How to run a check-out inspection in Ireland

A property check-out inspection is the record you make when a tenancy ends. It is not a second opinion of the dwelling. It is a comparison against the condition you documented at the start.

Irish landlords often treat check-out as a hurried walk-through on key-return day, with photographs in a camera roll and notes in a text thread. Months later, that material is hard to line up against the original inventory. A calmer method is to start from the signed check-in, walk the same rooms and items, photograph what you see now, and keep a dated record whether or not the tenant is present.

When to inspect

Time the inspection to the end of the tenancy — typically on or around the day keys are returned, after belongings are out. An empty property is easier to compare fairly: floors, skirting, insides of cupboards, and fittings that furniture had hidden.

If the tenant is still packing, say so in the notes and photograph what you can see. Do not reconstruct a later inspection from memory. If you need a second visit, treat it as a continuation of the same check-out, with a date on every photograph. Give the tenant reasonable notice and a time they can attend. If they cannot, still inspect — and record that they were invited.

Start from the original check-in

A check-out without a check-in is a description of a property, not a comparison. Deposit arguments usually turn on change: what was the condition at the start, and what is it now? Use the signed check-in as the baseline. Room names, item labels, and walking order should match.

In TenureFolio, a check-out starts from a signed check-in. The software clones the room and item structure so you walk the same list. Condition ratings and photographs start blank — you record what you see at the end of the tenancy, not a copy of the start.

If your original inventory was a Word file or a folder of phone photographs, rebuild that structure once before you arrive. Like-for-like comparison fails if the check-in said “kitchen” and the check-out is a single block of prose about units, hob, and tiles.

For how to build that starting record, see what to include in a property condition report and how to run an Irish tenancy check-in inventory.

Compare like-for-like

Work room by room in the same order as the check-in. For each item, look at the original rating and photographs, then rate and photograph the same item now.

Keep the pairing honest:

• Same room name, same item. Hall carpet is not living-room carpet.
• Same viewpoint where you can. If the check-in photograph of a window was taken from inside, facing the glass, take the check-out photograph the same way.
• Note what you cannot see. If a room is locked, or a meter cupboard is inaccessible, write that down. Do not skip the item without a reason.
• If something is new — a tenant-fitted shelf, a missing lamp — add it as a new item rather than forcing it into an old label.

You are documenting change, not arguing it. A later comparison report is only as useful as the pairing of rooms and items.

Fair wear and tear versus damage

Landlords use this distinction as a practical way to describe what they see. It is not a legal determination, not legal advice, and not a prediction of how any dispute would be decided.

Wear and tear is ordinary ageing over the length of that tenancy: scuffed hallway paint, a carpet flattened in a doorway, a faint kettle mark on a worktop that was already well used at check-in.

Damage is a change ordinary occupation does not explain on its own: a burn in a worktop, a cracked pane, a door kicked through, untreated mould that has spread, items listed at check-in that are now missing.

Length of tenancy and starting condition matter in practice. A five-year tenancy will show more ageing than a twelve-month one. A carpet rated “fair” at check-in is not expected to look new. When you are unsure, photograph the item, write a short factual note, and keep the check-in photograph beside it. Do not write “tenant’s fault”. Write what you can see: “Large chip on the left edge of the bath; not visible on the check-in photograph dated …”

If a deposit is later disputed, the record is the comparison — see condition evidence in an RTB deposit dispute.

Photographs and meters

Photographs do the work that adjectives cannot. Take them as you walk, not afterwards from memory.

• One or more photographs per item that has changed, plus a room overview.
• Enough light to see the surface. Open blinds; do not rely on a flash that flattens marks.
• A close-up of the mark and a wider shot that shows where it sits.
• A caption that names the item and what the photograph is meant to show.
• The original file, with its capture date intact.

Do not photograph only the problems. A room that matches the check-in is still part of the comparison. If you take a large set, select the shots that illustrate the record rather than stuffing every burst into the PDF.

Read electricity, gas, and water meters at check-out and photograph the displays. Write the reading, the utility, and the date. If a meter is locked away or the display is blank, record that. Final bills are easier when both check-in and check-out readings exist, with photographs.

If the tenant cannot attend

Tenants often leave before the inspection, send someone else, or do not reply. You can still complete a landlord-only record: invite them in writing, inspect on the appointed day, keep the record dated, then offer a chance to review. See tenant sign-off on a condition report. If they do not respond, note invitation sent, inspection completed, no tenant signature.

Tenant signing at check-out is useful when you can get it. It is not required for a complete landlord record. In TenureFolio, tenant signing on check-out is optional. You can add a short tenant-absent note — for example, that they did not attend, or did not respond to the signing request. That note appears on the check-out PDF and the comparison report. A missing signature is not proof they accepted the condition. It only shows they did not sign.

Check-out day checklist

• [ ] Signed check-in (or rebuilt room list) used as the walking order
• [ ] Tenant invited, with date, time, and address
• [ ] Property empty enough to see floors, skirting, and insides of cupboards
• [ ] Each check-in item rated and photographed as it is now
• [ ] New or missing items added rather than forced into old labels
• [ ] Wear versus damage described in factual notes, not blame
• [ ] Electricity, gas, and water meters photographed
• [ ] Tenant signature requested, or a tenant-absent note added

What you should leave with

By the time keys are in your hand, you want three artefacts, not a camera roll:

• A standalone check-out PDF: rooms, items, ratings, photographs, meters, and either signatures or a tenant-absent note.
• A comparison report against the signed check-in, so changes are visible item by item.
• An evidence pack that keeps check-in, check-out, photographs, and signatures together.

TenureFolio is built around that sequence. The PDFs are branded, include photographs and timestamps, and include signatures when they exist. If the photo set is large, you choose which images go in the report. There is no AI analysis of condition — the record is what you rated, photographed, and wrote.

Start free with one property and one tenancy. When you need the PDF, unlock a report for €4.99 or subscribe (Starter €9, Portfolio €19, Pro €39 per month).

Create a free account and run the next check-out from the signed check-in, instead of from a folder of unmarked photographs.

Disclaimer

This article is general information for Irish landlords. It is not legal advice, and it is not a statement of how the Residential Tenancies Board or any other body would decide a deposit dispute. For advice on a specific tenancy, consult a qualified professional.