A deduction is only as good as the photo behind it. And a photo that shows “a wall” does not help anyone decide whether the wall has wear or damage. The picture has to make that call obvious to someone who has never been in the unit, which, if things go badly, is a small claims judge.
This is a shot list, organized by room. For the rules on what counts as wear in the first place, start with normal wear and tear vs damage. This post is about proving it.
The order matters in California
Since April 1, 2025, Civil Code § 1950.5(g)(2) requires two rounds of move-out photos:
- Within a reasonable time after you get possession back, before any repairs or cleaning you plan to deduct for.
- Within a reasonable time after that work is done.
For tenancies that began on or after July 1, 2025, you also need move-in photos taken right before or at the start of the tenancy. When you deduct for repairs or cleaning, those photos go to the tenant with the itemized statement.
So do not let the cleaner in until the first round is finished. A spotless oven photographed after the fact proves nothing about the oven you got back. Elsewhere the timing is good practice. In California it is the law.
Four habits for every shot
Match the move-in angle. Stand where the move-in photographer stood. The strongest exhibit is two photos of the same corner, two years apart, side by side.
Wide, then close. One shot that shows where in the room the problem is, then a close-up of the problem. A close-up alone could be anywhere.
Put something in the frame for scale. A tape measure, a coin, a pen. “Small scuff” and “eight-inch gouge” look identical without one.
Turn on every light. Flat, even light shows stains and dents honestly. Save a flashlight held low across the surface for scratches and gouges, and caption those shots as side lit, because side light exaggerates texture and the tenant will point that out.
Kitchen
The kitchen is where cleaning charges live, so open everything and photograph the insides.
- Oven and range: the oven interior with the door fully open, each burner, and the drip pans. Grease buildup is a cleaning question measured against the move-in photos.
- Refrigerator: shelves, drawers, door bins, and the freezer. Then the seals, where tears are damage and stiffness with age is wear.
- Countertops: a side-lit shot along the surface to show burns, knife cuts, or chips, with a scale reference. Dull spots on laminate after years of use are wear.
- Cabinets: open every door. Water damage under the sink is often the biggest kitchen line, and it is invisible with the doors shut.
- Floor in front of the appliances: gouges from dragging a fridge show here.
Bathroom
Bathrooms age fast even with careful tenants, which makes the wear line easy to argue.
- Tub and shower: the surround, the caulk lines, and the drain. Discolored caulk is wear. A cracked tile or a chip in the tub finish is a different photo, with a scale reference.
- Toilet: the seat, the tank lid, and the base. A cracked tank lid is damage. Mineral staining in the bowl is not.
- Vanity and mirror: desilvering at the mirror’s edges is age. A crack across the middle is not.
- Exhaust fan and ceiling: mildew on a bathroom ceiling with a working fan can be a cleaning issue. With a dead fan, it may be your maintenance problem. Photograph the fan running.
Bedrooms
Bedrooms are mostly walls, floors, closets, and windows.
- Carpet: one wide shot per room, then close-ups of anything beyond traffic wear. Stains and burns need the scale shot. Shoot the carpet from the doorway too, since matted traffic paths are wear and a judge needs to see them in context.
- Walls: small nail holes from hanging pictures are typically wear. Anchors, large holes, and paint the tenant applied are not. Photograph a whole wall, then the holes.
- Closets: doors on their tracks, shelves, and the rod.
- Windows and blinds: each window with the blind lowered, so bent or missing slats show.
Living areas and hallways
- High-traffic walls: scuffs at furniture height in a hallway are wear. A hole at doorknob height is a repair, and if there was never a door stop, it may be yours to fix.
- Hard floors: fine scratches across a traffic path are wear. Deep gouges and water stains near plants or pet bowls are not. This is where the side-lit shot earns its caption.
- Doors: both sides of each door, the hinges, and the strike plate.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: a photo of each one, mounted and working, closes a question you do not want open.
Outside, if the tenant had it
Patios, balconies, yards, and garages count if the lease gave the tenant use of them. Photograph oil stains in the garage, holes in a patio screen, and the condition of any landscaping the lease made the tenant responsible for.
After the work is done
Round two in California, good practice everywhere: once the cleaning and repairs you are deducting for are finished, go back and shoot the same spots from the same angles. These “after” photos show the work was done and that the charge matches it.
Then number the photos and reference those numbers on each line of the itemized statement. The move-out statement template shows how. You can send the set by mail, email, a flash drive, or a link.
Why it is worth the hour
If a deposit dispute goes to court in California, the landlord carries the burden of showing the amounts claimed were reasonable, under § 1950.5(m). Photos are most of that proof. An hour with a phone and a tape measure is the cheapest part of the whole move-out.
Documenting move-in condition with photos and video covers the first half of the pair, and the pre-move-out inspection is the chance to point at problems before anyone is photographing them for a deduction. Condition reports keep move-in and move-out photos on the same room lines, so the side-by-side comparison is already built.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and local ordinances vary. Confirm current requirements with your city, county, or an attorney before you act.