On move-out day, the landlord points at a stain on the bedroom ceiling. The tenant swears it was already there when they arrived. Three years have passed, nobody has a photo, nobody signed anything. The argument over the deposit begins, and it will end well for no one.
The inspection report (in French, état des lieux) exists for exactly that moment. It is a simple document, prepared in an hour, and it prevents most end-of-tenancy disputes.
Why the inspection report matters so much
The inspection report describes the condition of the property on a given date, observed and signed by both parties. Its value lies in the comparison: the move-in report is the reference, the move-out report shows what has changed.
For the landlord, it is the only serious way to prove that damage appeared during the tenancy, and therefore to justify a deduction from the deposit. For the tenant, it is protection against a deduction for a defect that was already there.
Without a move-in report, both sides are left with their memories. We explain this in our guide to the rental deposit: without it, the deposit protects nothing.
When to do it
At move-in, on the day the keys are handed over, before the tenant brings in their furniture. An empty property is much easier to describe, and nothing hides a defect.
At move-out, on the day the tenant returns the keys, once the property has been emptied and cleaned. Not a week later, not “when we find the time”: between two dates, anything can happen.
In both cases, do it together, landlord (or their manager) and tenant, on site, in daylight if possible. A report filled in by one side and sent to the other is easy to dispute.
The room-by-room checklist
Use the same grid at move-in and move-out. For each item, note the condition (new, good, worn, damaged) and describe any defect precisely: “20 cm crack above the window” is better than “damaged wall”.
In every room
- Walls: paint, cracks, stains, signs of damp, fixing holes.
- Floors: broken or cracked tiles, grout, stains, scratches.
- Ceilings: cracks, leak marks, sagging false ceiling.
- Doors: opening and closing, handles, locks, condition of the panels.
- Windows: glass, frames, louvres or shutters, mosquito nets, catches, security grilles.
- Electrical: every socket, every switch, every light point tested; bulbs present or not; air conditioner and fan if any.
Bathroom and toilet
- Washbasin, shower or bath, toilet bowl: cracks, enamel, fixing.
- Taps: leaks, water flow, hot water if a water heater is installed.
- Flush, drains (normal flow, no smell).
- Wall tiles, grout, mirror, fittings.
Kitchen
- Sink and tap, drain.
- Worktop, cupboards, drawers.
- Supplied appliances: cooker, hood, fridge, and whether they work.
Meters
- Electricity: meter number and reading taken on the day.
- Water: meter number and reading.
- Take a legible photo of each meter: it is the basis for splitting consumption between the parties.
Keys and access
- Number of keys handed over, door by door (entrance, bedrooms, gate, letterbox).
- Access badges, gate remotes.
- At move-out, the same number must be returned.
If the property is furnished
Add an inventory: every piece of furniture and equipment, with quantity and condition. Bed, mattress, wardrobe, table, chairs, curtains, television, utensils. A vague inventory (“living room furniture”) makes any comparison impossible.
Photos: many, dated, attached to the report
Photos are the essential complement to the written description. A few rules:
- photograph each room as a whole, then each defect in close-up;
- check that the date is visible, in the file information or on the image;
- share them with the other party the same day, over WhatsApp or by email: the message itself becomes a dated record;
- state in the report that photos were taken, and how many.
A photo without a signed document proves little. A document without photos leaves room for interpretation. Together, they are hard to dispute.
Signatures and copies
The inspection report ends with:
- the date and the address of the property;
- the names of both parties;
- the date the keys were handed over (or returned);
- the signature of both parties on every page, or at least on the last one, with initials on the others.
Make two copies, one for each party. Keep them with the lease agreement: they belong together until the end of the tenancy. If one party refuses to sign, write it down, and keep the photos and the messages exchanged.
At move-out: compare, item by item
Take the move-in report and walk through the property in the same order, with the same grid. For each item, there are three cases:
- unchanged: nothing to say;
- normal wear: time has done its work, through no fault of the tenant;
- damage: new harm that goes beyond normal use.
Read the meters again and count the keys. Any deductions from the deposit are based on the third category only, costed with a quote or an invoice.
Normal wear or damage?
This is where most disagreements start. A few markers:
Usually normal wear
- paint faded or yellowed after several years;
- dulled tile grout;
- floors worn in high-traffic areas;
- small marks from hanging pictures.
Usually damage
- broken tiles, smashed windows;
- large holes in walls, doors kicked in;
- forced lock or lost key;
- burn marks, supplied appliances broken through misuse.
The length of the tenancy matters: what is normal after five years is not necessarily normal after six months. When in doubt, the discussion should rest on evidence, with the move-in photos at hand.
The most common mistakes
- Skipping the move-in report “because we trust each other”. Trust does not always survive a deposit.
- Descriptions that are too vague: “good general condition” proves nothing.
- Forgetting the meters, then arguing over the last water or electricity bill.
- Not testing equipment: a socket that does not work at move-in must be noted at move-in.
- Doing the move-out without the tenant, or several days after they leave.
- A single copy, kept by only one party.
- Undated photos, or photos never shared.
What Bailor Pro keeps for you
The inspection report remains a document you draw up on site, with the other party. But on move-out day, the deposit question is not only about the walls: it is also about what has been paid.
With Bailor Pro, each lease keeps its amounts, the full payment history and the rent receipts issued, and the lease agreement is drafted as a PDF. At move-out, you see instantly what has been paid and what is still due, and the tenant sees it too in the free Bailor app.
For all the rules of renting in Cameroon, read the complete guide to rental management.