Standards & condition
What is a check-out report?
A check-out report records the condition of a property at the end of a tenancy, compared against the check-in. It is the second half of the evidence any deposit deduction rests on.
Its only function is comparison, which means it has to follow the same structure as the check-in. A differently organised report makes an adjudicator's job harder and the landlord's case weaker.
Timing matters. A check-out done days after the tenant left, with contractors or viewings in between, is open to the argument that the condition recorded is not the condition they left.
Where the tenant attends or is given the chance to comment, disputes reduce sharply — not because the evidence is better but because disagreements surface while they can still be resolved.
What goes wrong in practice
- Structured differently from the check-in, so nothing compares.
- Carried out after access by others, leaving the condition contestable.
- The tenant given no opportunity to comment, so the first they know is a deduction.