For a U.S. rental, a good landlord-tenant checklist is really an evidence file. It puts the property's condition, payments, repair requests, entry, and notices in one dated record. That can help a tenant support a repair request or dispute a deposit deduction. It can also help a landlord show what was reported, what was fixed, and how the unit compared at the start and end of the tenancy.

Use the templates below in a document, then save the document and its original photos. They're record-keeping tools, not legal notices. The lease, state and local law, housing codes, and federal requirements may set the rules for inspections, deposits, screening, entry, notices, and eviction.

Start the rental record before move-in

Use the same basic process at move-in and move-out. Before the walk-through, check the lease for its inspection, cleaning, notice, key-return, and utility provisions. Then:

1. Write the property address, unit, date, time, and names of everyone present at the top of the report.
2. Describe what you can see and test. "Three-inch scratch on the bedroom door" gives a future reader more to work with than "door damaged."
3. Use a consistent condition label such as new, good, fair, poor, damaged, missing, or not tested. Add a location and comment whenever a label alone is too vague.
4. Take dated photos and short videos. Start with a whole-room image, then photograph each defect up close.
5. Keep the original files and use names that identify the place and occasion, such as 123-Main-kitchen-sink-move-in.jpg.
6. Give both sides a copy. Keep the lease, addenda, receipts, messages, inspection reports, and payment records in the same folder.

A joint walk-through is useful, but a missing signature doesn't make the condition impossible to document. Record who attended, who received the report, and how and when it was sent.

The UW-Madison Extension Rent Smart inspection activity lists practical inspection tools, including a flashlight, camera, pen, measuring tape, spare lightbulb, and, where safe, a hairdryer for testing fixtures or outlets. Don't test equipment in a way that could cause damage or create a safety risk.

Move-in checklist

Complete this before the tenant moves belongings into the unit if possible. If an item can't be tested, write "not tested" and say why. A missing test result shouldn't later be mistaken for a working condition.

Move-in paperwork and setup

Check these items before signing or as soon as possession begins:

• The lease has the correct names, address, tenancy term, rent, due date, deposit, fees, and renewal terms.
• Maintenance duties, emergency contacts, entry procedures, pets, parking, storage, and subletting are addressed.
• Pet, roommate, parking, utility, and community-rule addenda are attached if they apply.
• The tenant has the signed lease, keys, remotes, access codes, and mailbox information.
• Utility accounts are transferred or opened as the lease requires. Keep meter readings and confirmation numbers.
• Any promised repair is recorded in writing with an expected completion date.
• Required property disclosures and notices have been provided.

For most housing built before 1978, federal law requires landlords to provide information about known lead-based paint and lead hazards before a prospective renter signs a lease, subject to exemptions. The EPA's lead-based paint disclosure guidance explains the rule and links to sample forms. Keep the disclosure with the lease.

Periodic inspections during the tenancy

A mid-tenancy visit may reveal a leak, ventilation problem, damaged alarm, or other maintenance issue before it grows. There is no single nationwide inspection schedule. The landlord still has to follow the lease and the entry rules that apply in the property's state or local area.

Before an inspection

The landlord should:

• Give whatever notice the lease and applicable law require.
• State the purpose, date, approximate time, and expected length of the visit.
• Limit the inspection to areas and systems related to that purpose.
• Invite the tenant to attend or provide a way to report concerns.
• Leave unrelated personal documents, messages, and belongings out of photographs.

The tenant can prepare by:

• Confirming the appointment or proposing another lawful time when necessary.
• Reporting known leaks, pests, mold, heating problems, broken locks, or other hazards.
• Securing sensitive papers and valuables.
• Asking for a written list of problems and follow-up dates.

A checklist doesn't give a landlord unrestricted entry. Notice, timing, emergencies, and other exceptions depend on the applicable law and lease.

Inspection points

The report should describe the condition before assigning blame. Mold and pest responsibility often turns on the cause, the lease, and local law.

Repair requests

What a tenant should send

Use the communication method listed in the lease and send the request in writing. Make it easy for someone who wasn't present to find and understand the problem:

• Property address and unit number.
• Date and time the problem was first noticed.
• Exact room, fixture, or area involved.
• Factual description of what happened.
• Whether water, electricity, heat, smoke, sewage, or security is involved.
• Photos or video, if taking them is safe.
• Whether the condition is worsening.
• Dates and times when entry is possible.
• A request for acknowledgment and an appointment.

For immediate danger, follow the lease's emergency procedure and contact emergency services when appropriate. Don't assume that withholding rent, hiring a contractor, or subtracting repair costs from rent is allowed. Those remedies have strict state and local requirements and may require advance notice or a court process.

