How to take condition report photos
Information only, not legal advice. Rules change and every tenancy is different. Check the official pages linked here, or contact your state tenancy advice service or tribunal. Last checked 2026-10-22.
Government pages in NSW and Victoria advise renters to take dated, time-stamped photos with the condition report. Here's a method that holds up:
- Same order every time. Go room by room, in the order of your condition report.
- Wide, then close. One wide shot from the doorway, then close-ups of every mark, chip or stain, with something for scale.
- Keep the originals. Don't edit or filter them. Original files keep the camera date (EXIF).
- Match the report. Note the report item next to each close-up.
- Do it twice. At move-in (send within your state's deadline) and after your final clean.
- Back up to somewhere you control, and keep everything until the bond is fully repaid.