Move Out Checklist for Renters | Security Deposit Return Letter, Get Your Deposit Back, End of Lease Cleaning Checklist, Photo Log

Seller's description

GETTING YOUR FILES
START HERE — If you bought this on Etsy: your files are waiting in your Etsy account. The Etsy app can't download files, so open Etsy in your phone's browser (Safari or Chrome), sign in, tap your profile icon → Purchases and reviews → Download files. Save them to your phone before you start — then everything else in this kit works offline, right from your phone.

Your deposit isn't lost in the big clean. It's lost in the little things nobody told you to photograph.

Landlords and property managers don't keep deposits because a place is a disaster. They keep them over a greasy oven top, a blind with one broken slat, nail holes, a carpet mark with no "before" photo — charges you can't argue because you have no record.

This kit is built for the tenant, not the landlord: clean room by room, photograph everything the same way, and ask for your money back in a short, polite, firm letter with dates in it.

WHAT'S INSIDE

1. Room-by-room move-out cleaning checklist — kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas, laundry, walls, floors, windows, and the forgotten extras (oven, range hood, baseboards, vents, light fixtures, patio)
2. Photo log sheet — room, date, and notes for every photo, so your pictures become a clear, dated record instead of a camera roll nobody can follow
3. Deposit-request letter — fill-in, polite but firm template: move-out date, forwarding address, amount you believe is owing, and a clear request for an itemised statement if anything is withheld. Edit every date, amount, deadline, and address to match your own lease and local rules before you send it — do not send it as-is

THREE FORMATS INCLUDED — SAME KIT, THREE WAYS TO USE IT

You get all three files for the one price — same checklist, same photo log, same letter, pick the way that suits you:

1. PHONE FORMAT — a separate reflowable mobile file you can read and fill in right on your iPhone or Android phone. No pinch-zooming, large tap-to-fill fields. Best for walking room to room with your phone in hand, ticking off and logging photos as you go.
2. FILLABLE PDF (COMPUTER) — the full designed layout with real type-in fields. Open it on your computer, click a field, type, Tab to the next one, save. Best for typing up the deposit letter neatly.
3. PRINT PDF — the same designed layout, made for printing. Print it and fill it in by hand, or print your already-filled version. Best if you want paper in hand on moving day.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Download instantly after checkout — all three format files are in your Etsy download
2. Pick your format: use the phone file on your phone, type into the fillable PDF on your computer, or print the print PDF and write by hand
3. Clean and tick off one room at a time
4. Photograph each finished room and log it on the spot
5. Fill in and send the letter, keep a copy of everything, and keep your photo log with your lease

Instant download. No shipping, no subscription. Print fresh copies for every move.

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PLEASE NOTE — TERMS, PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BUY

This kit is a practical checklist and general template. It is not legal advice, it is not a legal claim or filing, and it does not guarantee that any deposit, or any part of a deposit, will be returned. Whether a deposit is returned, and how much, is decided under your lease and local law — by the landlord or, if it comes to it, by the tenancy board / tribunal in your area, not by this template.

Governing law: This kit is not written for any one state, province, or country. If you complete, send, or sign the letter in connection with a tenancy, it is governed by the laws of the state or province where the rental property / tenancy is located, and where the document is signed. Deposit amounts, permitted deductions, notice requirements, and return deadlines vary by location and change over time — if any wording here conflicts with your lease or local law, local law prevails. Check your lease and your local tenancy rules for the deadline, amount, and address that apply to you, and use those — not any example date or figure — in the letter. Never claim a deadline, penalty, or entitlement that your local law does not actually give you.

Do not alter photos, dates, or records, and do not claim damage or cleaning issues you cannot support. Keep your originals.

Licence: Personal use only — one purchase covers your own household's moves. Please do not share, resell, upload, or redistribute the file, or use it commercially (including for client or tenant work). Digital download only; no physical item will be shipped.