Security deposit records: what to keep at move-in and move-out

To protect a security or damage deposit, keep two matching sets of records: one from the day you move in and one from the day you move out. Each set should include a written condition report, dated photos of every room, and notes on anything already worn or broken. Around them, keep the lease, the deposit receipt, records of rent payments, any repair requests, and a written note giving the landlord your forwarding address.

When the deposit comes back, or a list of deductions arrives instead, those records let you compare the unit at both ends of the tenancy item by item. Deposit rules, including amounts, interest, allowed deductions and timelines, differ by province, territory and state, so the official landlord-tenant body or a tenant legal clinic where you live is the place to ask about your rights.

Most deposit disagreements come down to one question: was this mark, stain or broken part already there when you arrived? By move-out day, neither you nor the landlord may remember. A carpet that looked tired three years ago now looks worse, and nobody can say how much of that is normal use.

CMHC's guidance on inspections puts it plainly: it is critical that the condition of the rental unit be documented on moving day, and tenants and landlords should do the move-in inspection together. The record you make on that first day becomes the baseline every later comparison depends on.

Many landlords use a printed or digital checklist that lists each room and asks you to mark the condition of walls, floors, fixtures and appliances. Fill it in slowly, in good light, before your furniture arrives. If the landlord does not offer one, write your own, date it, and send a copy by email so there is a record that they received it.

• Write specific notes, such as two scratches on the bedroom door at handle height, rather than general ones like some wear.
• Test appliances, taps, toilets, windows, blinds and smoke alarms, and note anything that does not work.
• List items that come with the unit, such as a fridge, a microwave, window screens or a number of keys.
• Note smells, stains or signs of past leaks or pests, even if they seem minor.
• Ask for a signed copy, or keep a photo of the signed page if the original stays with the landlord.
• If you disagree with something the landlord wrote, add your own dated note rather than leaving it unsigned without comment.

Photos and a short walk-through video are the part of the file that is hardest to argue with later, provided they are complete and dated. CMHC suggests using a smartphone to record or photograph problems you find and keeping a backup. A simple routine makes the move-out photos easy to match.

1. Start at the front door and move clockwise through the unit, so you can repeat the same route at move-out.
2. In each room, take one wide shot from the doorway and one from the opposite corner.
3. Photograph floors, walls, ceilings, inside cupboards, inside the oven and fridge, and under sinks.
4. Take close-ups of every existing mark you wrote on the condition report, with a coin or ruler for scale.
5. Record a slow video walk-through, saying the date and room names aloud.
6. Copy the original files to a second location the same day and note the date range in your records.

The condition records explain the unit. The money records explain what you paid and on what terms. CMHC notes that a lease should set out the amount and terms of any deposit, and its page on rental payments says a landlord who accepts a deposit cheque should issue a receipt showing the amount, the property address, the landlord's name and phone number, and who accepted it.

• The signed lease and any renewals, addenda or written rule changes.
• The deposit receipt, or the bank record showing the transfer and the date.
• A record of each rent payment, such as bank statements, e-transfer confirmations or rent receipts.
• Any written agreement about changes to the unit, such as permission to paint or mount a television.
• Repair requests you made during the tenancy, which show that some damage was reported rather than caused.

CMHC's moving-out guidance says to give the landlord notice that you are ending the lease, make necessary repairs and clean the unit, and complete the final inspection with the landlord on moving day. How much notice and what counts as a necessary repair depend on your lease and local rules. Your job on that day is to make a second record that mirrors the first.

• Repeat the same photo route after cleaning and after your belongings are out.
• Bring the move-in report and compare each room during the final inspection.
• Note any item the landlord points out, and write down what was said and by whom by role.
• Record how many keys, fobs and remotes you returned, to whom, and when.
• Give your forwarding address in writing, for example in an email, and keep a copy.
• Keep receipts for cleaning supplies or professional cleaning if you used it.

A sample forwarding address note, kept short and neutral: Hello, I returned three keys and one parking fob today, June 30, to the building office. My forwarding address for any mail and for the deposit is 22 Example Street, Apartment 5. Thank you for your help during the tenancy.

Write down the date anything arrives and how: a cheque in the mail, an e-transfer, an email with an itemized list. Keep the envelope if there is one. Then compare each deduction against your move-in report and photos, and against your move-out set, without deciding yet whether it is fair.

A simple way to do that is a short comparison list. Example rows: D-1. Carpet cleaning, living room. Move-in note: light stain near window, photo MI-14. Move-out photo MO-14 shows the same stain. D-2. Replace bathroom blind. Move-in report lists blind as working. Move-out photo MO-22 shows it bent. D-3. Repaint bedroom. No marks noted at move-in; move-out photos MO-30 to MO-33 show two small nail holes.

If something does not match, a polite written message asking for an explanation or receipts is usually the first step. Rules about what can be deducted, how deductions must be shown and how disagreements are handled vary a great deal, so a tenant legal clinic or the official landlord-tenant body is the right place to ask about options.

• Before signing: lease read, deposit amount and terms written in it, copy saved.
• Paying the deposit: receipt or bank record saved with the date.
• Move-in day: condition report completed and signed, room-by-room photos and video backed up.
• First week: anything missed on the report sent to the landlord in writing.
• During the tenancy: repair requests and written permissions kept with dates.
• Notice to end: copy of your written notice and the date it was given.
• Move-out day: same photo route repeated, final inspection notes, keys returned and recorded.
• Forwarding address: given in writing, copy saved.
• Afterwards: date the deposit or deductions arrived, comparison list prepared, questions written down for a reviewer.

What if I did not do a move-in inspection? Gather what you do have: early photos on your phone, messages from the first weeks that mention problems, and the listing photos if you saved them. Note honestly in your records that no joint inspection was done, and do a careful move-out record anyway.

Is normal wear and tear treated differently from damage? Many landlord-tenant systems draw a line between the two, but where that line sits and how it applies to your unit is a question for the official landlord-tenant body or a tenant legal clinic. Your photos and notes help them see the facts.

Should the landlord be present when I take move-out photos? It helps if you do the final inspection together, but your own photos are still worth taking whether or not anyone else is there. Say the date aloud in the video if timestamps might be questioned.

How long should I keep deposit records? Keep them until the deposit question is fully settled, and longer if there is any disagreement. Storing the photos in a dated folder in cloud storage or in a file you control means they survive a lost or replaced phone.

A deposit file spans the whole tenancy, which is where a dedicated place helps. In SteadyFile, a free rental housing file started in the browser at app.steadyfile.com, with no account needed, can hold move-in day, repair requests, your notice and move-out day as dated entries. Each photo set, receipt and condition report gets an ID in the records index, so a deduction can be matched to a specific move-in photo. The readiness checklist shows what is still missing, such as a forwarding address note. When you want a second opinion, the exported chronological packet gives a clinic or advisor the whole story in a few pages. The landlord cannot see the file, and SteadyFile does not tell you whether a deduction is allowed.