Move-In Day: Inventory Checks, Meter Readings, and How to Protect Your Deposit

Student Bubble Team · 29 May 2026 · 8 min read

Moving day is hectic. There are boxes to carry, flatmates to coordinate, and a seemingly endless number of things to sort out at once. It is easy to skip the admin and deal with it later. The problem is that "later" is often too late: the inventory goes unchecked, the meters go unread, and the photographs never get taken. Six months down the line, when there is a dispute about the state of the bathroom or a contested energy bill, you have nothing to show.

The first 24 hours in a rental property are the most important in terms of protecting yourself. Here is exactly what to do, why it matters, and what the rules are across England, Scotland and Wales.

The Inventory Check

An inventory is a written record of the contents and condition of the property at the start of your tenancy. It covers everything from furniture and appliances to the condition of walls, carpets and fixtures. Its purpose is simple: it is the agreed baseline. When you leave, the landlord compares the property against this document to decide whether any deductions from your deposit are justified. If the inventory says the living room carpet was in good condition and it still is when you move out, no deduction can be made. If it says the oven was clean and it is not, a cleaning charge may be fair.

When your landlord or agent provides an inventory, do the following:

Go through it item by item. Do not skim it. Work through each room methodically and check that the description matches what you see in front of you.
Note every discrepancy. If the inventory says "good condition" but the wall has a scuff, write it down. If the mattress has a stain that is not mentioned, write it down. Be specific: "small scuff on the lower left of the living room wall, approximately 5cm" is far more useful than "wall is marked".
Sign and return it with your amendments noted. Most inventories come with a section for tenant comments. Add yours and return a copy to the landlord or agent in writing, ideally by email, so there is a dated record.
Do this within 24 to 48 hours. Some tenancy agreements specify a deadline for returning the signed inventory. Even if yours does not, act quickly. The longer you leave it, the harder it is to argue that a problem existed before you moved in.

If the inventory was prepared by a professional inventory clerk, it will usually include timestamped photographs taken by the clerk. This is the gold standard and the most difficult to dispute. If the inventory is a basic written document prepared by the landlord, your own photographs are an important supplement.

What to Do If There Is No Inventory

Not every landlord provides one. If you move in and there is no inventory, do not wait for the landlord to produce one. Create your own. Walk through every room, note the condition of walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures, furniture, appliances and any soft furnishings. Be thorough and precise. Take photographs alongside your notes. Then email the document to your landlord and ask them to confirm it reflects the condition of the property at the start of the tenancy.

Even if the landlord does not respond, the fact that you sent it creates a dated record. It is significantly harder for a landlord to dispute deductions at the end of a tenancy when you have a detailed move-in report with photographs that you submitted on day one.

In Wales, the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 requires landlords to provide a written occupation contract, and the property must meet the fitness for human habitation standard from the start of the tenancy. An inventory is not legally mandated but is best practice. In England and Scotland there is equally no legal requirement for an inventory, but in all three nations a missing inventory works against the landlord in any deposit dispute, since the burden of proving damage or deterioration falls on them.

Taking Photographs

Photographs are your most powerful evidence. A written description can be disputed; a timestamped photograph is considerably harder to argue with. Take photographs on move-in day, before you bring in any of your belongings if possible.

What to photograph:

Every room, wide shot and close-up. Wide shots establish the overall condition; close-ups capture specific marks, stains, damage or worn areas.
Walls and ceilings. Look for marks, cracks, damp patches, peeling paint or wallpaper. Photograph each wall individually in larger rooms.
Floors and carpets. Get down low to capture any staining or wear. Move furniture if you need to check underneath.
All appliances. Photograph the inside of the oven, fridge, washing machine and dishwasher. These are common sources of end-of-tenancy deductions.
Bathroom and kitchen. Tile grout, sealant around the bath and shower, underneath the sink, inside cupboards.
Windows, doors and locks. Note any damage to frames, handles or glazing.
Meter readings in-situ. Photograph the meters with the readings clearly visible. This doubles as your meter-reading record.
Outside the property. If you have a garden, yard or shared outdoor area, document its condition.

Once you have taken the photographs, do two things: send them to your landlord by email (creating a dated record) and back them up somewhere you will not lose them. Cloud storage, a shared folder with your housemates, or both. Photographs stored only on a phone that gets lost or broken are no use to anyone.

Your photographs should be timestamped. Most smartphones embed the date and time in the image file metadata automatically, but it is worth checking. If you want additional confirmation, send the photographs to your landlord on the day you take them: the email timestamp then corroborates the photo date.

Meter Readings

Taking meter readings on your first day prevents you from being billed for energy used by the previous tenants. It also gives you an accurate starting point for the bills you will need to set up in your name.

Most student properties have three meters to read:

Electricity. Usually a box on the wall, often in the hallway, kitchen or a cupboard. Record the numbers shown on the display, including any decimal places.
Gas. If the property has gas central heating or a gas hob, there will be a gas meter, often in the same location as the electricity meter or outside in a box. Read and record it in the same way.
Water. Not all properties have accessible water meters, but if yours does (check under the kitchen sink first, then outside near the boundary of the property), record it.

