Move-in photos and getting your deposit back

What to know

1. Before you bring anything in, walk every room and take photos and a slow video. California's official guide suggests taking your own photos before your things go in, and asking the landlord for copies of theirs. Source: California DRE¹
2. Get close-ups of anything wrong: stains, scratches, holes, chips, broken blinds, burns on the counter, the inside of the oven and fridge, and under the sinks. If it's damaged, it needs its own photo.
3. Fill out the move-in (inventory) checklist with the landlord or manager, room by room. Both of you sign and date it, and you keep a copy. It's best done before you move in, or within two or three days if the landlord agrees. Source: California DRE¹
4. Email the photos and the signed checklist to your landlord the same week. Now there's a dated record you both have, and nobody has to remember who scratched the floor.
5. While you live there, report damage in writing as it happens, and keep the replies.
6. Before you move out, ask for a walk-through. In California, the landlord must do an initial inspection if you ask, so you can fix problems before the final check. Source: California DRE²
7. Give your forwarding address in writing. In Texas, you must give one to get your deposit back. Source: Texas AG⁴
8. Clean, then photograph every room again from the same angles as your move-in photos. Return all keys and get a receipt for them.
9. Watch the deadline. The landlord has to return the deposit, or send an itemized list of deductions, within your state's limit: 14 days in New York, 21 days in California, 30 days in Texas. Source: NY AGCalifornia DRETexas AG³²⁴

Move-in photo checklist

• Every wall, floor and ceiling, one photo per side of the room
• Doors, locks and windows, including screens and blinds
• Kitchen: inside the oven, fridge, freezer and dishwasher, the counters, and under the sink
• Bathroom: tub or shower, toilet, sink, under the sink, and any mold or caulk problems
• Carpet stains and floor scratches, close up, with something for scale (a coin works)
• Light switches, outlets, smoke alarms and the thermostat
• Meter readings for any utilities in your name
• Outside your unit: balcony, parking spot, storage space

Deposit rules in three big states

Cities can add stricter rules. Check your state's official guide (below) or call legal aid.

Tenant guides for all 50 states and DC

Your state's rules decide deposits, notice and repairs. Most of these come from a state attorney general, housing agency, court or legislature. Where we couldn't find one, the row says who publishes the closest guide we found. Each link was opened and checked on October 3, 2026. Cities can add their own rules, so check your city too.

Not a government source: Alabama (Legal Services Alabama, a nonprofit legal aid group) and Ohio (the Ohio State Bar Association). West Virginia: we didn't find a state tenant guide; the attorney general's consumer division takes complaints.

A deposit demand letter you can copy

Subject: Return of security deposit, [address, unit #]

Hi [name],

I moved out of [address, unit #] on [date] and returned all keys. I gave my forwarding address in writing on [date]: [new address].

I haven't received my $[amount] security deposit or an itemized list of deductions. Please send the deposit, or the itemized list and the balance, by [date, 10 days from now].

I have dated move-in and move-out photos of the unit, which I can share.

Thank you,
[your name] · [phone]

If it doesn't work

• No deposit and no list by the deadline? Send a short written demand (see the letter below) and keep a copy.
• Still nothing? You can sue in small claims court. In California, if a landlord kept a deposit in bad faith, the court can award up to twice the deposit plus damages. Source: California DRE¹ See Small claims court basics.
• Charged for something that was there when you moved in? Reply in writing with the dated move-in photo of it.
• Not sure about your state's rules? Call legal aid. It's free if your income qualifies. Source: LSC⁵