Three years ago I let a two-bedroom unit sit empty for four months between tenants, and when the new renter moved in they pointed out a scratched floor near the entrance that I could not prove was already there. That dispute cost me around 45,000 yen off a deposit I probably should have kept in full. Since then, documenting condition before every long-term vacancy has become one of the most important 30-minute jobs I do across my 9 rental properties.
It sounds like paperwork, but it is really insurance. A unit sitting empty for 2 months or longer changes in small ways — dust settles, rubber seals dry out, tiny pest entry points appear — and without a clear record from the first day of the vacancy, you cannot prove what happened during the empty period versus what a tenant caused afterward.
Why I Document Every Vacancy, Not Just the Long Ones
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I used to only bother with this on vacancies I expected to run 3 months or more, figuring a quick 2-week gap between tenants was not worth the effort. That was a mistake. Twice, a supposedly short vacancy stretched to 10 weeks because a renovation took longer than planned, and both times I wished I had photographed the unit on day one instead of relying on memory. Now I document within 24 hours of the last tenant handing back keys, every time, no exceptions.
My Room-by-Room Walkthrough Checklist
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I walk every room in the same order every time so I never skip a spot. For a standard 1LDK this takes about 25 minutes. I go through the same list on paper before I ever pull out the camera:
- Flooring condition in each room, including any existing scratches, gaps, or discoloration
- Walls and ceiling for stains, nail holes, or peeling wallpaper
- Windows and screens, checking that all locks and rollers move freely
- Kitchen appliances, cabinet doors, and under-sink plumbing for leaks
- Bathroom fixtures, caulking condition, and any mold spots
- Entry door, intercom, and any keys or remotes left behind
- Balcony surface and railing for rust or cracking
I check off each item and jot a one- or two-word note next to anything that is not perfect, like small scuff, west wall, or hairline crack, tile edge. That paper checklist becomes the backbone of the file I keep on that vacancy.
Photos and Video: The System That Actually Holds Up
Photos alone were not enough for me after that 45,000 yen dispute, so I switched to a two-part system. First, I shoot a single continuous video walking through the entire unit, narrating the date out loud as I go. Second, I take still photos of anything imperfect, always with a tape measure or a coin next to it for scale on cracks or stains under about 5 centimeters. I take roughly 40 to 60 photos for a typical unit, more if there has been long-term wear. All of this gets uploaded to cloud storage the same day, timestamped automatically, so there is no question about when it was taken.
Meter Readings and Written Notes
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I record the electricity, gas, and water meter readings the day the unit goes vacant and again right before a new tenant moves in. This has saved me from utility billing arguments at least 4 times over the years, since it proves exactly how much was used during an empty period versus by a new occupant. I also write a short one-page condition summary in plain language, roughly 300 words, noting the general state of appliances, any smell issues, and estimated remaining life on things like the water heater or air conditioner unit. That plain-language note is often more useful in a dispute than a stack of photos, because it explains context a picture cannot.
Where and How Long I Keep These Records
I keep every vacancy file — checklist, photos, video, and meter readings — for at least 5 years, well past the standard 2-year lease cycle, because deposit and damage questions sometimes surface long after a tenant has moved out. Everything is organized by property address and by date in cloud folders, backed up to a local drive too, since I do not want a single service outage to wipe out evidence I might need for a legal claim. For vacancies longer than 6 months, I also do a quick mid-vacancy photo update, since conditions can shift again if the unit sits empty through a humid summer or a cold winter.
Mistakes I Have Made With This Process
Early on I only photographed problem areas and skipped the parts of the unit that looked fine, thinking there was nothing to prove. That backfired when a tenant later claimed an entire wall was damaged on move-in, and I had no photo of that wall in its good condition to counter the claim. Now I photograph every wall, every floor, and every fixture regardless of condition, even if it adds 10 extra minutes to the job. I have also learned not to trust my own memory of small details after even 1 month has passed — the written checklist and timestamped photos are what actually hold up, not what I think I remember. I also used to save everything under a single generic folder name, which made it nearly impossible to find the right file 8 months later when a dispute actually came up, so now every folder starts with the property address and the exact vacancy start date.
That is the routine I now run on all 9 of my properties before any extended vacancy, and it has turned deposit and damage conversations from arguments into quick, evidence-based conclusions.
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15 years of landlord experience u00b7 3 apartment buildings u00b7 DIY renovations that saved millions of yen. Browse all articles at diytosan.com