If you are in a property with a smart meter, you can usually read the current figure from the in-home display. If you cannot locate the meter at all, ask your landlord before you move in.

Once you have the readings, submit them to your energy suppliers on day one. If you do not know who the current supplier is, you can find the electricity supplier by calling 105 (the national electricity network helpline) or checking the Meter Point Administration Service (MPAS). For gas, the Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) on the meter will let you find the supplier through the Find My Supplier service.

In a shared house where bills are not included, decide on day one who is responsible for setting up each account and make sure every housemate's name goes on at least one bill. This matters both practically and for building a credit history.

Reporting Issues in Writing

If you find problems during your move-in check, report them to your landlord immediately and always in writing. A phone call is not enough. Send an email, attach your photographs, and state clearly what the issue is and where it is in the property.

Why writing matters: if you report a leaking tap verbally in the first week and it is still leaking three months later, you have no evidence that you reported it. If you reported it by email on move-in day, you have a timestamped record showing you flagged it early. This matters for two reasons: it protects you from being held responsible for damage you did not cause, and it puts a legal clock on your landlord's obligation to respond.

In England, landlords are legally required to respond to repair requests within a reasonable time. For urgent repairs (no heating, no hot water, a serious leak), this means days, not weeks. For non-urgent issues, 28 days is a commonly used benchmark. In Scotland, the Repairing Standard applies and landlords must ensure the property meets it at all times. In Wales, the fitness for human habitation duty under the Renting Homes Act requires the property to be fit throughout the tenancy, not just at the start.

If you report something and your landlord does not respond, follow up in writing after a reasonable period and keep a copy of everything. If the issue affects your ability to live comfortably in the property, contact your local council's environmental health team. In serious cases you may be able to withhold rent or pursue a rent repayment order, but take advice before doing either.

Confirming Your Deposit Is Protected

In England and Wales, your landlord must protect your deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it, and provide you with the scheme details and a document called the Prescribed Information within the same window. Failing to do either means your landlord cannot use Ground 1 (selling up or moving back in) to repossess the property, and you can apply to court for compensation of between one and three times the deposit value.

There are three approved schemes in England and Wales:

Deposit Protection Service (DPS)
MyDeposits
Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)

In Scotland, the equivalent schemes are SafeDeposits Scotland, Letting Protection Service Scotland, and mydeposits Scotland. The protection must be registered within 30 working days of the start of the tenancy.

To check your deposit is protected, contact the scheme your landlord told you about and verify using your deposit details. If you were not told which scheme was used, you can check all three directly. If 30 days have passed and you cannot confirm protection, write to your landlord immediately and keep a copy of that letter.

One important point: a deposit cap applies in England and Wales under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. If the annual rent is under £50,000, the maximum deposit is five weeks' rent. If your landlord took more than this, the excess was unlawful and should be returned. In Scotland there is no statutory cap on deposit amounts, but the same deposit protection rules apply.

Setting Up Utilities

If your rent does not include bills, you will need to set up utility accounts in the names of the tenants. Do this in the first week to avoid being billed on the wrong tariff or having your supply disrupted.

Electricity and gas: contact the existing supplier to transfer the account into your name, then shop around for a better tariff if needed.
Water: water accounts are usually set up per property and may already be in your landlord's name. Contact your local water company to transfer it.
Broadband: check the current provider and contract. If there is an existing line, you may be able to take it over rather than starting a new contract. Allow two to four weeks for a new installation if one is needed.
Council tax: if all occupants are full-time students, you are exempt. Apply for the exemption directly with your local council, usually using a certificate of student status from your university. Do not ignore council tax bills that arrive addressed to "the occupier": they are your responsibility to respond to even if you are exempt.
Contents insurance: your landlord's buildings insurance does not cover your belongings. Student contents insurance is inexpensive and worth considering, particularly for laptops, bikes and instruments.

Move-In Day Checklist

Task	When
Check inventory item by item and note all discrepancies	Day 1
If no inventory, create your own and email it to the landlord	Day 1
Photograph every room, appliance, wall and floor before unpacking	Day 1
Photograph all meters with readings clearly visible	Day 1
Submit meter readings to existing energy suppliers	Day 1
Email photographs and signed inventory (with amendments) to landlord	Day 1 to 2
Report any issues in writing with photographs attached	Day 1 to 2
Confirm deposit is protected in a government-approved scheme	Within 30 days
Transfer electricity and gas accounts into tenant names	Week 1
Apply for council tax student exemption	Week 1
Arrange broadband if not already connected	Week 1 to 2
Consider student contents insurance	Week 1 to 2

References

This article reflects the law as of May 2026 and covers England, Scotland and Wales. Rules differ between nations. For full legal detail, see the references above. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice.

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