Move-out checklist for renters in Australia
Last updated 10 November 2026
Clean the place, then photograph every room with a note on anything already marked, return every key with a receipt, and save your report as a PDF. Do it before the final inspection, not after.
- Find your entry condition report. Get the report you were given when you moved in, plus any photos you took then. Everything you record now is compared against it.
- Check your lease and your regulator's rules. Read the lease for cleaning, carpet and garden requirements. Your state or territory's tenancy regulator publishes the official steps and time limits for getting a bond back. They differ between states, so check yours rather than assuming.
- Clean first, then photograph. Do the cleaning, then take your photos, so the record shows how you left it. Take wide shots of each room and close-ups of anything marked, worn or already damaged.
- Photograph every room, including the boring ones. Walls, ceiling, floors, windows and blinds, doors, lights, power points, kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, laundry, balcony or garden, garage and letterbox.
- Write a note for anything that was already there. A short note next to a photo of an old stain or scuff, with the date, is worth more later than a memory.
- Read the meters and note them. Photograph electricity, gas and water meters if you pay for them, so there is a record on the day you left.
- Return every key and get it in writing. Count the keys, remotes and fobs you were given. Ask for a receipt or an email that confirms what you handed back and when.
- Give your forwarding address in writing. So any letters about the bond reach you. Email it and keep the sent message.
- Go to the final inspection if you can. Walk through with the agent, point out what you've recorded, and ask for any problems they see to be noted down.
- Save the report as a PDF and back it up. Save the PDF from the print dialog and email it to yourself. A report that only exists in your browser disappears when browser data is cleared.
- Ask for deductions to be itemised. If money is claimed from the bond, ask what each item is, with the photos and evidence it's based on, and compare it to your record before you agree to anything.
This is general information, not legal advice. Time limits and rules for bond claims are set by your state or territory, so confirm them with your regulator.