How to Fill Out a Maintenance Inspection Form: Rooms, Systems, and Safety

To fill out a maintenance inspection form, record the property and tenant details at the top, walk the unit with the tenant and note the specific condition of every room, fixture, and safety device in both a rating field and a written comment, pair the form with dated photographs, and have both parties sign and keep copies. HUD publishes Form 90106 as a free template that works for any residential rental, and the more detailed HQS checklist (Form HUD-52580) covers exterior and health-and-safety categories the shorter form omits.¹²

Start With the Header

The top of the form identifies who is involved, which unit is being inspected, and when. Fill in the property address with apartment or unit number, the tenant’s full name, and the date. HUD’s Form 90106 also asks for the unit size and provides separate date fields for move-in and move-out, so one form can carry through the full tenancy.¹

Mark whether this is a move-in, move-out, or periodic inspection. The type matters because a move-in report sets the baseline before the tenant brings in a single box, while a move-out report shows what changed. Many landlords ask tenants to return the completed move-in checklist within three to seven days of taking possession, though specific deadlines depend on the lease and local law. If you manage several properties, note the property type as well so inspections don’t get misfiled later.

Do the Walkthrough Together

The landlord or property manager and the tenant should walk the unit together. HUD describes the process as a joint inspection specifically so both sides can agree on what they see.¹ A tenant who signs a checklist they never actually walked has no practical defense if the landlord later claims damage was pre-existing.

Move room by room in a consistent order. Most people start at the front door and work clockwise. Turn on every light, run every faucet, open every window, flush every toilet, and open every cabinet and closet. Test the garbage disposal if there is one. Look at baseboards and corners. A thorough walkthrough of a typical one-bedroom takes 20 to 30 minutes; rushing it defeats the purpose.

For a move-out inspection, bring the completed move-in checklist and compare conditions side by side. Normal wear includes minor scuffs, light carpet traffic patterns, and small nail holes from hanging pictures. A hole punched through drywall, heavy pet stains, or a broken window latch is not normal wear and gets documented as a potential deduction.

What to Inspect in Each Room

The body of the form is a room-by-room inventory. For every habitable room, note the condition of these elements:

Floors and coverings. Look for stains, tears, loose tiles, warped hardwood. Describe location and size: “quarter-sized carpet burn near the bedroom closet” is useful; “floor has wear” is not.
Walls and ceilings. Check for cracks, nail holes, peeling paint, water stains, and discoloration. Water stains in particular signal a problem that may worsen during the tenancy.
Windows and coverings. Test that each window opens, closes, and locks. Note cracked glass, torn screens, missing blinds.
Doors, hardware, and locks. Confirm every door latches and every exterior lock works. Record missing keys.
Electrical outlets and lighting. Test each outlet and switch. A dead outlet is easy to overlook on move-in day and easy to blame on the tenant at move-out.
Cabinets and closets. Open every door and drawer. Missing shelf brackets and broken hinges are common deduction targets.

Kitchens need separate entries for the range or stove, refrigerator, sink, and faucets. Bathrooms get their own entries for the toilet, tub or shower, fixed wash basin, and exhaust fan.¹

Record the Building Systems

Heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical systems keep a unit habitable, and landlords in most jurisdictions carry an implied warranty of habitability that obligates them to maintain these systems throughout the lease.³ On the form, record:

Heating equipment. Confirm the furnace or boiler runs and the thermostat responds. Many local codes require landlords to maintain a minimum indoor temperature of 68°F during heating season.
Air conditioning. Where provided, test that the unit cools and drains properly.
Water heater. Run hot water and note how long it takes to reach temperature. Check for visible corrosion or leaks around the unit.
Plumbing. Flush toilets, run every faucet, and look under sinks for drips. Document slow drains now rather than argue about them later.

Check the Safety Equipment

Smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, and fire extinguishers get their own section. HUD’s inspection form includes dedicated fire alarm and equipment fields for entrance areas, kitchens, and other rooms.¹ The National Fire Protection Association recommends installing carbon monoxide alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, and testing them at least once a month.⁴

Press the test button on each detector during the walkthrough and record whether it responds. Note the manufacture date on the back of each unit. Smoke alarms generally need replacement every ten years, and CO detectors every five to seven depending on the manufacturer. If a device fails or is missing, flag it for immediate replacement. A missing detector documented on a move-in checklist proves the landlord knew about it and creates liability if it is not replaced before an incident.

