The first time I moved into an Austin apartment I took three photos on my phone and called it done. No emails, no video, no checklist. Just three casual shots that proved nothing and helped nobody. Two years later when I moved out, my landlord tried to charge me for carpet damage that was already there when I arrived. I had nothing solid to point to. I got lucky that time. After that I built a proper move-in documentation habit and I have used it on every apartment since. This is exactly what I do now and why each step matters.
August 2020. My first Austin apartment, the three-bedroom near UT I shared with Jake and Marcus. I landed from India with two suitcases and about forty-eight hours of travel exhaustion sitting behind my eyes, and my main goal that first day was to put my bags down somewhere and sleep.
Jake had already moved most of his stuff in. He was in good spirits, showed me around the place, pointed out which shelf in the fridge was his. I remember taking a few photos of my room, mostly to send to my mom so she could see where I was living. That was the extent of my move-in documentation. Three pictures. Sent to my family WhatsApp. Saved nowhere useful.
I did not think about those photos again for almost two years.
Why Move In Documentation Exists
The whole point is simple. When you move out, your landlord compares the apartment’s condition then to what it looked like when you arrived. If something looks damaged, they will try to take money from your deposit to fix it.
The problem is that damage is sometimes already there when you move in. Old carpet wear. A scuff on the wall from the previous tenant. A crack in a bathroom tile. If you have no proof it was there before you arrived, it is your word against theirs, and landlords hold the money, which means they have more power in that argument than you do.
Documentation is how you shift that balance. Dated photos, a written record, an email trail. These things turn “your word against theirs” into “here is proof from day one.” I go much deeper on what happens at the end when your landlord uses this against you in my move-out inspection post, but the short version is: the photos you take today are the only real protection you have two years from now.
What I Do Now, Room by Room
I want to give you the actual process, not a vague “take photos of everything” suggestion, because that is what I had before and it was not enough.
I start before I bring a single bag inside. The apartment should be completely empty when you document it. Once your boxes are in, you cannot see the floors properly, you miss corners, you skip things because you are tired and excited. Empty apartment, first thing, before anything else.
The Walls
Every wall in every room. I photograph each wall separately, not one wide shot of the whole room, because a wide shot hides small marks and scuffs in the corners. I get close to anything that looks even slightly off. A small mark I might think is nothing could become a $200 paint charge two years later if I have no record of it.
Pay extra attention to the areas behind where doors swing open, since previous tenants sometimes bang doors into walls repeatedly and the marks show up right there. And check near light switches where hands touch the wall every day.
The Floors
Every floor surface in every room, plus the transition strips between rooms. I crouch down and take photos at floor level sometimes, since that angle shows scratches and worn patches more clearly than shooting straight down.
The carpet near windows and in high-traffic spots like hallways and in front of couches gets specific attention from me now, since those are the spots landlords most commonly try to charge for at move-out. If there is already wear there when you arrive, you need that on record. If you want to understand exactly what landlords can and cannot charge for regarding carpet, the security deposit post covers that in detail.
The Kitchen
Open every cabinet and take a photo inside. Check under the sink specifically, since water damage and mold sometimes hide there and you do not want to be blamed for it later. Pull the oven open and photograph inside it. Check the top of the fridge.
I learned the oven lesson the hard way at my East Sixth apartment. My landlord charged me $30 at move-out for the oven, and I could not prove whether it was already dirty when I moved in because I had never photographed it on day one. Thirty dollars is not huge but I still think about it.
The Bathroom
Tiles, grout lines, the area around the toilet base, under the sink cabinet, the shower seal. Mold and water damage in bathrooms can look like tenant negligence even when it is a building maintenance problem that predates you entirely.
The Small Things Most People Miss
Light fixtures, window frames, blinds, door frames, the inside of closets, any appliances that came with the unit. I check every window to make sure it opens and closes properly and I photograph any that feel stiff or have cracks in the frame.
Blinds are a specific one worth noting. They break easily and they cost more to replace than you would expect, sometimes $80 to $150 per window depending on the size. If any slats are already bent or broken when you arrive, photograph them before you touch them.
