Check-in, check-out and periodic inspections in rented rooms

01Why does a recorded start and end condition matter so much?

When a resident leaves, sooner or later the question comes: was that stain, hole or broken lamp already there? Without a record it is your word against the resident's. That costs time, and often money.

The Dutch government advises landlords to make a condition report of the home that is as complete as possible at the start of the tenancy, and again just before it ends. If no condition report was made at handover, it is harder for the landlord to prove that damage was caused by the departed tenant.

The deposit rules also make good records important. Since 1 July 2023 the following applies to homes in the Netherlands:

• the deposit is at most two months' basic rent;
• if the tenant leaves the home as agreed or without damage, the landlord repays the deposit within 14 days;
• if the landlord deducts something for damage or arrears, the rest must be repaid within 30 days;
• wear or damage caused by the landlord's poor or overdue maintenance may not be deducted from the deposit.

A good record at the start and end therefore makes the difference between a quick settlement and a long dispute. And it shows fairly what was and was not caused by the resident.

02What do you record at check-in?

Check-in is the moment to record the starting point, together with the resident. Work room by room and always in the same order, so you can compare exactly at check-out.

Per room

• an overview photo from the doorway and one from the opposite corner;
• walls, ceiling and floor: existing stains, holes, scratches and damp patches, each with a close-up;
• window, frame, trickle vent and heating: does it work, is the vent open;
• door and lock: does the lock work, how many keys;
• furniture and mattress: condition, stains, damage;
• smoke alarm: present, tested, replacement date.

Shared spaces

• kitchen: hob, fridge, cooker hood, fire extinguisher and fire blanket;
• bathroom and toilet: tiles, sealant, drain, extractor fan;
• hall and stairs: clear and clean.

What else belongs to it

• meter readings for gas, electricity and water, with a photo of the meter, if the resident pays per meter or by use;
• keys and passes: how many, which numbers, signed for;
• inventory: bedding, crockery, pans and other items that belong to the room;
• explanation: house rules, where the extinguisher is, how the ventilation works, who to call about a fault.

Let the resident see and sign the record. A photo without a date and signature is weaker than a record that both sides have seen.

03How often should you do a periodic inspection?

Dutch law sets no fixed interval for inspections during a tenancy. It is the manager's choice. A fixed rhythm, for example every month or every quarter, plus extra visits where needed, works better in practice than only reacting to complaints.

If you work with the SNF standard, you also get inspections from an accredited inspection body. According to SNF, registered organisations are checked administratively every year, and locations you are primarily responsible for are inspected periodically against all standards. The SNF standard (version 7.3) says the inspector draws a sample from your list of locations and that you hear 24 hours in advance which ones. A house you check regularly yourself will simply be in good order.

What to look at during a periodic inspection:

• damp and mould, especially in bedrooms, bathrooms and behind wardrobes;
• open trickle vents and working extraction;
• smoke alarms, CO detector, fire extinguisher and fire blanket;
• overloaded power strips and extra heaters;
• damage that is still small, such as a dripping tap or loose sealant;
• the number of residents and beds: does it match what was agreed?

Plan inspections so you visit several houses in the same area per day. A fixed route saves a lot of travel time.

04Can a landlord simply enter a rented room?

No. A rented room is the resident's home. The Dutch Criminal Code protects the peace of the home (article 138). That protection belongs to the person who actually lives there, not to the owner. In 2021 the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that entering a home occupied by someone else can be unlawful, even if the owner has given permission.

At the same time, a tenant must give the landlord the opportunity to carry out urgent work (article 7:220(1) of the Dutch Civil Code). If the tenant refuses, the landlord can go to court. A periodic inspection is something different from urgent work, so make clear agreements about it.

What works in practice:

• state in the tenancy agreement or house rules that there are periodic inspections and why: safety, damp, maintenance;
• announce a visit in advance, with a date and time window, in a language the resident understands;
• knock, introduce yourself, and only enter if the resident agrees;
• photograph the room and the defects, not the resident or their personal belongings;
• if the resident is not there, do not enter a locked room without an appointment, except in a real emergency.

