Record the private room and the shared areas
For a room changeover, photograph the outgoing renter's room, any storage area, bathroom allocation, parking space, and the shared spaces that are relevant to their use. The kitchen, laundry, outdoor area, bins, and entry can matter as much as the bedroom.
If the changeover does not require a full new condition report in your state or tenancy setup, keep a dated changeover record anyway. It gives the agency a practical baseline for the people who changed.
Separate household wear from individual issues
Share house records get messy when everything is treated as one person's responsibility. Note whether a mark is in a private room, a shared room, an appliance used by everyone, or an outdoor area maintained by the household.
Where responsibility is unclear, write that down instead of guessing. A factual "responsibility not confirmed" note is more useful than a confident note nobody can support later.
Capture keys, access, and handover timing
Photograph the keys, fobs, remotes, access cards, parking permits, mailbox keys, and any handover receipt. Record the date and time the outgoing renter returned access items and the date the incoming renter received them.
These items look small until a lock, remote, or building fob has to be replaced.
Keep approvals and agreed repairs together
If the changeover includes cleaning, furniture removal, minor repairs, repainting, pet approval, fixture consent, or a rent adjustment, keep those messages with the condition photos. A changeover record should show both the property condition and the agreement around it.
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Article written 2026-07-02