Before you go
Check
- Arrange a joint inspection before accepting the unit or moving belongings inside.
- Keep a dated copy of the agreed inventory and condition record that both sides can identify.
Arrange a joint inspection
Ask to inspect the exact unit before accepting possession, ideally with the landlord or an authorized representative who can acknowledge the record. Bring the proposed inventory and room-condition annex rather than relying on listing photographs, which may not show the unit's condition on handover day.
The OCPB short residential lease model provides for property-condition and inventory evidence. Use that structure even when the landlord's document has another name: the useful record connects the unit, date, parties, item and observed condition in one set of evidence.
Match items and visible condition
Work through the written list item by item. Confirm the description and count, then note visible marks, missing parts or existing damage in specific language. A generic entry such as “furniture: good” is harder to compare later than separate entries for the table, chairs, bed and other supplied items.
Keep factual condition notes separate from guesses about cause or responsibility. The move-in check records what is present and visible at that time; it does not decide who would win a later dispute or whether a hidden defect existed. Ask for discrepancies to be corrected on the shared record before signing.
Create dated visual evidence
The official model recommends photographs before occupancy. Take clear overview and detail images that can be matched to the inventory entry, including existing defects. Retain the original dated files when possible rather than keeping only compressed images inside a chat thread.
Keys, access cards and opening meter readings can be added as practical handover fields. They help identify what was received and the starting point for later comparisons, but this answer does not present those extra fields as statutory requirements. Label them as agreed records and have both sides acknowledge changes.
Keep the same agreed version
Both sides should retain the same completed inventory, condition annex and associated evidence. If a correction is made after signing, date the amendment and preserve the earlier version rather than silently replacing it. Keep the record with the lease, payment receipts and deposit documents.
At move-out, compare against the acknowledged move-in record rather than memory or the original advertisement. That comparison can clarify what changed, but it does not by itself establish a legal entitlement or deduction. Preserve the evidence and seek appropriate advice if the parties disagree.
Evidence
Sources
1 dated record supports the material facts on this page.
- แบบสัญญามาตรฐานสัญญาเช่าอาคารเพื่ออยู่อาศัยระยะสั้น แบบ ก (opens in a new tab)
Office of the Consumer Protection Boardprimary documentChecked