The Email That Makes It Official
Photos on your phone are a start. Photos emailed to your landlord on move-in day are protection.
Here is exactly what I do. I take all my photos, then I send one email to my landlord or property manager with every photo attached, or a shared folder link if there are too many to attach. The email says something like: here are photos from my move-in today showing the current condition of the apartment.
That email does three things. It timestamps the photos officially. It puts the landlord on record as having received them. And it makes any future claim that damage happened during your tenancy much harder to sustain, because you have a paper trail from day one that they acknowledged.
I also email myself the same folder link or attach the same photos to an email in my own inbox, just as a backup in case I ever lose access to the original thread years later.
The Video Walk-Through Nobody Does But Should
After the photos, I do a short video walk-through. Maybe four to five minutes, just me walking slowly through the apartment narrating what I see. I say things like “this is the living room, there is a scuff on the left wall near the window, the carpet has a worn patch near the balcony door.” Nothing formal, just spoken notes while the camera rolls.
Video catches things photos miss, small dents, the way a door does not close flush, a faint stain that the camera flash washed out in the still photo. And hearing me describe something in my own voice on a dated video file is genuinely hard for anyone to argue against later.
I send this video to myself by email too, same day.
The Written Checklist Your Lease Might Already Include
Some Austin landlords send a move-in condition form with your lease paperwork. It is a written checklist where you note the condition of each room and item. If your landlord sent one, fill it out carefully and completely, do not just tick “good” on everything without actually looking, because this form is a legal document and what you write on it matters.
If your landlord did not send one, make your own. A simple list in an email is fine. Room by room, note anything that is not in perfect condition. Send it to the landlord within the first 48 hours of moving in.
This written record plus your photos plus your video is a three-layer defense that covers almost any move-out dispute you might face. I explain how this plays out in real money terms in the landlord kept my deposit post, where a single dated photo ended up being worth $450 in recovered deposit money.
The One Thing I Wish I Had Done My Very First Time
My first Austin apartment, the one with Jake and Marcus, ended without a formal inspection, nobody came by to check anything when we moved out. I got most of my deposit back and moved on.
But I did not know then that I had gotten lucky. If that landlord had wanted to claim carpet damage or wall marks, I would have had three WhatsApp photos and nothing else. No email trail, no video, no written notes.
The second time I moved, I did everything on this list. The third time too. It takes maybe 45 minutes on move-in day when you are already tired and excited and just want to start unpacking.
Those 45 minutes have been worth it every single time.
FAQ
Do I really need to document every single room or just the main ones?
Every room, including closets and bathrooms. The charges that catch people off guard are usually from the smaller spaces that feel too boring to bother photographing, a broken blind in a bedroom closet, mold under the bathroom sink, a scratch on a hallway floor.
What if my landlord never responds to the email I send with the photos?
That is fine actually, the point is not to get a reply, it is to create a dated record that you sent it. No response from them is not a problem. The email timestamp is what protects you.
Can I just use a Google Photos album instead of emailing the photos?
You can use a Google Photos album or any cloud folder as your backup storage, but still send the email to your landlord directly. The email to them is the part that creates the official record with timestamps and proof of delivery. The cloud album is just your personal backup in case you need to find the files later.
What is the move-in condition form and do I have to fill it out?
Some landlords include it with your lease papers, it is a checklist where you note the condition of each room. If they sent one, fill it out honestly and completely, it is a legal document. If they did not send one, make your own and email it to them within 48 hours of moving in. Both versions count.
I already moved in without doing any of this. Is it too late?
Do it today, even if you moved in a week ago or a month ago. A dated record from one month in is better than no record at all. Just note in your email that these photos were taken shortly after move-in and describe any issues you noticed when you first arrived.
How long should I keep all these photos and emails?
Keep them until you get your full deposit back after moving out, plus a few extra months just in case there is any dispute that drags on. I keep mine in a dedicated email folder labeled with the apartment address so I can find them fast if I ever need them.
