Renting a home
Moving in or out? Record the place on the day.
Walk round the home at check-in, and again at check-out, taking photos in this app. You get a free receipt. Later, anyone can check the photos existed, unchanged, by that day.
Your files never leave your phone or computer. We only receive the set's fingerprint, a code worked out from the files that can't be turned back into them.
Why record it
Deposit-scheme guidance says that without a date, an adjudicator can't tell when a photo was taken, and that the date in a photo's file details can be lost when it is uploaded.
This receipt's date is tied to what is in the files, not to their file details, so copying or uploading them doesn't lose it.
What the checklist asks for
Moving in
- Front door, locks and keys
- Hallway and stairs
- Living room: walls, floor, windows
- Kitchen: worktops, cupboards, hob and oven
- Fridge and freezer, inside
- Bathroom: bath or shower, toilet, sink, tiles
- Each bedroom: walls, floor, furniture
- Meter readings: gas, electricity, water
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Any marks, damage or damp, close up
Damp or mould
- Each patch, a wide shot showing where it is
- Each patch, close up, with a coin or ruler for size
- Windows, frames and sills
- Corners, ceilings, and behind furniture on outside walls
- Damaged belongings, clothes or bedding
- Anything that may cause it: leaks, broken fans or heating
- Your message to the landlord, and any reply
- Take the same shots again every week or two. A dated series shows whether it is spreading, and for how long it has been there.
- Report it to your landlord in writing, and keep each set with a copy of what you sent.
When you move out, choose "Moving out" and link it to your check-in set. The receipt names the set it follows, and the checker shows the link.
Tips
- Go room by room. Take a wide shot of each room first, then close-ups of anything worn, marked or damaged.
- Save the set to your files on the day, and keep it until your deposit is back.
Official guidance
- GOV.UK: tenancy deposit protection (England and Wales)
- mygov.scot: tenancy deposits (Scotland)
- nidirect: tenancy deposits (Northern Ireland)
- Shelter England: damp and mould in private rented homes
- Citizens Advice Wales: damp and mould in your rented home
- Shelter Scotland: complaining about damp and mould
- nidirect: housing standards in rented homes (Northern Ireland)
What a receipt proves
A receipt proves that these exact files existed, unchanged, by the time shown on the receipt.
What it doesn't prove
- It does not prove that what a file shows or says is true, or that a scene was not staged.
- It does not prove who took the photos or made the files, or where.
- It is not legal advice. Whoever settles a dispute, such as a deposit scheme, a court or a hire company, decides what evidence it accepts.