Check-in and check-out report: 8 ways to automate

What the record covers at each handover

A check-in report is the record of what a room, rental, vehicle, piece of hired kit or site looked like at the moment someone took it over. The check-out report is the same record made when they hand it back. Put the two side by side and you can see what changed while it was theirs, and who should pay for it.

That pair is the whole job. A lettings agent calls it the inventory check-in. A hire depot calls it the condition report. A hotel, a student hall, a holiday let and a contractor taking over a site all do the same thing under their own name. A damage report is a different record. It covers one breakage, filed when someone finds it. This page covers the planned inspection at the start and the end, whether or not anything is wrong.

The UK rules for rented homes

Rented homes are where this record carries the most weight. In England and Wales, a landlord who takes a deposit on an assured shorthold tenancy must put it in a government-backed tenancy deposit protection scheme within 30 days of getting it. If the landlord and tenant disagree at the end, the deposit stays protected in the scheme until the dispute is settled, and the scheme offers a free dispute resolution service.

Those disputes are decided on the check-in report. The government's How to rent guide tells tenants to agree an inventory or check-in report with the landlord before they move in, and to take photos, because it makes a dispute about the deposit easier. The Deposit Protection Service, one of the government-backed schemes, lists signed check-in and check-out reports and date-stamped photos among the evidence it wants to see.

The same scheme says landlords can only claim for wear and tear beyond normal use, which it treats as damage. Fair wear and tear can't be deducted. It gives the example that an adjudicator is unlikely to award redecoration costs after a tenant has lived somewhere for five years or more. So a good check-out note says whether a mark looks like damage or age, and the check-in record is what shows which.

Hire contracts, room bookings and site handovers work the same way without the deposit law. Whoever can show the condition at both ends, with a date and a name, has the stronger case.

#1 - The handover record

Who it's for: One person handing over a room, unit or piece of kit.

What it is: A handover record is one inspection on a phone, at the moment someone takes over or hands back a room, rental or piece of kit. It asks whether this is the check-in or the check-out, what is being handed over, and who it is going to or coming back from. Then it runs six condition checks: everything on the list is here, nothing is broken, there are no new marks, everything that should work works, the keys and accessories are back, and it is clean. Last come the readings and a note of anything not right. Every handover leaves the same record, with the time on it.

In practice: A landlord with four flats does the inspection himself on the day the keys come back. He picks check-out, types "Flat 2", types the tenant's name, and works down the six checks. The bathroom tap drips, so he leaves "everything that should work works" unticked and writes that in the last note. He adds the electricity and gas meter readings. When he lets the flat again, the same six checks run at check-in. The two records answer the deposit question before anyone has to argue it.

Why it works: The condition of a room is easy to remember wrongly six months later. Six checks and two notes take a few minutes on the day, and they are the facts you need when a deposit or a damage charge is disputed: what, who, when, what state, and what the meters said.

Steps included:

• 1 choice (check-in or check-out)
• 1 text input (what is being handed over)
• 1 text input (who it is handed to or returned by)
• 1 checklist (6 condition checks)
• 1 text input (readings and counts)
• 1 text input (anything not as it should be)

When to upgrade:

1. Someone else does the inspection for you, such as a cleaner or a counter assistant
2. You may need to show the condition, not just describe it
3. The other person has to agree what the record says
4. You want the check-in in front of you at check-out

#2 - With guidance above the checks

Who it's for: Teams where cleaners, porters or counter staff do the inspection.

What it is: The same record, with two guidance panels above the checks. The first says how to walk it. Do it with the other person if they are there, go round in the same order every time, open the cupboards and look under the beds and behind the doors, and tick only what is true right now. The second says what to write when something is not right: what it is, where, how bad, and whether it was noted last time. A new starter does the inspection the way you would.

In practice: A 30-room student hall runs move-out week with four porters. One of them has never done an inspection before. He reads the two panels on his phone outside the first room, then works the checks in the order the panel gives. He finds a burn mark on the desk that a quicker walk would have missed, because the panel told him to clear the desk and look.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. How to walk the room or kit, above the checks
2. A fixed order, so nothing gets skipped
3. What a useful note looks like when something is wrong

Why it works: The guidance is on the screen at the moment of the inspection. Four porters on their fourth room of the morning all work to the same standard, and their notes come back in a form you can use.

The usual failure is a fast walk. Someone opens the wardrobe but not the drawers, or checks the top of the desk but not underneath, and those are the marks that get argued about at check-out. The deposit schemes' joint guide warns that words like "fair" and "ok" can be read in different ways. The second panel asks for what, where and how bad instead, so the note still makes sense to someone who never saw the room.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance panel (how to do the inspection)
• 1 guidance panel (what to write if something is not right)
• The six steps from #1

When to upgrade: When you may need to show the condition, not only describe it (#3).