Landlord repair log

When a repair affects safety or habitability, follow the deadlines and procedures where the property is located. The log shows what was reported and when; it doesn't replace a required notice or change a statutory deadline.

Move-out inspection and cleaning

Before packing, read the lease and check local rules for the move-out notice, cleaning, keys, and security deposit. Some jurisdictions offer or require a pre-move-out inspection. If that option exists, ask about it in writing and keep any correction list.

Tenant move-out steps

• Send the required move-out notice in the required form and by the required date.
• Remove personal property and trash.
• Clean to the condition required by the lease, while allowing for ordinary wear.
• Compare each room with the move-in report and original photos.
• Tell the landlord in writing about damage that was present at move-in but omitted from the first report.
• Don't paint, replace fixtures, or make major repairs without written permission unless local law clearly permits it.
• Photograph the empty rooms, appliances, floors, walls, windows, meters, and outdoor areas.
• Return every key, remote, parking permit, and other access device.
• Provide a forwarding address in writing if the lease or local law requires it. Providing one even when optional can help with deposit correspondence.
• Keep proof of final rent payment and proof of the handover.

Room-by-room cleaning list

The landlord should compare the move-out condition with the documented starting condition and distinguish ordinary wear from tenant-caused damage. Faded paint, gradual aging, and ordinary scuffs may be treated differently from broken fixtures, missing items, or misuse-related damage. The facts, lease, and jurisdiction control that distinction.

Security-deposit records

There is no universal U.S. deadline for returning a security deposit. State and local rules may also address deposit limits, permitted deductions, interest, account handling, inspection rights, the required accounting, and delivery method.

Landlord's deposit checklist

• Record the amount received and the date it was paid.
• Check how the deposit must be handled and stored locally.
• Compare the move-in and move-out reports, photos, maintenance records, and payment ledger.
• List each proposed deduction separately.
• Use only deductions permitted by the lease and applicable law.
• Keep invoices, receipts, estimates, and work dates.
• Send the refund and itemized accounting by the applicable deadline and method.
• Retain proof of delivery and a copy of the accounting.

Tenant's deposit checklist

• Keep the signed move-in report and original photos.
• Ask for a written itemization when money is withheld.
• Check whether each charge concerns damage, unpaid rent, or another amount allowed by the lease and local law.
• Ask for supporting receipts or estimates where required.
• Compare the charge with the item's age and documented starting condition.
• Send a short written dispute with copies of evidence. Keep the originals.
• Check the state attorney general, housing agency, court self-help materials, or legal-aid resources for the next step.
• Consider small claims court only after checking jurisdiction, filing limits, deadlines, and any required demand process.

No single report proves who caused a problem. The more useful file usually includes the original condition, dated images, written requests and notices, access records, invoices, and payment history.

Tenant screening and applicant rights

Screening records should show what criteria were used, what information was checked, and why the decision was made. Fair-housing and consumer-report rules may apply alongside state and local requirements.

Landlord screening record

Before accepting applications:

1. Write the criteria, including income, rental history, credit requirements, occupancy, and acceptable documentation.
2. Apply the same criteria to similarly situated applicants.
3. Explain the application fee and screening process before collecting sensitive information.
4. Obtain authorization and use a permissible housing purpose before ordering a consumer report.
5. Protect Social Security numbers, financial records, and identity documents.
6. Verify information consistently instead of making extra demands of selected applicants.
7. Keep the application record and the reason for the decision.
8. If a consumer report influenced an unfavorable decision, follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act's adverse-action requirements.

The FTC's guidance for landlords using consumer reports covers steps before obtaining a report and after adverse action. Adverse action can include denying an application, requiring a co-signer, or imposing a less favorable term because of report information.

Fair-housing requirements also deserve a separate review before using criminal history, disability-related information, or assistance-animal policies. A disability-related accommodation request shouldn't automatically be handled as an ordinary pet request. The DOJ and HUD housing guidance includes examples involving reasonable accommodations and assistance animals.

Applicant screening questions

Ask the landlord or screening company:

• Which company will provide the report?
• What information will be reviewed?
• Who pays the screening fee, and is it refundable under the stated policy?
• How can an error be disputed?
• What written criteria will be applied?

Review the report when possible. The FTC's tenant background-check guidance says a screening company generally must investigate a dispute within 30 days. It also says that many civil lawsuits and judgments, including housing court cases, and arrest records generally can't be reported after seven years under federal reporting limits, although exceptions and more protective state rules may apply.

Rent payments, late notices, and eviction records

A payment ledger is useful evidence, but it isn't a pay-or-quit notice or an eviction form. The lease and the law where the property is located control the due date, grace period, late fees, notice wording, service method, cure period, and court procedure.

