Apartment handover by app: move-in and move-out properly documented

Move-out shows how well move-in was documented. A stain on the parquet, a crack in a tile, a missing key: was it there when the tenant moved in? If the inventory report only says "apartment in good condition", that is hard to settle years later, and the deposit becomes the argument.

A detailed report on paper is tedious. An app makes it faster and more precise.

What belongs in an apartment handover report

Every room, in photos. Entrance, living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, plus balcony and storage. One photo per room is the minimum, two from opposite corners are better. Whatever the photos show needs no description.

Defects exactly where they are. The scratch in the parquet is marked on the living room photo, with a sentence and a close-up if needed. At move-out it is clear which scratch was meant.

Meter readings. Electricity, gas, water, heating. The safest record is a photo of each meter with its number and reading legible. A noted value without a photo quickly leads to the question of who misread it.

Keys. How many front door, apartment, mailbox and storage keys were handed over. If one is missing at move-out, the conversation is often about replacing the lock system, and that is expensive.

Furnishings. Fitted kitchen, appliances, remote controls, and for furnished apartments and holiday lets also crockery, bed linen and towels. A checklist is faster than any description.

Both signatures. With them tenant and landlord accept the documented condition. Without them the report is a one-sided note.

Move-in and move-out belong together

The real value appears at move-out. If the same apartment is photographed in the same rooms from the same angles, move-in and move-out photos can be laid side by side. Defects marked at move-in are already in place, new ones stand out at once. Whether damage goes beyond normal wear is then something to discuss on the facts, not on memory.

What to look for in an app

It should work without training, also for the caretaker who does handovers on the side. The report must be unchangeable once signed, or it is of little use in a dispute. And the tenant should get a copy by email straight away, so there is only one version.

RentalHandover comes from vehicle and boat rental, and the flow for an apartment is the same: handover at move-in, return at move-out, with a comparison. The photo series can be set up by rooms and meters, defects are marked on the photo, keys and furnishings sit in a checklist, and both sides sign on a tablet or phone. The PDF goes to tenant and landlord. Try it with one apartment, the next handover is enough.