#3 - With photos of the condition

Who it's for: Anyone who may need to back up a deposit deduction or damage charge.

What it is: The guided record, with a photo step straight after the condition checks. The person inspecting photographs every room, side or part, and anything they could not tick, including the hidden spots. The photos sit in the same record as the ticks, the readings and the time. The before and after pictures are in one place, filed against the right handover.

In practice: A holiday let host has a cleaner turn the cottage over between guests. After the checks, the cleaner photographs each room, the inside of the oven, and the back of the sofa. A guest leaves and two wine glasses and a lamp are missing. The host opens that guest's check-out record and the record from the previous turnover. Both have photos. The claim goes in with dated before and after shots from that stay.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A photo step straight after the condition checks
2. Hidden spots on the record as well as the obvious ones
3. A picture to set against the next inspection

Why it works: A tick says the walls have no new marks. A photo shows the wall. Photos taken during the walk, inside the record, can't get mixed up with another stay or another flat, and they carry the date of the handover they belong to.

Take the same photos every time. Shoot each room or side from the same spot every time, then a close shot of anything you could not tick. Photograph the meters so the reading can be read. A check-out photo is only useful if there is a check-in photo of the same thing to compare it with, so take the same set at both ends.

Steps included:

• The guided record from #2
• 1 photo step (photos of the condition)

When to upgrade: When the person taking it or handing it back needs to agree the record (#4).

#4 - With signatures from both parties

Who it's for: Handovers where the other person has to agree the condition.

What it is: The photo record, with two signatures at the end. The inspector signs to say they did the inspection and the record is accurate. The person taking it or handing it back reads the record and signs too. If they are not there, the inspector says why in the note and leaves the second signature for them. The condition is agreed on the day, by both sides.

In practice: A plant hire depot checks a mini digger out to a builder. The counter assistant ticks the checks, photographs the bucket and the tracks, notes the engine hours, and signs. The builder signs on the same phone. When the digger comes back with a cracked bucket tooth, the check-in record shows the tooth was whole, and the builder's signature is on it.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A signature from the person inspecting
2. A signature from the person taking it or handing it back
3. A record both sides agreed at the time

Why it works: An unsigned record is your word against theirs. A record with their signature next to the photos is one they have already accepted, which makes a dispute much shorter.

Who signs matters. The inspector's signature says the walk happened and the record is accurate. The other signature says the person who had it agrees. The deposit schemes' joint guide says a report written by a landlord or agent needs evidence that the tenant has seen it and had the chance to agree or comment. So ask them to read the record before they sign, and if they refuse or are not there, write that in the note.

Steps included:

• The photo record from #3
• 1 signature (inspected by)
• 1 signature (agreed by the person taking it or handing it back)

When to upgrade: When the check-out should start from what the check-in said (#5).

#5 - With the last inspection on screen

Who it's for: Check-outs that need comparing against the check-in.

What it is: The signed photo record, with a Pilla briefing on the step where you name what is being handed over. Pilla looks up the last check-in or check-out for that same room, unit, vehicle or piece of kit. It tells you the date, who had it, the readings, and anything already noted as not right. You compare against last time's record, on screen.

In practice: A letting agent's inspector does check-outs across three branches, often in flats she did not check in. She types "14 Mill Street, Flat 3". Pilla says the check-in was in March, the meter read 41,220, and a scuff on the hall wall was already noted. She photographs the scuff as before and moves on. The new stain on the bedroom carpet, which the check-in did not mention, goes in the note.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. The last record for the same room or kit, before you start
2. Readings from last time, to compare
3. Faults already noted, so they are not charged twice

Why it works: The hard question at check-out is whether a mark was already there. The briefing puts the answer on screen before the inspector makes the call.

It matters most when a different person does the check-out. Two inspectors will describe the same scuff in different words, and an adjudicator then has to guess whether they mean the same mark. With the earlier record in front of her, the inspector can use the same words and check the same things in the same order, so the two records compare line by line.

Steps included:

• The signed photo record from #4
• 1 Pilla briefing of the last check-in or check-out, on the "what is being handed over" step

When to upgrade: When a difference needs a full account rather than a line in the note (#6).

#6 - With more detail when something is different

Who it's for: Teams that need a difference described, not just noted.

What it is: The same record, with a Pilla rule on the "anything not as it should be" note. If the note says something is damaged, broken, missing, dirty, not working or different from the last check-in, the next step opens. It asks what is different, exactly where it is, and whether it was there at the last check-in. If the note says everything is as it should be, that step stays out of the way. A difference always comes with the detail.

In practice: At a serviced office, the facilities assistant checks out a suite a tenant is leaving. She writes that a ceiling tile is stained. The follow-up opens, and she writes that it is above the kitchenette, about the size of a plate, and was not on the check-in. The next suite is clean, she writes that, and the follow-up never appears.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A follow-up that opens only when something is different
2. What, exactly where, and whether it was there before
3. No extra step when the handover is clean

Why it works: "Stain on ceiling" starts an argument. "Plate-sized stain above the kitchenette, not on the check-in" settles one. The follow-up asks for that detail while the inspector is still standing under it.

