The condition is documented by comparison. A move-out walk-through records every room, surface, fixture and appliance in dated photos and a written report, and then sets each item against the move-in condition report signed when the tenant arrived. The difference between the two, after normal wear and tear, is what can be charged to the tenant.
Without the move-in baseline, a move-out report is just a list of what the house looks like today, and every deduction becomes an argument. Here is what a complete move-out file contains, and what you should receive as the owner.
It starts with the move-in record
Every move-out comparison depends on a move-in condition report: dated photos of each room, close-ups of existing marks, notes on appliances and systems, and the tenant's signature acknowledging the condition. Many Texas leases also give the tenant a short window after move-in to add their own notes, which protects both sides.
If you are reading this with a tenant already in place and no move-in report, do a documented inspection now with the tenant's cooperation. It is not as strong as a day-one record, but it is far better than nothing. The move-in process checklist shows what a complete baseline looks like.
What the move-out walk-through records
The walk-through happens after the tenant has removed belongings and returned keys, so the house can be seen empty. The record is made room by room, in the same order as the move-in report, so the comparison lines up. For each room:
- Wide photos of each wall, the floor and the ceiling, then close-ups of anything notable.
- Doors, windows, blinds, screens and locks, opened and tested.
- Appliances inside and out, including the oven, the dishwasher filter and the refrigerator drawers.
- Plumbing fixtures run, toilets flushed, drains checked for slow flow.
- Light fixtures, switches, outlets and smoke alarms tested.
Outside, the record covers the yard, fence, garage, exterior doors, the condition of the lawn and beds, and anything the tenant was responsible for under the lease.
The details that photos alone miss
A good move-out file includes more than pictures. It records meter readings for electric, gas and water on the day of surrender, so utility responsibility has a clean cutoff. It lists every key, fob, garage remote and mailbox key returned, against the number issued at move-in. It notes anything left behind, because Texas has rules about how abandoned belongings are handled.
It also records the date the tenant actually surrendered the house and the forwarding address the tenant provided, both of which drive the deposit timeline under Texas law. Photos should carry a date and time stamp, and video can supplement them for larger areas, though still photos remain easier to attach to an itemization.
Systems get a functional check, not just a photo: the HVAC is run in both modes, the water heater is confirmed working, the garage door opener is cycled, and the irrigation controller is tested if there is one. A tenant cannot be charged for a compressor that failed from age, but knowing it failed on move-out day rather than discovering it with the next tenant in the house saves you a vacancy week and an emergency call.
Common gaps that weaken a move-out record
The failures we see most often when taking over a house from a self-managing owner or another manager:
- No move-in report at all, or one without photos, so there is no baseline.
- Photos taken with belongings still in the house, hiding the floors and walls.
- No dates on the photos, so a tenant can argue the damage happened later.
- A walk-through done a week after the keys came back, after a cleaner or a contractor had already been through, so the condition on the day of surrender is unprovable.
- Deductions listed without costs behind them, or costs that were never invoiced.
Each of these turns a clear deduction into a dispute, and in Texas the landlord carries the burden of proving a deduction was proper. The record has to be made on the day of surrender, before anyone else touches the house.
How the comparison turns into a report
With the move-in and move-out records side by side, each difference is sorted into one of three buckets: normal wear and tear, which cannot be charged; tenant-caused damage or cleaning, which can; and items that need work for the next tenant but are the owner's cost either way, such as an aging water heater.
Each chargeable item gets a description, the before and after photos, and an estimated or actual cost from a vendor invoice. Where an item has a limited life, such as paint or carpet, the charge is prorated for the age of the item rather than billed at full replacement. The move-out inspection guide explains how the itemization is built so it holds up if the tenant disputes it.
What you should receive as the owner
Expect a written move-out report with the full photo set, the comparison against move-in, the proposed deductions with costs, and a recommendation on each. You should see it before the itemization goes to the tenant, because the deductions are made on your behalf and you carry the legal responsibility for them.
You should also receive the make-ready scope that comes out of the same walk-through, separated into what the tenant pays and what you pay, so there are no surprises on the next statement. All of it should live where you can find it later, such as an owner portal, because deposit disputes and insurance claims sometimes surface months after the move-out.
This is general information, not legal advice. Texas deposit rules have specific requirements; confirm them with your lease or an attorney.
How Perpetual handles this
Perpetual Property Management documents every home at move-in with a dated photo report signed by the tenant, so the move-out is a comparison rather than a debate. Our move-out walk-through follows the same room order, records meter readings, keys and anything left behind, and sorts every difference into wear, tenant charge or owner cost. The owner receives the full report and approves the proposed deductions before the itemization goes to the tenant within the Texas deadline.
We are broker-owned and local to Keller, North Richland Hills and Fort Worth, so the person who did the move-in is often the person doing the move-out. Documented inspections during the lease fill in the gaps between the two, every report stays in the owner portal, and every fee for this work is listed in the written quote before you sign.
The takeaway: A move-out is documented well only if the move-in was, so the time to protect your deposit deductions is the day the tenant gets the keys.
Questions owners ask
Should the tenant be present at the move-out inspection?
It is helpful but not required in Texas. A tenant who attends can see the comparison in person, which heads off many disputes. If the tenant cannot attend, the dated photos and the move-in report do the work. Either way, the inspection should happen after belongings are out and keys are returned.
How long should move-out photos and reports be kept?
Keep them for several years at minimum. Deposit disputes in Texas can be filed well after the move-out, and insurance or tax questions can surface later still. Digital storage is cheap, so there is no reason to delete a move-out file.
What if the tenant disputes the move-out report?
The dated move-in and move-out photos are the evidence. A tenant who disputes an item should be shown the before and after photos and the invoice. If the tenant still disagrees, the matter can go to justice court, where that documentation is what the judge will look at.
Can I do the move-out inspection myself if I self-manage?
Yes. Use the move-in report as your checklist, photograph every room in the same order, record meter readings and keys, and write up each difference with a cost. The hard part is staying objective about wear and tear, so be conservative on anything you would struggle to prove.
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