Move-Out Kit

Start 30 days out: a day-by-day plan for your state, room-by-room photos, a PDF condition report and a demand letter. Your photos stay on this device.

Where are you right now?

Photograph every room

Shoot with your phone's Camera app first. That keeps full-size originals with their own timestamps in your photo library. Then add copies here for the report.
No photos yet
What your landlord can't charge you for

Normal wear and tear is not damage: faded paint, small nail holes, worn carpet in walkways, loose door handles, minor scuffs. Damage is different: holes in walls, burns, pet stains, broken fixtures, missing appliances. Photograph anything that was already worn or damaged when you moved in — that's exactly what usually turns into a deduction.

Your condition report

One PDF: every photo with its room, time and note, plus a checksum for each file and signature lines for you and your landlord.

Uses all photos currently in the app.

On iPhone the PDF opens in a new tab — tap Share to email it or save it to Files.
What to say at the walk-through: be friendly, take your own photos anyway, and don't sign anything that says you agree to deductions before you've read the list. "I'd like to review it and reply in writing" is a complete answer.

Demand letter

Use this if your state's deadline has passed and you got nothing — or you got a list of deductions you disagree with.


    
    
What happens next: send it by certified mail with return receipt and keep the slip. No printer? Search "send certified mail online" — several services print and mail for you. If the money still doesn't come, small claims court takes no lawyer, costs $30–100 to file, and your dated photo report is the evidence.

  






  

    
Guide

    
Short answers to what renters ask most. The steps you actually need are in tabs 1–5.

    
Why deposits get kept
Most disputes are about the condition of the place, and they come down to evidence: the landlord has photos or an inspection report, and the tenant usually has nothing. Dated photos of every room, taken the day you hand over the keys, change that conversation.

    
Your state's rules in one minute
Three things matter: the deadline to return your deposit, whether your landlord must send an itemized list of deductions, and what you can claim if they miss it. All three are on the Plan tab once you pick your state, with the statute so you can check it yourself.

    
How to shoot so a stranger understands
Same order in every room: wide shot from the doorway, then each corner, then floor, walls, windows, then close-ups of anything already worn or damaged. Turn on the lights, open the blinds, and don't use filters. Ten or more photos per room is a solid set.

    
Cleaning vs. normal wear and tear
You're expected to return the place broom-clean, not new. Landlords may charge for cleaning beyond that and for real damage — not for faded paint, worn carpet in walkways or small nail holes. If you're charged for wear and tear, say so in writing and attach your photos.

    
The day you hand over the keys
Photograph everything after cleaning, photograph the meters with readings visible, hand over every key and fob, and get a receipt or a text confirming it. Email your report the same day. Keep it friendly — most of this ends without a fight.

    
If the money doesn't come
Send the demand letter on the Letter tab by certified mail. Give ten days. If nothing happens, small claims court is designed for this: no lawyer, a small filing fee, and in many states the law adds a penalty on top of your deposit when a landlord withholds it in bad faith.

  






  This kit helps you document and organize — it is not legal advice, and it isn't a lawyer. Laws change: each deadline shows its statute and the date we last checked it, and some cities add their own rules. Everything you enter stays in this browser; clearing your site data deletes it, so export your PDF early.