Documenting the flat's condition when you move in

Key rules

• Inventory: No law forces your landlord to give you one, so ask for it or bring your own.
• Signatures: Both of you sign and date every page, and each keeps a copy.
• Photos: Keep the original photo and video files, backed up in two places.
• Wear and tear: You are not responsible for damage from normal use.
• Email: Send the inventory and photos to the landlord the same day and ask for a reply.

Why you need an inventory

Without an inventory, the law presumes you received the flat in good condition and must give it back that way, unless you prove otherwise. Damage that was already there is your responsibility, unless you can show it was there when you arrived.

What to put in it

Write a document that covers each room and everything in it. Beyond the list, keep these points in mind:

• Name the brand, model and working status of each appliance.
• Count every key, remote control and access card, including the mailbox and building entrance.
• Note the electricity, water and gas meter readings, with meter numbers and the date.
• Describe existing damage, stains, damp and pests in plain words, not just "good" or "bad".

Ask the landlord for the energy certificate and the boiler maintenance papers at the same time, and keep copies with the inventory.

Add photos and video

Take dated photos or video of every room, fixture, meter reading and defect, attach them to the written inventory and write the photo numbers in the report. Do not edit the original files or send them only through a chat app, which can strip the date and time stored in the file: that date is part of your proof.

Share it the same day

A reply from the landlord confirming receipt is useful proof. If the landlord stays silent, a dated email with the full set still counts, but it is weaker than a signed inventory. Add problems you spot in the first days in a new dated email with photos.

If the landlord will not sign

Do everything else anyway: photos, a written inventory and the dated email. A notary record or a time-stamping service is optional extra proof if you expect a dispute. Courts weigh evidence freely, so a signed inventory is the strongest option and photos alone can be challenged.

Timeline from receiving the keys

1. Before handover: final check of the flat, the day before or on key day.
2. Key day: sign, receive the keys, take meter readings and complete the inventory with photos.
3. First week: send the landlord a written defect list with photos, and switch the utilities to your name. No legal window exists for reporting defects, so do not wait.
4. Around day 7: follow up if the landlord has not replied.
5. After signing: ask the landlord for the deposit receipt from the regional body (where your deposit goes).

Template inventory and condition report for move-in

Fill this in together with the landlord on the day you get the keys, before you move your things in. Take photos as you go.

Move-in condition report

Property address: ____________________ Date of inspection: ____________________ Tenant: ____________________ Landlord or representative: ____________________

1. Keys and access

2. Meter readings

3. Essential services

Tick each one you have tested.

4. Room by room

Copy this table for each room: living room, each bedroom, kitchen, each bathroom, hall, balcony, storage.

Room: ____________________

5. Furniture and kitchenware (if furnished)

6. Appliances

7. Documents handed over

• Energy certificate: Yes / No
• Boiler maintenance papers: Yes / No
• Other: ____________________

8. Existing defects

List anything not covered above: ______________________________________________

9. Signatures

Number every page and sign or initial each one.

Defects you find after move-in

Add new problems in the first days and send them in writing, with photos. Email or WhatsApp first, for speed; if there is no reply or the problem is serious, send a burofax with certified content (a short one costs 20-40 euros at Correos). For an urgent repair, you may arrange it yourself and charge the landlord back.