The move-out checklist that gets your deposit back

A deposit is rarely lost over dirt. It is lost over disagreement: whether a mark was already there, whether notice was given, whether the place was left as found. All three are answerable with evidence you can collect while moving out anyway, and nearly impossible to reconstruct once the keys are gone.

The order that matters

Start the list before you start packing

Create a list in MyListResort, pick General checklist and the Move-out & deposit template. It opens with the rooms set up and the paperwork rows that are easy to forget, so the first thing you do is walk the place rather than invent a list.
Photograph everything while it is still furnished

The before shot is the one people skip, and it is the one that shows a mark was already there. Walk every room with your phone, then find your move-in condition report and photos so you have both ends of the story.
Give notice in writing, and keep the copy

Re-read the lease for how much notice it wants and in what form. Send it in writing even where a phone call would do, because "I told them" is not evidence. Note the date you sent it.
Clean room by room, not surface by surface

The template groups jobs by room because that is how you move through a house: oven and fridge in the kitchen, drains and caulk in the bathroom, then the whole-place jobs like nail holes, bulbs, filters and alarms.
Photograph it again, empty, from the same angles

Matching before and after shots are far more persuasive than either alone. Read the meters and photograph those too, then close or transfer the utilities.
Hand over the keys and get the findings in writing

Return every key, fob and remote and ask for a receipt. Attend the walkthrough if one is offered, ask for anything raised to be put in writing, and send a forwarding address the same day.
Put the deadline on the list

Deposit-return deadlines are set by state law and vary, so look up the rule where you rent and add it as a dated item. If the date passes with nothing, you have dates, photos and written notice, which is what a claim needs.

Why a shared list beats a printable

Move-out is worked over weeks, usually by more than one person, and the parts that decide the money are dated: when notice went out, when the walkthrough happened, when the deadline lands. A printed checklist cannot hold a date or tell your housemate the bathroom is already done. A shared list in MyListResort is live on every phone, rooms can be assigned, and dated rows come back to you.

Renting is not a smaller version of owning

Most home-upkeep advice assumes you own the place, which is why so much of it is useless to a renter. The upkeep that protects a renter is a different set: the filters and alarms you are allowed to touch, the drains and caulk that get blamed on you, and the paperwork trail. That is the maintenance side, and this list is where it ends.

FAQ

What actually gets a deposit back?

Evidence and sequence, mostly: photos of the place before and after from matching angles, notice given in writing, meters read, keys receipted, and a forwarding address nobody can say they never had. Cleaning matters, but deposits are usually lost because the tenant cannot show what the place looked like.

How long does a landlord have to return it?

That is set by state law and varies widely, so check the rule where you rent rather than trusting a number from the internet. Add the date to your list as an item, so it comes back to you instead of living in your head.

Does this work for a shared house?

That is where it helps most, because the work splits between people. Share the list and assign the rooms, so it is obvious what is done and what nobody has picked up. The same list works for one person; assignments are optional.

Does the app store my photos?

No. MyListResort does not upload or store images at all. The photo rows are reminders to take the shots with your own camera and keep them wherever you keep your photos, which is where they are most useful if you ever need them.

Start a free move-out list

More on this: lists for a shared house · how sharing works.