TL;DR
Shoot every room wide first, then close on anything specific, and do it in the same fixed order every time so nothing is skipped. Plan on roughly 60 to 150 photos for an average apartment, taken on an empty unit in good light, with the original files kept untouched so the timestamps stay intact. Then email a copy to yourself the same day, because a record you cannot find later is not a record.
Why photos matter more than memory
A move out conversation happens weeks after you left, about a home neither person is standing in. Whoever has a clear, dated, complete set of images is describing something real. Everyone else is describing a memory.
The point is not to build a case. It is to make the conversation specific. Most disagreements about condition dissolve the moment there is a photo of the actual wall.
When to take them
Two moments matter, and they bracket the tenancy.
At move in, ideally before a single box comes in. This is your baseline. Anything already worn, marked, or broken belongs in this set, and this is the only chance you get at an empty unit that is not yet yours. It is also the right moment for the arrival cleaning described in cleaning a new home before you unpack.
At move out, after cleaning is finished and everything is gone. Not before the clean, not mid load. The final set should show the unit as you are actually leaving it.
If you never took move in photos, take the move out set anyway. A one sided record is still far better than none.
Shoot wide, then close
Wide first. Stand in a doorway or corner and capture the entire room, including where the walls meet the floor and the ceiling. Two or three wide shots per room, from different corners, gives context that a close up never can.
Then close. Move in on anything specific: a mark, a chip, a worn spot, an appliance interior. A close up alone is nearly useless because nobody can tell where it is. A wide shot followed by a close up places it exactly.
Then one detail shot with a reference. For anything you expect might be discussed, include something for scale in frame, such as a coin.
A room by room order that never skips anything
Use the same order every time, matching the sequence in what a move out walk covers:
- Exterior entry, porch or landing, and the front door inside and out
- Entry, hallway, coat closet
- Kitchen: wide shots, then inside the oven, refrigerator, freezer, microwave, dishwasher, cabinets, drawers, under the sink, and the floor behind the appliances if you moved them
- Each bathroom: wide, then tub or shower, toilet base, vanity interior, exhaust fan, and the floor behind the toilet
- Each bedroom: wide, then closet interior including shelves and floor
- Living areas: wide, then any wall marks and the floor at traffic paths
- Laundry: washer gasket, dryer lint housing, floor behind and under
- Utility closet, water heater area, garage
- Windows: track, sill, and glass in at least one window per room
- Floors: one close up per room, plus corners and edges
- Meters, thermostat, smoke detectors, and the keys before handoff
Roughly 60 to 150 images for a typical apartment. More for a house. That sounds like a lot until you realize it is 15 minutes of walking.
Details that make the set actually useful
Light. Daylight if you can, all lights on if you cannot. Turn on every fixture, including closet lights, so nothing is a dark rectangle.
Hold still. Blurry photos of a mark prove nothing. Brace against a doorframe.
Do not edit. Do not crop, filter, rotate, or adjust brightness on the originals. Keep the untouched files exactly as the camera produced them and make copies if you want to annotate.
Keep the metadata. Photos carry a creation date in their file data. Screenshotting a photo, sending it through a messaging app, or re-saving it can strip that. Move the original files, do not re-photograph the screen.
Add a video. A single slow walkthrough, narrated with the date spoken aloud, complements the stills. It is not a substitute, because video frames are lower quality than photos.
Photograph the good, not just the bad. A set of only problem areas looks selective. A complete set showing a clean unit is far more persuasive, and it doubles as proof of the work you did on the spots most people miss.
Storage, and the part everyone skips
Photos on a phone that gets replaced next year are not documentation.
Do all three of these the same day:
- Email the set to yourself with a clear subject line such as "Unit condition, move out, address, date." Email creates an independent dated record and puts the files somewhere searchable.
- Upload to cloud storage in a dated folder.
- Keep the originals on the phone until the deposit is settled and a reasonable period has passed after that.
Then write a short note to the landlord the same day: what you cleaned, that dated photos are available, and your questions about the accounting timeline and an itemized statement. Keep the reply.
What photos can and cannot do
Photos establish condition at a point in time. That is a lot, and it settles most ordinary disputes without anyone raising their voice.
What they do not do is decide anything. What can be charged, what counts as ordinary use, and what timelines apply are governed by your lease and your local rules, which vary widely. Documentation gives you a clear factual basis for the conversation; it is not an argument in itself. If a dispute persists after a written exchange, get advice from someone qualified in your area rather than relying on general information.
The same is true of the wear versus damage question. Your photos show what a surface looked like. Your lease governs the rest.
FAQ
How many photos should I take when moving out?
Around 60 to 150 for an average apartment and more for a house. That covers two or three wide shots per room plus close ups of appliances, closets, windows, floors, and anything specific. Fifteen minutes of walking produces the whole set.
Do move out photos need timestamps?
Photo files carry a creation date in their metadata, which is usually enough. Protect it by keeping the original files rather than screenshots or re-saved copies, and back the set up by emailing it to yourself the same day, which creates an independent dated record.
Should I photograph before or after cleaning?
After. The final set should show the unit exactly as you are leaving it, with everything removed and the cleaning finished. If you want a before and after pair for your own records, take both, but the after set is the one that matters.
Is a video walkthrough as good as photos?
It is a useful complement, not a replacement. Video captures the layout and flow, but individual frames are lower quality than photos, so fine detail on a mark or an appliance interior does not read well. Take both, with photos as the primary record.
What should I do with the photos after I move out?
Email them to yourself, upload them to cloud storage in a dated folder, and keep the originals on your device until the deposit is settled. Then send a short dated message to the landlord noting that documentation exists and asking about the accounting timeline.
If the wider house needs the same attention, that is what house cleaning services cover.
Documentation works best on a unit that is genuinely finished, which is why the photo pass belongs after the last floor is dry and matched against a full move out checklist. Every home is different, so the real number depends on size, condition, and what you want covered. Get a quote and we will walk you through it.