A thoughtful handover, room by room.
A good handover gives the new tenant a useful introduction to their home and gives both sides a clear starting record.
Walk the rooms in a consistent order.
Record fixtures, furnishings, cleanliness and existing marks or damage. Take a wider photo to show the location and a close-up for detail. Keep original photos and distinguish them from illustrations or marked-up copies.
Leave space for the tenant’s view.
Invite the tenant to add observations and flag anything missing. Keep the original record and later responses. No response should not be treated as agreement. Where a local condition report is required, use the required process and deadlines.
Make the first week easier.
Alongside condition records, share the home’s everyday essentials: heating instructions, meter locations, useful contacts and how to report a problem. Keep private owner records separate from the shared home guide.
Update the story, without rewriting the beginning.
Attach later repairs, replacements and notes to the same room or item. A replaced appliance should have its own record, linked to the previous one if useful. Preserve the move-in baseline instead of replacing it with the latest photograph.
Use the record thoughtfully at move-out.
Compare the relevant tenancy’s starting record with later observations. Photos and notes help explain condition, but they do not establish fault or guarantee a dispute outcome. Privacy, deposit and tenancy rules vary by jurisdiction.
Source: NSW Government, Rental property condition reports. The official process applies to NSW; this article does not prescribe a universal legal form.
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