Inventory and condition report (check-in and check-out)
Room by room, with meters and keys: the best protection for the deposit.
About 12 minSigned by: landlord (or representative) and tenant
What it is for
This is the signed description of the property's condition and contents on the day it is handed to the tenant, and again on the day it is returned. Comparing the two is the fair way to decide what comes out of the deposit.
It protects both sides: the tenant from being charged for damage that was already there; the owner from getting the property back with items missing and no way to prove it.
What it covers
- Each room: furniture, equipment, condition and visible damage
- Electricity, water and gas readings
- Keys, access cards and remote controls
- Cleanliness and paintwork
- Reference to the photos taken that day
- Deadline to report faults not visible in a walk-through
- At check-out: agreed deductions from the deposit
Common mistakes
- Not doing one: without a description, the law presumes the tenant received everything in good condition.
- Writing "all in good condition" without detail: it proves nothing.
- Not noting the meter readings on handover day.
- Taking photos and not saying where they are kept.
- Doing the check-out inventory without the check-in one at hand.
A template, not legal advice
Frequently asked questions
Is an inventory mandatory?
No, but it decides almost every dispute about the deposit. If the contract carries no description of the property, Quintana Roo law presumes the tenant received it in good condition (art. 2706).
What is normal wear and tear?
What wears out from living in the property with care: fading paint, worn seals, a used mattress. It is not deducted from the deposit. Damage from carelessness or misuse is.
Are photos useful?
Very. The inventory says how many were taken and where they are kept, and each party keeps a copy. Dated photos from the same day are worth more than any description.
What if something fails after I get the keys?
The check-in inventory gives the tenant a few days to report in writing what could not be seen in the walk-through, such as an air conditioner that does not cool. Anything reported in that period counts as part of the inventory.
What kind of signature this is
- It is a simple electronic signature with an audit trail: each party opens their personal link, reads the document, types their full name and expressly accepts. We record the date, time, IP address, browser and the SHA-256 fingerprint of the text, which is frozen from the moment it is sent.
- In general terms, Mexican commercial and civil law recognizes electronic signatures between parties who consent to use them, and a judge weighs their strength according to the reliability of the method.
- It is not an advanced electronic signature (such as the SAT's e.firma) and does not include a NOM-151 conservation certificate issued by a certification service provider.
- If you need that level of proof, the next step is integration with a certified provider; in the meantime you can print the document and sign it on paper as well.
Laws it relies on
- Código Civil para el Estado de Quintana Roo: arts. 2695 y 2706
We cite the articles so anyone can check them. Laws change: confirm they are still in force if your case is delicate.