Outgoing Inspection Photos

Outgoing photographs are not a revenge album. They are the second half of a pair. Next to the incoming set they show what changed. ManjeProp uses that pair when a repair is logged, when a deposit is discussed, and when a room is prepared for the next advert.

Shoot them as if a stranger will decide a sum of money from the files alone — because that is close to the truth.

Timing

The Rental Housing Act expects a joint outgoing inspection within three days before the lease expires, at a time that works for both sides. Be there. If you skip a reasonable request, the landlord may inspect after expiry in the statutory window and you will not be in the frame to point at a mark that was already there.

Do not photograph only after the taxi is loaded and the light has gone. Daylight. Empty enough to see the floor.

This is not legal advice on what happens if someone refuses. It is the operational reason we book the walk early.

Same path as incoming

If the incoming set started at the door and moved clockwise, do that again. A ceiling stain is useless if we cannot match the corner. Take the wide shot first, then the close shot of anything that looks new.

Include:

Each wall, ceiling, floor
Windows, stays, handles, bars
Cupboards open
House furniture, including mattress corners and desk underside
Bathroom fittings and the ceiling above the shower
The lock and the keys you are returning, counted, not artistically arranged with your ID

If you cleaned, photograph after the clean. A wet floor can look like a leak. A dry stain is a stain.

New damage versus wear

A small picture hook hole may be wear in one lease and damage in another. A cracked pane is damage. A slow brown patch that was white in February is a fact, whatever you call it. Photograph it. Write one line: “ceiling corner above desk, not on incoming set.”

Do not argue with the camera. Do not refuse to shoot a wall because you dislike the implication. The photo is cheaper than the argument.

If you already reported the defect in June, quote the ticket reference in the inspection note. That is how a repair log protects you.

What not to do on the last morning

Do not paint a damp mark. Do not fill holes with toothpaste. Do not hide a broken chair in the yard and hope the garden service is blamed. Do not take only vertical phone videos while walking; they are hard to archive and easy to miss a wall.

Do not photograph housemates who are still in towels. Do not include identity documents “for the file.” The unit name and the date are the file.

Meters and keys in the same hour

A second meter photo belongs with the outgoing set if utilities were read on the way in. Serial, digits, original file. Keys and remotes counted against the incoming list. A missing remote is a sentence on the note, not a shrug.

Staff filing

Store outgoing photos with the tenancy, named by property, unit and date. Compare before you type a deduction. If you will deduct, you will also need invoices or receipts for the work — the Act expects those costs to be shown. A moody photo of a scuff without a price is not a deduction file.

Do not publish outgoing interiors of a tenant’s remaining possessions. Vacancy advertising uses a later set, after the room is empty and, if needed, painted.

If the inspection finds a live leak or an unsafe lock, open a ticket immediately. The handover does not wait for the deposit letter.

After you leave

Keep your copy until the deposit is settled. If a claim arrives that does not match your files, you have something to send to an adviser or the Rental Housing Tribunal. ManjeProp will not pretend a blog post is that process.

Still have keys and a leak today? Report a fault or call +27 60 313 6961. Looking for the next Durban room? Enquire after you have finished this one cleanly.