Plain House Manual

Tools: do the math

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Every tool is free and ends with a sheet to print.

Chapter 04Moving · Practical note

How to fill in a move-in condition checklist

Quick answer

Fill in every row as you walk, even the clean ones. Circle one letter: G for good, W for worn, D for damaged or M for missing. Then write what you see, where it is from a fixed point, how big it is and how many, and the photo number. Write NA for anything the home doesn't have. Make two copies, and write down the date and how you handed the landlord theirs.

Source: DC DDS, Tenant Move-In/Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026; The Fair Housing Center, Tenant Move-In and Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026.

A clipboard with a blank checklist and a pen on a kitchen counter in an empty rental
Example78 photos, 52 rows2-bedroom, 1-bath rental

Who the sheet is for

You write the sheet on move-in day, but the person who reads it might be you in a year, a new property manager, or someone who has never been inside the apartment. Write every note so it still makes sense to that person without you there to explain.

Hard to use later Carpet stainedWall OKSome scratchesFridge fine Where? How big? Which photo? Clear to anyone Brown stain, about 3 in across,2 ft inside door, left side (37) No marks; two nail holes abovethe bed wall, center (36) 3 fine scratches, each about 2 in,counter left of the sink (24) Clean inside; crisper drawerfront cracked at one corner (26) What, where, how big, photo number
Fig. 1The same four items written two ways. The notes on the right still make sense to someone who has never seen the apartment.

One row at a time

  1. Circle one letter

    G good, W worn, D damaged, M missing. If you can't decide between two, circle the worse one and say why in the note.

  2. Say what it is

    Name the thing you see: stain, scratch, chip, crack, hole, burn, dent, rust, loose, missing. Add the color if it helps, like a brown stain or a white scuff.

  3. Say how big and how many

    Measure or compare: about 3 inches across, the size of a quarter, two holes, three scratches. A count and a size beat "some" and "small".

  4. Say where, from a fixed point

    Start from something that won't move: 2 feet inside the door, left of the sink, above the light switch, the corner by the window.

  5. Add the photo number

    Write the number of the close-up, and of any extra photo you took. Put "no photo" if there isn't one, so nobody goes looking.

RoomItemPhotoConditionWhat you seeMove-out KitchenCounters24 GWDM 3 fine scratches, eachabout 2 in, left of sink matches the phone rollone letter, circledhow many, how bigwhere, from a fixed pointblank till you leave G good, W worn, D damaged, M missing
Fig. 2One row of the condition sheet, filled in. The photo number ties the words to the picture, and the move-out column stays empty until you leave.

A real example from a published form

The DC checklist shows how to fill a row with a walls entry that reads "Dirty and hole in kitchen wall by pantry" and Pictures marked Yes. It says what, and where from a fixed point. Add a size and a photo number and it's complete.

Source: DC DDS, Tenant Move-In/Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026.

Let the tool do the arithmeticMove-in photo packetThe photo packet prints the condition sheet with your rooms and a photo number already on every row, so all you add on the day is the letter and the note.Example: 78 photos, 52 rows (2-bedroom, 1-bath rental)Open the tool

Words that work and words that don't

  • "OK", "fine" or "normal": say what you checked instead. "Clean, no marks" or "all four burners light" tells the reader what you looked at.
  • "Some", "a few", "small": swap in a count and a size.
  • "Damaged" on its own: name the damage. A crack and a chip are different things.
  • "Old" or "dated": that's an opinion. Describe what you see, like "faded, yellowed at the edges".
  • Arrows and private shorthand: spell it out. The reader won't know what "L of DW" means. "Left of the dishwasher" is clear to anyone.

Rows the home doesn't have, and rows you can't check

If an item isn't in the home, the DC form says to write NA in the box. A blank row looks like you skipped it. If something is there but you couldn't check it, say so, like "dishwasher not run" or "window painted shut, not opened". This sheet records condition only. It doesn't judge whether anything is safe or works properly.

Source: DC DDS, Tenant Move-In/Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026.

When the landlord's form uses numbers

Some forms score each item instead of using letters. The Toledo form runs from 1 for severe damage to 5 for brand new. Fill in their scale on their form, and copy your photo numbers and notes next to each line so both papers say the same thing.

Source: The Fair Housing Center, Tenant Move-In and Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026.

Finishing the sheet

  1. Number the pages

    Write page numbers and add extra pages for anything that didn't fit. The Toledo form asks for this, and for printed photos to go with it.

  2. Initials and signatures

    The DC form has the landlord initial every page and both of you date and sign the last one. If your landlord's form has spaces like that, fill them in on the day.

  3. Two matching copies

    Fill in two copies the same way, one for the landlord and one to keep, as the Toledo form says. A photo or scan of the signed pages works as your copy too.

  4. Write how it was handed over

    Note the date, how the landlord's copy went (in person, drop box or mail) and who took it.

Source: The Fair Housing Center, Tenant Move-In and Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026; DC DDS, Tenant Move-In/Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026.

A quarter held against a small nail hole in a white wall
Fill in the sheet in the empty room, standing in front of the thing you're writing about.

This is a record, not advice

The sheet says what you saw and when. What a landlord may charge for, what counts as normal wear and what your state's law requires are questions for a local tenant union, a legal aid office or your state's housing agency.

Checklist to print

Before you hand it over, check:

  • Every row has one letter circled
  • Each mark says what, where and how big
  • Photo number on every row, or "no photo"
  • NA on items the home doesn't have
  • Anything not checked says so
  • Pages numbered, extra pages attached
  • Landlord initials and both signatures where the form asks
  • Two matching copies made
  • Hand-over date, method and person written down
  • Your copy filed with the photos

Open the printable checklist

Condition sheet, filled in

Tips and tricks

  • Tip 01

    Use a pen, not a pencil

    Pencil smudges and can be erased. If you make a mistake, cross it out with one line and initial it.

  • Tip 02

    Write in the room

    Fill in each row while you're standing in front of the item, not from the photos that evening.

  • Tip 03

    Leave the move-out column blank

    It's for the day you leave. Use the same sheet so each move-out note sits beside its move-in note.

  • Tip 04

    Keep the sheet with the photos

    Scan or photograph the finished pages and save them in the same folder as the move-in photos.

    Source: Mohave County (AZ), Checklist for Walk-Through Inspection (Form A), checked October 10, 2026.

What we would do

Print your packet and fill it in on the walk

Print the condition sheet from the photo packet, take a pen and a coin, and fill in each row as you take its photo. Make your copy before you hand the landlord theirs, and write down how and when it went.

Questions

What do I write on a move-in checklist?

For each item, the condition, then what you see, where it is and how big it is, plus the photo number. "Brown stain about 3 inches across, 2 feet inside the bedroom door, photo 37" is a complete note.

What do G, W, D and M mean on the condition sheet?

Good, worn, damaged and missing. Circle one per row and explain anything other than G in the note.

What if an item isn't in the apartment?

Write NA, as the DC form says. A blank box looks like a skipped row.

Source: DC DDS, Tenant Move-In/Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026.

Should I write notes for things in good condition?

A short one, yes: "clean, no marks" or "no chips". It shows you looked, and it's what you compare against at move-out.

How many copies of the move-in checklist should I make?

Two matching copies, one for the landlord and one you keep, as the Toledo form says. Write down the date and how the landlord's copy was handed over.

Source: The Fair Housing Center, Tenant Move-In and Move-Out Checklist, checked October 10, 2026.

Part of a system

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Sources

Every outside number on this page names its source and the date we checked it. See them all on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Photos: Christian Lue / Unsplash, Alicia Christin Gerald / Unsplash, benjamin lehman / Unsplash