Rental Inspection Report
Record the condition of a rental home room by room, with photos and signatures, and get a PDF you can share on WhatsApp. Free, and nothing is uploaded.
The Rental Housing Act requires a joint inspection before the tenant moves in and again before they leave. This tool helps you keep the record.
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Inspection details
Download the PDF before you leave. If your phone reloads this page we can bring back the text you typed, but photos and signatures are never kept.
Today unless you change it. Shown as DD/MM/YYYY in the report.
Add names (optional)
How it works
- Walk through the home together. For each room pick Good, Fair or Damaged, and add each problem you find with a note and photos. Turn on Detailed check for a room if you want to go item by item.
- Both sides sign on screen, then download the PDF and send a copy to each other.
- Before the tenant leaves, choose Moving out, load the move-in PDF and repeat. Anything that got worse is flagged.
Common questions
What does the Rental Housing Act say about inspections?
Section 5(3)(e) of the Rental Housing Act 50 of 1999 requires the landlord and tenant to inspect the dwelling jointly before the tenant moves in, to record any existing defects or damage. Section 5(3)(f) provides for a further joint inspection within three days before the tenant vacates. Under section 5(7), the list of defects registered under section 5(3)(e) must be attached as an annexure to the lease.
Do the landlord and tenant both need to be there?
The Act speaks of a joint inspection, so the tenant and the landlord (or the landlord's agent) should walk through together and both sign the report. If the inspection is done without the other party, say so in the notes and share the report with them straight away.
Why do photos get a time and a code?
Photos show the condition of each room on the day. Every photo in the report is stamped with the time it was added to the report (a photo chosen from your gallery may have been taken earlier) and a code, called a SHA-256 fingerprint, made from the exact image file. The full codes are listed in the appendix. If a photo is later edited, its fingerprint no longer matches. That makes your record easier to rely on in a deposit dispute, for example at the Rental Housing Tribunal, but it does not by itself prove what a photo shows, and the tribunal decides what weight to give it.
What happens if the landlord does not do a move-in inspection?
Under section 5(3)(j), if the landlord fails to inspect the dwelling in the presence of the tenant at the ingoing or the outgoing inspection, that failure is deemed to be an acknowledgement by the landlord that the dwelling is in a good and proper state of repair. The landlord then has no further claim against the tenant, who must be refunded the full deposit plus interest. If the tenant does not respond to the landlord's request for the outgoing inspection, section 5(3)(k) instead requires the landlord to inspect within seven days after the lease ends. If you are unsure of your position, speak to a legal adviser or the Rental Housing Tribunal in your province.
Is my information uploaded or saved?
Nothing is uploaded. The inspection, your photos and your signatures stay on your device. While you work, the text you type (address, names, conditions and notes) is kept in this browser tab so a page reload does not lose it. Photos and signatures are never kept, and the text is gone when you close the tab, download the report or choose Start again. Download the PDF before you close the page.
This tool is a record-keeping aid, not legal advice. See our disclaimer.