords and tenants

If a deduction goes to the deposit scheme, the adjudicator decides on the paperwork. These lists follow the Deposit Protection Service's guidance on gathering evidence. They work with a notepad and a phone camera.

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For landlords on check-out day

1. Check out on the day the keys come back, or close to it. The DPS warns: "The longer it's left, the more doubt arises that any problems are a result of the tenant's activity."
2. Take the move-in report and walk the rooms in the same order.
3. Photograph each item from the move-in angle, in colour. The DPS wants photos "date-stamped to prove they were taken on the dates claimed."
4. Record condition and cleanliness separately. A greasy hob and a cracked hob are different claims.
5. Check the easy misses: inside the oven, the extractor filter, fridge seals, behind doors, window tracks, cupboards, bath sealant, the garden and the bins.
6. Photograph every meter.
7. Count keys, fobs and remotes against the move-in handover.
8. Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and note it.
9. For each change, write what it is, where it is and how it differs from move-in. Record it now; argue about wear and tear later.
10. Invite the tenant, and both sign and keep a copy. The DPS: "Check-in and check-out reports that have been signed by all parties carry more weight as evidence."
11. Keep both reports, the photos, quotes and receipts together.

For tenants moving out

1. Find your move-in inventory and photos. No inventory? Gather emails, messages and any move-in photos.
2. Check your agreement for a cleaning clause, then clean to the move-in standard.
3. Once your things are out, photograph every room, including inside the oven and fridge. Keep the original files so the dates survive.
4. Photograph the meters and send the readings to your suppliers.
5. Return every key and get the handover confirmed in writing, with the date.
6. Ask to attend the check-out. Put any disagreement in writing and keep a copy. Shelter advises signing a check-out report only if you agree with it.
7. Know your scheme. England and Wales: DPS, mydeposits or TDS. Scotland: SafeDeposits Scotland, mydeposits Scotland or Letting Protection Service Scotland.
8. Landlords can deduct for damage, not for fair wear and tear.

Free to reprint, in full or in part, with or without credit. General information, not legal advice. micacor.com/checklist

Want it as a report? Micacor builds one on your phone with dated photos and lays the check-out against the move-in record. Free to build; £15 per property to finalise it and send it for signing.