Move-In Checklist
Synonyms: Move-In Inspection Report، Check-In Inventory، Condition Report، Entry Checklist
Short Definition
A move-in checklist (unit handover-in report) is a document prepared at the start of a lease that records in detail the condition and contents of the unit — walls, floors, doors, windows, sanitary fittings, AC units, appliances, meter readings and number of keys — with dated photos, signed by landlord and tenant as the reference point at move-out.
Overview
Legal Basis
The move-in checklist rests on the Civil Transactions Law (Royal Decree M/191 dated 29/11/1444H): Article 416 (delivery of the premises and accessories fit for use), Article 425 (the landlord does not warrant defects the tenant knew of when contracting or that custom tolerates) and Article 435 (return of the premises in the condition received, except normal wear). The Ejar platform holds the security deposit as a neutral party when the lease is documented and, when the lease ends or is cancelled, relies on the agreed unit handover form to refund the deposit or deduct the value of damage.
Practical Example
A family rents a flat in Riyadh for SAR 50,000 a year with a SAR 2,500 security deposit held on Ejar. On move-in day the tenant and the office representative walk through a 60-item checklist and record a scratch on the kitchen door, a cracked tile in the bathroom and an AC unit in the third bedroom that does not cool properly, with dated photos of each item and the electricity meter reading. Next to the AC they write 'landlord to repair within 7 days', and next to the scratch and tile 'present before move-in'. At move-out two years later the owner asks to deduct SAR 600 for the tile; the request is rejected on the strength of the checklist and the full deposit is returned to the tenant's wallet.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Settling for a general phrase such as 'flat received in good condition' without details or dated photos.
- ✗Not having both parties sign the checklist, or not each keeping a copy of it and the photos.
- ✗Recording defects without stating whether and when the landlord will fix them, so the entry may be read as acceptance.
- ✗Leaving out meter readings, the number of keys and remote controls.
- ✗Preparing the checklist days after the tenant has moved in with furniture, so it loses its value as evidence of the original condition.
International Differences
Documenting a unit's condition at the start of a lease is global practice: in the UK the inventory is central to protecting rental deposits held in approved protection schemes, and in many US states a move-in inspection form is used to justify deductions from the deposit. In Dubai and Turkey photo documentation in lease annexes is recommended. What sets Saudi Arabia apart is that the deposit itself can be held on the government Ejar platform and refunded or deducted automatically based on the handover form agreed by both parties.
