Move-Out Checklist
Synonyms: Move-Out Inspection، Check-Out Report، Unit Handover Form، Exit Inspection
Last updated: 2026-09-25
Short Definition
A move-out checklist (unit handover report) is a document prepared when a lease ends and the unit is vacated, recording its condition and contents and comparing them with the move-in checklist to determine whether there is damage beyond normal wear, and therefore whether the security deposit is returned in full or the cost of damage is deducted.
Overview
Legal Basis
The reference is the Civil Transactions Law (Royal Decree M/191 dated 29/11/1444H): Article 435 (return of the premises in the condition received except normal wear, and the landlord's right to fair rent if the tenant keeps the premises without right), Article 430 (compensation for damage caused by misuse or negligence) and Article 432 (no alterations without the landlord's permission). The Ejar platform applies its security deposit holding and refund mechanism based on the unit handover form agreed by both parties.
Practical Example
When vacating a flat in Jeddah after 3 years, with a SAR 3,000 deposit held on Ejar, the office and the tenant walk through the unit and compare it with the move-in checklist. Findings: faded paint in the living room (normal wear, not deductible), large holes from TV mounts in two rooms, a broken wardrobe door and two missing keys. Based on quotes, the office prices the repairs: filling the holes and repainting the two spots SAR 450, the door SAR 350, and key copies with a new lock cylinder SAR 200, totalling SAR 1,000. Both parties sign the handover form, SAR 1,000 is deducted for the landlord and SAR 2,000 returned to the tenant's wallet.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Deducting a full repaint after years of occupancy, although faded paint is normal wear the tenant does not bear.
- ✗Carrying out the handover without comparing against the move-in checklist, turning the dispute into one person's word against another's.
- ✗Handing over keys without a signed report, then facing later claims that can be neither proved nor disproved.
- ✗Overestimating repair costs instead of relying on quotes or actual invoices.
- ✗Vacating without ending the lease and settling the deposit on Ejar, leaving the money held and obligations open.
International Differences
In the UK residential deposits are held in approved protection schemes, and disputes over deductions go to independent dispute resolution based on the inventory and check-out report. In many US states landlords must return the deposit or provide an itemised list of deductions within a set deadline. In Turkey and Dubai the details are usually agreed in the lease. The Saudi model is close to the neutral-custodian idea, since the deposit can be held on the government Ejar platform and refunded or deducted according to a handover form agreed by both parties.