Don’t Forget the Exterior

For single-family homes, duplexes, and townhomes where the tenant has any exterior responsibility, inspect the foundation, roof and gutters, exterior surfaces, stairs, railings, porches, and chimneys.² Note cracked steps, peeling paint, and damaged siding. For apartments, exterior inspection usually falls under common-area maintenance, but still document the condition of the unit’s entry door and any private patio or balcony.

Write Comments That Will Hold Up Later

Most checklists pair a rating scale (“Good,” “Fair,” or “Poor”) with a blank comment field for each item. The rating gives a quick snapshot for comparison between move-in and move-out. The comment is where the actual evidence lives. A rating of “Fair” without context tells a judge nothing. “Fair — two nail holes above outlet on west wall, small water stain on ceiling near window” tells them everything.

Be specific about location, size, and type. “Scratch on countertop” is vague. “Six-inch scratch on laminate countertop, left of sink” is defensible. The goal is to write descriptions detailed enough that someone who never saw the unit could picture the issue. If a room is genuinely in good condition, say so explicitly. A blank comment field can be read as “we didn’t look” rather than “nothing wrong.”

Pair the Form With Photos

Supplement the written checklist with high-resolution photographs. Take a wide shot of each room first to establish context, then close-ups of any specific damage. Digital timestamps on the photos should match the date on the paper form. A mismatch undermines both. For each defect noted in the comment field, take at least one photo that clearly shows the issue. Store photos alongside the checklist in the property file so they can be produced together if needed.

Add Lead Paint Information for Pre-1978 Units

If the property was built before 1978, federal law requires the landlord to disclose all known information about lead-based paint before the tenant signs a lease. The landlord must provide a copy of the EPA pamphlet “Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home,” disclose any known paint hazards, share any available inspection reports, and include a lead warning statement with the lease.⁵

The inspection checklist is the natural place to document whether paint is peeling, chipping, or chalking, since all are signs of deterioration that can release lead dust. HUD’s HQS checklist includes a lead-based paint field in every room for this reason.² Landlords who knowingly violate the disclosure rule face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and can be held liable for up to three times the tenant’s actual damages.⁶ The rule does not apply to units built after 1977, zero-bedroom efficiencies (unless a child under six lives there), leases of 100 days or fewer, or senior and disability housing where no young children reside.⁵

Sign, Date, and Set Repair Deadlines

Once the walkthrough is complete, both the landlord (or property manager) and the tenant sign and date the document. HUD’s form includes separate signature lines for move-in and move-out because the signatures lock in the condition as of that date.¹ Both parties should receive a copy immediately, digital or physical. A checklist only the landlord holds is far less persuasive than one both sides acknowledged.

Electronic signatures work. The federal ESIGN Act provides that a signature or contract cannot be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form, and this applies to any transaction affecting interstate commerce.⁷ Forty-nine states and several territories have also adopted the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. New York uses its own statute, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act, and reaches the same result. For an electronic signature to hold up, both parties need to consent to conducting business electronically, and the signed document must be retained in a form that can be reproduced later.

Any deficiencies the landlord agrees to fix should be written on the form with a target date for repair. HUD’s standard language commits to remedying identified deficiencies within 30 days of the tenant’s move-in date.¹ If your form does not include this language, write it in. A repair promise without a deadline is not a promise.

How Long to Keep the Signed Form

Keep signed inspection checklists, photographs, and related correspondence for at least the duration of the tenancy plus the time allowed for security deposit disputes. State deadlines for returning deposits typically run from 14 to 45 days after move-out, but statutes of limitation for property damage claims in most states run two to three years, with some jurisdictions longer. Retaining records for a minimum of three years after the lease ends covers most scenarios.

Federal lead-based paint disclosure records have their own retention requirement: landlords must keep a signed copy of the lead disclosure for three years after the lease begins.⁵ Since inspection checklists often document the paint conditions tied to that disclosure, storing both together on the same schedule makes practical sense. Digital storage with cloud backup is the simplest way to prevent loss. A water-damaged filing cabinet full of old checklists helps no one.

1
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD Form 90106 – Move-In/Move-Out Inspection Form
2
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Inspection Checklist – HUD-52580
3
Cornell Law Institute. Implied Warranty of Habitability
4
NFPA. Carbon Monoxide Safety
5
US EPA. Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 4852d – Disclosure of Information Concerning Lead Upon Transfer of Residential Property
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 7001 – General Rule of Validity