Apartment Move-In Checklist
Walk the empty apartment before the furniture arrives. Photos from that day are the record you will compare with at move-out, and they are much harder to recreate later.
1. Every room, before boxes
- Photograph each wall, the floor, and the ceiling. Stand in the doorway so the whole room is in frame.
- Take a closer photo of existing scuffs, holes, stains, cracked tile, and damaged blinds.
- Open every window and door. Note what sticks, what will not latch, and which screens are torn.
- Test lights, switches, and outlets. Mark any that are dead or loose.
- Write the date on the notes. A photo without a date is easy to argue with later.
2. Kitchen and the appliances that stay
- Turn on every burner and the oven. Run the dishwasher, the disposal, and the fridge.
- Photograph the model plate on the refrigerator, range, dishwasher, and microwave. The plate is usually inside a door or on the frame.
- Look under the sink and inside cabinets for stains, soft wood, pests, or a dripping supply line.
- Check that the fridge is cold and the freezer is frozen before you fill them.
- The building’s appliances belong to the landlord. Your own small appliances belong on the renter inventory.
3. Bathrooms and plumbing
- Flush each toilet and watch the base for a leak.
- Run the shower and both the hot and cold taps. Note weak pressure and how long the hot water takes.
- Look under every sink with a flashlight. Feel the supply lines and the trap for moisture.
- Photograph cracked caulk, a stained ceiling, or a fan that does not move air.
4. Safety and the papers you were given
- Press the test button on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Note how many there are and which rooms have none.
- Find the breaker panel and the main water shutoff. Photograph both and write where they are.
- Save the lease, the move-in form, and any key or fob count. If the landlord’s form has blank lines, fill them before you sign it.
- Keep a copy that is not only on one phone in the apartment. Export a PDF when the walk-through is done.
When you leave, use the same rooms in the move-out documentation checklist so the comparison is obvious.
Keep the photos with the apartment
AruHome stores room photos, appliance plates, and the move-in notes on your phone. No account. The App Store button opens the app directly.
