Rental Property Inspection Checklist NZ: What to Record, Photograph and Report

A rental inspection done well takes forty minutes and protects both parties for years. Done badly, it is a walk-through with a phone camera and no notes, and it is worthless at the Tenancy Tribunal. This is the routine we use for New Zealand properties, with what to record in each room and the rules on notice and frequency.

The rules first

You may inspect a rental no more than once every four weeks. You must give the tenant at least 48 hours' notice and no more than 14 days', in writing, and the inspection must be between 8am and 7pm. The tenant does not have to be present but usually should be invited; disputes are far rarer when both parties saw the same thing at the same time. Entry for repairs or to show prospective tenants has its own notice rules — inspections are the four-weekly kind.

Most landlords settle into a rhythm of a thorough entry inspection, a check at three months for a new tenancy, then every three to six months, and a thorough exit inspection.

What the report needs

For each room: a written condition note, and dated photographs that would let a stranger understand the condition. "Good" is not a condition note. "Carpet clean, slight wear at doorway, no stains; walls off-white, two small nail holes above bed, no marks otherwise; curtains intact, rail secure" is. Sign and date it, get the tenant to sign it (or note that they declined), and give them a copy. The entry report is the baseline every later inspection and the bond refund are measured against.

Room by room

Entry and hallways. Floor coverings, walls, light fittings, the front door lock and any security chain, smoke alarm within three metres of bedroom doors (press the test button and record that it sounded).

Living areas. Floor, walls, ceiling for any staining that suggests moisture, windows and latches, curtains or blinds, the fixed heater (turn it on; Healthy Homes requires a fixed heater that can heat the main living room), power points and switches.

Kitchen. Oven and hob (turn on each element), rangehood or extractor fan (Healthy Homes ventilation requirement — check it vents outside and actually pulls), bench surfaces, sink and taps for drips, cupboard doors and hinges, dishwasher if supplied, any signs of pests.

Bathroom and laundry. Extractor fan (again, Healthy Homes), shower glass and seals, grout and silicone for mould, toilet cistern and seat, taps, floor for soft spots near the shower, washing machine taps and waste.

Bedrooms. Carpet, walls, wardrobe doors and tracks, windows and security stays, curtains, smoke alarm proximity.

Outside. Guttering and downpipes clear (Healthy Homes drainage), no pooling water under the house, ground moisture barrier if the subfloor is accessible, lawns and gardens to the standard the tenancy agreement requires, fences, garage door, letterbox, external taps, any decks or stairs for safety.

What to photograph

Every wall of every room, every floor, every appliance with its controls, inside every cupboard, every window from inside, and every existing mark or damage close-up with something for scale. Two hundred photos is normal. Store them in a folder per property per inspection named by date; do not leave them only on a phone.

Recording maintenance

Note anything that needs attention, whether it is the tenant's responsibility (cleaning, lawns, a broken item they caused) or yours (a dripping tap, a fan not working, a gutter). Send the tenant a short written summary within a few days: what was fine, what you will fix and when, what you have asked them to attend to. This letter is both good practice and evidence.

Exit inspection

Same routine, with the entry report open beside you. The question for every item is: has it changed, and is the change fair wear and tear or damage? Fair wear is the normal ageing of a property in ordinary use; damage is anything beyond that. Record the difference specifically, photograph it, and get quotes before you claim against the bond.

A one-page template

Columns: room, item, condition at entry, condition at this inspection, photo reference, action, who is responsible, date resolved. That is the whole inspection log in our Landlord Compliance Kit, and it works equally well in a plain spreadsheet. The value is not in the template; it is in doing it the same way every time.

General information, not legal advice. Inspection notice and frequency rules are set by the Residential Tenancies Act; confirm at tenancy.govt.nz.