This is a general explanation, not legal advice. The exact rules depend on the contract and the situation. Consult a lawyer if in doubt, especially if a resident refuses access.

05How do you explain inspections to residents in their own language?

Residents who do not speak the language easily see an inspection as control or distrust. A short explanation in their own language removes that. Under the SNF standard (version 7.3), short house and living rules in the residents' language must be on a central information card, with the phone numbers of the manager, the fire service, the police and 112. Since the Good Landlordship Act (1 July 2023), landlords must also inform tenants in writing about their rights and obligations.

Explain three things:

1. Why you look: safety, damp and maintenance, not the person.
2. What is photographed: the room and defects, no personal belongings.
3. What happens next: a defect you find becomes a report with a deadline, and the resident hears when it is fixed.

Also give residents an easy way to report a defect themselves, without waiting for the next inspection. A small leak reported straight away is cheaper than a ceiling that comes down three months later.

06What do you do with the findings?

An inspection without follow-up is just a photo album. Turn every finding into a ticket with an owner and a deadline.

• Immediate danger, such as a smoke alarm that does not work, a smell of gas or loose wiring: fix the same day.
• A defect that gets worse, such as a leak, mould or a broken extractor fan: within a few days.
• Minor maintenance, such as a loose door handle or skirting board: plan it for the next visit.
• Behaviour, such as a closed vent or laundry in the room: explain to the resident and check again at the next inspection.

Also record when it was fixed, with a photo of the result. An SNF inspection works in a similar way: shortcomings must be fixed within the set period, and according to version 7.3 a fix can be shown with written confirmation, photos or film. If you already record your own findings like this, you have the evidence ready.

With damp or mould, the question is often whether it comes from the building or from how the room is used. You will find an overview in our article mould damage in a rented room: building defect or use?

07What do you check at check-out?

Check-out mirrors check-in. Walk through the same spaces in the same order and compare with the photos from the start. Preferably do it together with the resident, before the keys are handed in.

For every difference, note whether it is normal wear or damage. A floor that is a little duller after a year is wear. A burn hole in the mattress is damage. If in doubt, the photo from the start helps. Settle within the deposit deadlines: 14 days without deductions, 30 days with.

08How do digital inspections with photos speed up the work?

A paper inspection means double work: writing outside, retyping inside, storing photos separately and searching for them later. With a digital inspection on a phone it happens in one go:

• a fixed list per house, so nobody forgets a point;
• a photo with every point, with the date and time added automatically;
• a defect becomes a ticket with a deadline straight away;
• at check-out you pull up the check-in photos immediately;
• in a deposit dispute or SNF inspection you have everything in a few clicks.

The eyesonrooms housing management software works this way: inspections with photos per point, residents and beds, contracts and tickets in one overview. Residents can report a fault themselves via a QR code in the house, in five languages. If you also use the sensors, you have each room's temperature and humidity alongside and can create a PDF report per room. That helps when the question is whether a damp patch comes from the building or from how the room is used. Read more about housing management software.

Tip: start with one fixed checklist for all houses and only adjust it after a few weeks of use. A list that everyone fills in the same way is worth more than a perfect list that nobody finishes.

09Frequently asked questions

10Sources

• Volkshuisvesting Nederland: Deposit rules (accessed October 2026, Dutch)
• Volkshuisvesting Nederland: National rules for good landlordship (Dutch)
• Bijzonder Strafrecht: Supreme Court 23 March 2021, ECLI:NL:HR:2021:426 (peace of the home and owner consent, Dutch)
• District Court Rotterdam, 8 January 2026, ECLI:NL:RBROT:2026:700 (art. 7:220(1) Civil Code, Dutch)
• Stichting Normering Flexwonen: The standard and inspections (Dutch)
• Stichting Normering Flexwonen: Standard for housing labour migrants, version 7.3 (2018, Dutch)

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