Free checklist · California · Updated for 2026

Pre-move-out inspection checklist for California landlords

Before a tenant moves out, California lets them ask for an inspection so they can fix problems before you deduct for them. Afterwards you have to leave a written list of the repairs and cleaning you plan to charge for. This free fillable checklist covers the walkthrough, and page 2 is that list, with the statute text it must include.

Free fillable PDF: pre-move-out inspection checklist

Page 1 is your checklist for the walkthrough, room by room. Page 2 is the itemized statement you hand the tenant or leave inside the unit, with the statute text it has to include. Fill it in on your computer, or print it.

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After move-out, the photos matter more

The pre-move-out inspection doesn't need photos. The move-out does: to deduct for repairs or cleaning, California requires photos of the unit after the tenant leaves, before the work, and again after it. The free Amavera app keeps that record:

Move-out inspections, guided room by room, with the report written for you.
Move-out compared with move-in, room by room, with each change classified as normal wear or beyond it.
Before and after photos of repairs, sealed into one maintenance report.
Sealed with an independent timestamp, so anyone, your tenant included, can check a report hasn't changed since the day it was sealed.

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Your first report is free. See a real sealed report

The short answer

Who asks for it: The tenant. Once either of you gives notice to end the tenancy, or before the lease term ends, you have to tell the tenant in writing that they can ask for one and be present.
When: At a reasonable time, no earlier than two weeks before the tenancy ends. Try to agree on a date and time.
Notice: At least 48 hours' written notice of the date and time, unless you and the tenant both sign a written waiver.
Tenant not there: Go ahead anyway, unless the tenant withdrew the request.
Afterwards: An itemized statement of the repairs or cleaning you propose to deduct for, with the text of Civil Code § 1950.5(b)(1)–(4). Hand it to the tenant, or leave it inside the unit.
Why it matters: Unless belongings kept you from seeing something, you generally can't deduct later for repairs or cleaning you left off the statement.

Step by step

Tell the tenant in writing. Within a reasonable time after either of you gives notice, or before a fixed-term lease ends, let the tenant know they can request an initial inspection and be there for it. The notice has to include the statute's short paragraph about reclaiming property left behind. The free move-out letter has all of it.
If they ask, schedule it. Pick a date no earlier than two weeks before the tenancy ends. Try to agree on a time, then give at least 48 hours' written notice of the date and time, or both sign a waiver of the 48 hours. If the tenant doesn't ask, you've done your part.
Walk the unit with page 1. Go room by room and note each repair or cleaning you'd charge for, and anything you couldn't see because of the tenant's belongings.
Leave the statement. Copy each item onto page 2. Hand it to the tenant if they're there, or leave it inside the unit. Keep a copy.
Let the tenant fix things. Until the tenancy ends, the tenant can repair or clean anything on the list, in a way consistent with the rental agreement, to avoid the deduction.
After move-out, inspect again, photograph the unit before any repairs or cleaning and again after, and send the itemized deposit statement within 21 days. Free template.

What to check, room by room

The goal is to find anything you'd deduct for while the tenant can still deal with it. Compare against the move-in condition, not against new.

Area	What to look for
Walls, ceilings, paint	Holes beyond small nail holes, gouges, crayon or marker, unapproved paint colors
Floors and carpet	Stains, burns, tears, pet damage, deep scratches in hard floors
Doors, locks, windows, screens	Broken or missing hardware, cracked glass, torn or missing screens
Kitchen	Inside the oven, fridge and dishwasher; sink, counters, range hood
Cabinets, closets, shelves	Broken doors or shelves, items left behind, sticky residue
Bathrooms	Toilet, tub, shower and vanity; cracked fixtures, mildew beyond normal use
Lights, outlets, blinds, smoke alarms	Missing bulbs or covers, bent or broken blinds, alarms removed
Outside and storage	Patio, yard, garage, parking space, storage unit: trash, oil stains, damage
Keys and listed items	Keys, remotes, and anything the lease says must be returned or replaced

Ordinary wear and tear can't be deducted, during the tenancy or after it. Where the line falls, with real photos.

What the itemized statement must include

The repairs or cleanings you propose to deduct for, based on the inspection. Be specific: "remove grease from oven interior" helps the tenant fix it; "kitchen dirty" doesn't.
The text of Civil Code § 1950.5(b)(1)–(4), the four purposes a deposit can be used for. It's printed on page 2 of the template.
Delivery: given to the tenant at the inspection if they're present, or left inside the unit.

Items left off the list: if belongings didn't keep you from seeing something, you generally can't deduct later for a repair or cleaning that isn't on the statement. You can still deduct for listed items the tenant didn't fix, for damage after the inspection, and for anything belongings hid.

When the inspection isn't required

The tenant doesn't ask for one. Once you've given the written notice, the choice is theirs.
The tenant withdraws the request before the inspection.
Certain evictions. The rules don't apply when the tenancy ends under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, paragraphs 2–4: three-day notices for unpaid rent, a lease violation, or nuisance, waste or illegal use.

Mistakes to avoid

Inspecting too early. More than two weeks before the tenancy ends is outside the window.
Skipping the 48 hours. Agreeing on a time by phone isn't enough without written notice, unless you both sign the waiver. The notice of entry has a box for it.
Leaving out the statute text. The statement has to include the text of § 1950.5(b)(1)–(4), not just a reference to it.
A vague or short list. What you could have seen but didn't write down generally can't be charged later.
Charging for wear and tear, or for anything that was already there at move-in.
No copy. Keep page 1 and a copy of page 2; in a dispute, the landlord has to show the charges were reasonable.

Free: California security deposit law. How much you can charge, what you can deduct, and the 21-day return, with a deadline calculator.

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Free fillable PDF: pre-move-out inspection checklist

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Sources

California Civil Code § 1950.5, subdivisions (b), (e), (f), (g) and (h), as amended by AB 414 (Chapter 340, Statutes of 2025).
California Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, paragraphs (2)–(4).
California Civil Code § 1954 (entry for a pre-move-out inspection).

Checked against the statutes' text in November 2026. General information, not legal advice. For a specific situation, talk to a California landlord-tenant attorney or your local rent board.