Payment and late-rent log

Landlords should:

• Keep one complete ledger rather than relying on scattered messages.
• Apply payments and fees according to the lease and local law.
• Confirm the balance in writing.
• Use the correct local notice and service method when formal action is necessary.
• Save delivery proof, payment records, messages, and court documents.

Tenants should:

• Check the due date and any grace period in the lease.
• Pay through a traceable method and save confirmations.
• Ask for a receipt or ledger when the balance is unclear.
• Respond promptly to a late notice and document any payment arrangement.
• Never ignore court papers or a hearing date.
• Get local guidance before withholding rent, using repair-and-deduct, or moving out because of a dispute.

Don't assume a landlord can change locks, shut off utilities, remove belongings, or skip the court process. The legality of those actions varies by jurisdiction, and some are prohibited. Verify the local procedure before acting.

Pets, roommates, subletting, parking, and noise

These subjects create fewer disputes when the terms are written before a problem occurs.

A roommate agreement doesn't automatically change the landlord's lease. A verbal promise about a pet, parking space, or repair is also harder to prove than a dated written agreement.

Copy-and-save templates

Paste these fields into a document, add detail where needed, and save the document with the related photos and messages.

Condition report template

• Property address:
• Unit:
• Tenant or occupants:
• Landlord or representative:
• Inspection type: Move-in / Periodic / Move-out
• Date and time:
• People present:
• Meter readings:
• Keys, remotes, and access devices received or returned:
• General notes:
• Photos or video folder name:
• Tenant comments:
• Landlord comments:
• Tenant signature and date:
• Landlord signature and date:

Repair request template

• Date sent:
• Property and unit:
• Tenant name:
• Problem location:
• Factual description:
• Date first noticed:
• Safety or habitability concern:
• Photos attached:
• Access dates and times:
• Requested response:
• Landlord or manager acknowledgment:
• Contractor appointment:
• Completion date:
• Remaining issue:
• Tenant follow-up:

Deposit review template

• Deposit paid:
• Move-out date:
• Forwarding address:
• Refund received:
• Date received:
• Itemized accounting received:
• Deduction 1 and amount:
• Deduction 2 and amount:
• Supporting receipts or estimates:
• Evidence attached:
• Written dispute sent:
• Response deadline under applicable law:
• Next contact or escalation step:

Screening process record for landlords

• Written criteria approved on:
• Application received:
• Authorization received:
• Report requested from:
• Information verified:
• Decision:
• Report information used in decision:
• Adverse-action notice sent:
• Date and delivery method:
• Records retained securely until:

Don't use this form to collect information that isn't needed for a lawful screening decision. Follow applicable retention and privacy requirements.

What a checklist cannot decide

A checklist records what was observed and communicated. It cannot, by itself, determine:

• Whether a charge is ordinary wear or tenant-caused damage.
• Whether a late fee, deposit deduction, or rent increase is lawful.
• Whether a landlord gave enough notice before entry.
• Whether a screening practice violates federal, state, or local fair-housing rules.
• Whether a repair dispute permits rent withholding or another tenant remedy.
• Whether an eviction notice has the correct wording, service, and deadline.

For any of those questions, identify the property's state and local jurisdiction, read the relevant lease provision, and check an official housing agency, court self-help resource, or qualified local adviser. Keep the dated report and supporting evidence together so they're ready for that review.

Frequently asked questions

Is there one federal move-in form for every U.S. rental?

No. No single form replaces every state or local requirement. A dated condition report with detailed notes, photos, signatures, and copies for both parties is a practical starting point.

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit?

The deadline varies by state and sometimes by local rule. Check the law where the property is located instead of relying on a general 14-day or 30-day rule.

Can a landlord enter for an inspection without notice?

Entry rules vary. The lease and state or local law may require notice, limit the timing, or recognize exceptions for emergencies. A landlord should follow the applicable procedure, and a tenant should document unexpected entry.

Can a tenant stop paying rent during a repair dispute?

Don't assume so. Rent withholding and repair-and-deduct remedies are highly jurisdiction-specific. They may require written notice, time to repair, escrow, or a court process. Get local guidance before using one.

Where can landlords verify screening requirements?

Start with the FTC's consumer-report guidance for landlords, then check state and local housing rules. Written criteria, consistent application, and a secure record of the decision are essential parts of the process.

Official references

• UW-Madison Extension Rent Smart check-in and check-out forms
• FTC: Using consumer reports as a landlord
• FTC: Tenant background checks and your rights
• DOJ and HUD housing guidance
• EPA: Real estate disclosures about potential lead hazards

Start with the condition report, then save the first set of dated photos before the unit changes. If a dispute later arises, that baseline is usually more useful than trying to reconstruct events from memory.