Walk It Through: The Signed Checklist
A Washington deposit, from the checklist to the full and specific statement.
Move in day. The landlord takes a deposit and hands over the keys, with no checklist.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One deposit in one rental. What counts as wear beyond ordinary use, the circumstances beyond a landlord's control, and how a court finds an intentional refusal are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Full and specific statementThe statement of the basis for keeping any of the deposit, with copies of estimates or invoices for damage charges and any refund due, given within 30 days after the agreement ends and the tenant moves out.
- Move in checklistThe written checklist, given at the start of the tenancy and signed and dated by both, describing the condition of the walls, floors, furniture and appliances. A landlord may collect a deposit only with one and a written rental agreement.