Blog · 2026-09-30

The move-in photo checklist: what to photograph before you unpack

Almost every deposit argument comes down to one question: was that already there? The photos you take in the first hour answer it. Here is what to shoot, room by room.

Before you start

• Do it before you unpack. Empty rooms show floors and walls; boxes hide them.
• Wide first, then close. One wide shot from the doorway so the room is recognisable, then close-ups of anything worn, marked or broken.
• Use daylight and turn the lights on. Dark photos don't prove much.
• Keep the dates honest. A photo's time is only convincing if it can't have been changed. Upload them somewhere that records the time independently.

Room by room

Every room

Walls (each side), floor, ceiling corners, windows and frames, doors and handles, light switches and sockets, radiators.

Kitchen

Worktops (scratches and burns), inside the oven and hob, fridge and freezer inside, cupboard doors and hinges, the sink and taps, the floor in front of the cooker.

Bathroom

Sealant around the bath or shower (mould), grout, the toilet, taps, the extractor fan, any cracks in tiles or the basin.

Bedrooms and living room

Carpets and flooring (stains, wear paths), furniture if it's furnished (fabric, legs, drawers), curtains and blinds, marks around beds and sofas on the walls.

Hallway, outside and extras

Entrance door, meter readings, keys you were given, balcony or garden, bins, storage.

At move-out, repeat it

After cleaning, take the same shots from the same places. Same angle, same room order. Side by side, the two sets make most disputes very short.

DepositWitness does this for you: it walks you through each room, records the upload time on the server, fingerprints each photo, and puts move-in and move-out side by side in a PDF.