It is also where wear and tear gets sorted from damage. Normal wear can't be charged to a tenant, so the follow-up asks whether the difference was there at the last check-in. A worn patch on a carpet that was already noted is age. A new stain that was not is something to discuss.

Steps included:

• The record with the last check-in on screen, from #5
• 1 Pilla rule on the "anything not as it should be" note
• 1 follow-up step in the chain (what is different)

When to upgrade: When the person who set this up should hear about the difference without opening the record (#7).

#7 - With a direct message about the difference

Who it's for: The person who set the inspection up.

What it is: When the follow-up step is filled in, Pilla sends a direct message to the person who set the automation up. It says what was inspected, whether it was a check-in or check-out, who it was handed to or returned by, and what the follow-up says is different. A clean handover sends nothing. You hear about the damage while the deposit is still held.

In practice: The serviced office manager is at another site when the stained ceiling tile is logged. The direct message reaches her as soon as the follow-up is filled in, with the suite, the tenant and the detail. She books the repair and raises it with the tenant that afternoon. The six clean check-outs that week stay quiet.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A direct message after the follow-up step
2. What was inspected, who had it, and what is different
3. Nothing sent when the handover is clean

Why it works: A signed record still waits for someone to open it. The message goes to the one person who decides what happens next, and only when there is something to decide.

That decision is whether to repair, charge or let it go. For a tenancy deposit there is a clock on it. GOV.UK says the deposit must be returned within 10 days of the landlord and tenant agreeing how much the tenant gets back. Raising the difference while the photos and the follow-up are fresh makes that agreement quicker. The message stays short enough to read on a phone, with only what was inspected, who had it, and what changed.

Steps included:

• The follow-up record from #6
• 1 direct message, sent when the follow-up is completed

When to upgrade: When the risk is that the inspection never happens (#8).

#8 - With a chase if it is late

Who it's for: Busy turnovers where an inspection can be skipped.

What it is: The same record, plus a chase if the inspection is not finished by the deadline. Pilla messages you to get it done. A finished inspection does not trigger one. A skipped check-out is chased when the deadline passes, so you find out while someone can still go back and do it.

In practice: A holiday let company turns over 12 cottages every Saturday between 10am and 4pm. One cleaner runs late and goes straight to cleaning at the last cottage without starting the check-out. At the deadline, you get a message that the inspection for that cottage is not finished. The cleaner does it before the next guest arrives at four.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A deadline on the inspection
2. A chase when the deadline passes and it is unfinished
3. No message when it was done on time

Why it works: The rest of the record only helps if someone starts it. And the inspection most likely to be skipped is the one on the busiest changeover day, when you have the least time to chase it yourself.

Set the deadline from the handover, because that is when the record is worth most. The deposit schemes' joint guide says check-out evidence should be completed as soon as possible after the tenant returns the keys. For a holiday let, the deadline might be the next guest's arrival time. The later the inspection, the harder it is to show the damage happened during that stay.

Steps included:

• The record from #7, including the direct message when something is different
• 1 chase if the inspection is not finished by the deadline

When to upgrade: This is the full route. Use an earlier version if you do not want the message or the chase.

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know the product to choose. You need to know who does the inspection, what proof you might need, and who should hear about a problem.

Is it just you, or do other people do the inspection?

If you do every handover yourself, you already know how to walk the room, so #1 is enough. Once a cleaner, porter or counter assistant does it, put the method above the checks so everyone inspects the same way: #2.

Do you need photos, or are the ticks enough?

Ticks are enough if nobody is ever charged. But if a deposit or a damage charge might depend on it, add the photo step: #3.

Does the other person need to sign?

If the record is only for you, stop at #3. If the person taking it or handing it back has to agree the condition, add the signatures: #4.

After that, the choice is about the check-out. If you want the check-in on screen when you compare, use #5. If a difference should open a step that collects the detail, use #6. If you want a direct message after that step, use #7. If the real risk is that the inspection gets skipped on a busy day, use #8.

Related workflows

• Damage report - one breakage, recorded when it is found
• Key and alarm handover - who holds the keys and alarm codes, and when they changed hands
• Vehicle key handover - signing a vehicle out and back in
• Tool asset checkout - who has which tool, and when it is due back
• Equipment pre use check - the check before someone uses a piece of kit

Conclusion

A check-in report records the condition of a room, rental, vehicle, kit or site when someone takes it over, and the check-out report records it again when they hand it back. Together they show what changed and who had it at the time. Start with the six checks, add photos and signatures when money depends on it, and add Pilla when the check-out needs the check-in on screen. Open any version in the playground and run it at your next handover.