Record the tenant’s position on the report itself, in their words, and date it. Do not argue it out of the document. A report that carries both accounts is stronger evidence than one that carries only yours, and it costs you nothing to write down what they said.
Then keep working. A disagreement at the report stage is early, and early is good.
Why the two-column report exists
A condition report is a record of observation, not a verdict. Landlord and tenant can observe the same closet door and describe it differently, and both descriptions can be recorded honestly.
So give the document room for both. For a contested line: what you observed, what the tenant observed, the date, and the photos. Neither of you has to win at the walkthrough, and trying to settle it there is what turns a discussion into a fight.
This also protects you later. A landlord who wrote “tenant states the chip was present at move-in” and then produced the move-in photo showing an undamaged counter is far more credible than one whose report simply never mentions the tenant’s claim.
Work the disagreement in this order
Go back to the move-in report first. Most disputes at move-out are really disputes about move-in. The tenant says a condition predated them, and the move-in report either supports that or it does not. If the line is blank at move-in, they are usually right by default, because there is no baseline to contradict them.
Then check the photos, not the memory. A four-year-old recollection of a countertop loses to a dated photograph every time, including yours.
Then check whether the line matters. Many contested lines turn out to be items you would not have charged anyway. Say so and close them. Every closed line makes the remaining ones easier to resolve.
Then decide what you are actually claiming. A contested condition is not the same as a chargeable one. Ordinary wear stays out regardless of who is right about when it appeared. Normal wear and tear versus damage draws that line item by item.
One caution on this step. Recording the tenant’s account is not the same as accepting it, and a report that quietly adopts every tenant claim is as unhelpful as one that ignores them. Write both, then let the move-in record decide.
When the tenant will not sign
It happens, and it is not a crisis.
Note on the report that the tenant declined to sign, with the date and, if they gave one, the reason. Then send them a copy the same day with the photos, and invite a written response by a specific date. If they respond, attach the response to the report. If they do not, the record shows you asked.
An unsigned report with a documented offer to review it is a normal piece of evidence. An unsigned report the tenant never received is not, so the send is the part that matters.
Where your state requires signatures on the move-in checklist specifically, that is a separate obligation with separate consequences. Washington, for instance, ties the landlord’s right to collect a deposit at all to a signed move-in checklist:
There is one situation worth treating differently. If the tenant’s disagreement is that the inspection happened at all, or happened without notice, check your state’s entry rules before you go any further. Entry to an occupied unit is regulated separately from inspections, and a walkthrough that broke the entry rule is a problem in its own right. California landlords can start with the state’s landlord entry rights page.
What happens next
The condition report is not the deduction. Priced deductions come after the comparison, and the comparison is a separate step with its own discipline. How to compare move-in and move-out condition reports walks that through.
If the disagreement survives the comparison and reaches the itemized statement, it becomes a deposit dispute, which has its own timeline and its own rules. A tenant disputes your deposit deductions covers the first week of that.
Keep the two stages separate in your own head and in your files. A contested observation and a contested charge are different arguments, and merging them tends to make both harder to resolve.
The habits that prevent most of this
Nearly every contested move-out report traces back to a thin move-in report. Not a missing one, usually. A thin one: rooms rated “good” with no fixture detail, three photos for the whole unit, no signature.
Four things fix it:
- Rate by fixture, not by room.
- Two photos per room minimum, named by room and date.
- Both signatures, and a copy to the tenant that day.
- A pre-move-out walkthrough so the tenant sees the list before the final inspection. Why a pre-move-out walkthrough saves disputes covers the timing.
Condition reports in LeaseRooster carry both positions on the same line, hold the photos against the item rather than in a folder, and keep the tenant’s signature or the record that it was declined.
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.