Move-Out to Statement Checklist
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A step-by-step checklist that carries a landlord from the tenant's notice to a delivered, documented security deposit statement that meets the state deadline.

[ ] Locate the signed move-in condition report and the dated move-in photos for this unit before the tenant leaves, and note anything missing so you know where your evidence is thin.
[ ] Confirm the date the tenancy legally ends and write it at the top of the unit folder, since most state deadlines count from that date rather than from the walkthrough.
[ ] Look up your state's return deadline and enter a calendar reminder at least a week before it, plus a second reminder the day before.
[ ] Request a forwarding address from the tenant in writing and record the date of the request, in case the tenant never supplies one.
[ ] Check whether your state requires a pre-move-out inspection notice or gives the tenant a right to attend the walkthrough, and send any required notice on time.
[ ] Walk the unit after the tenant's belongings are out, and photograph every room, closet, appliance, floor, and wall, keeping the date in the file names or metadata.
[ ] Compare each move-out photo against the matching move-in photo and list only the changes, room by room, in a single working document.
[ ] Sort every listed change into normal wear and tear or actual damage, and remove the wear-and-tear items from consideration before pricing anything.
[ ] Pull the lease and mark the clause behind every non-damage charge you intend to make, such as unpaid utilities, early termination fees, or abandoned property removal.
[ ] Pull the rent ledger and confirm any unpaid rent or late fees with the dates each amount came due and any partial payments received.
[ ] Obtain a written estimate, invoice, or receipt for every repair or cleaning charge, no matter how small the amount.
[ ] Record the purchase date or installed age of any carpet, paint, blinds, flooring, or appliance you plan to charge for replacing.
[ ] Prorate every replacement charge by the item's age and typical useful life instead of charging the full new price, and keep the calculation with the file.
[ ] Check your state's rules on cleaning charges, repainting, and charging for your own labor before adding any of those lines to the statement.
[ ] Add any interest the deposit earned if your state, city, or lease requires it to be credited to the tenant.
[ ] Write each deduction as a single line with four parts: what was done, why the tenant is responsible, the amount, and the evidence reference.
[ ] Show the arithmetic on the statement itself: deposit held, plus any interest, minus each deduction, equals the balance refunded or the balance owed.
[ ] Read the finished statement as if you were the tenant and rewrite any line that cannot be verified from the attached photos, receipts, or ledger.
[ ] Attach or offer copies of the supporting evidence with the statement so the tenant does not have to ask for it.
[ ] Deliver the statement and any refund by a method that produces a delivery record, such as tracked mail, and keep the tracking number with the file.
[ ] If the refund is by check, record the check number, amount, and mailing date on your copy of the statement.
[ ] Log the delivery date in the unit folder so you can prove the deadline was met if the tenant later disputes it.
[ ] Archive the statement, all photos, receipts, estimates, the depreciation calculations, and the proof of delivery together for at least as long as your state's limitation period for tenant claims.
[ ] Note any tenant response and the date it arrived, and reply in writing with evidence rather than by phone so the record stays complete.