Moving out of an apartment involves more than packing your belongings and returning the keys. Before leaving a Toronto rental, you should create a clear record of the unit’s condition, your payments and your communication with the landlord.
This documentation may become important if there is later a disagreement about damage, cleaning, missing keys or unpaid rent. It can also help distinguish a problem you caused from ordinary deterioration or an issue that existed before you moved in.
You do not need professional equipment or an elaborate inspection report. A careful collection of photographs, videos, receipts and written messages can create a useful record of what the apartment looked like when your tenancy ended.
Review Your Original Move-In Records
Start by finding any records you created when you first received the apartment. These might include:
- Move-in photographs and videos
- An inspection checklist
- The lease and any attachments
- Emails describing existing damage
- Maintenance requests
- Photographs sent to the landlord
- Receipts for repairs approved by the landlord
- Records of appliance problems
Compare those materials with the apartment’s current condition. This can help you identify what was already damaged, what changed through ordinary use and what may require attention before you leave.
If you did not document the apartment when you moved in, you can still create a detailed record when moving out.
Photograph Every Room
Take wide photographs showing the overall condition of each room. Then take closer pictures of individual surfaces, fixtures and appliances.
Document the following areas:
- Floors, carpets and baseboards
- Walls, ceilings and doors
- Windows, screens and coverings
- Kitchen counters and cabinets
- Sinks, faucets and plumbing fixtures
- Bathtubs, showers and toilets
- Appliances supplied with the unit
- Closets and storage spaces
- Balconies or patios included with the apartment
- Parking spaces and lockers, if applicable
Do not photograph only damaged areas. Images showing clean, undamaged rooms are equally important because they provide a complete picture of the unit.
Open cabinets, closets and appliances when taking some of the pictures. A photograph of a closed refrigerator does not show whether its shelves and drawers were left clean and intact.
Record a Continuous Walk-Through Video
In addition to photographs, make a continuous video that begins near the apartment entrance and moves through every room.
Record slowly enough for surfaces and fixtures to remain visible. Include the floors, walls, ceilings, windows, appliances, cupboards, bathroom fixtures and storage areas.
A video provides context that individual photographs may not capture. It can show how different areas connect and make it more difficult for someone to argue that a photograph came from another unit or an earlier date.
Avoid editing the original recording. Keep the complete file with its original date and metadata.
Capture Existing Damage Clearly
If the apartment has damage or deterioration, photograph it from multiple angles. Include one wider image showing its location and a close-up showing the details.
Examples might include:
- Scratched or worn flooring
- Cracked tiles
- Peeling paint
- Water stains
- Loose cabinet doors
- Damaged countertops
- Worn carpets
- Broken blinds
- Appliance defects
- Nail holes or wall marks
Where possible, connect the condition to earlier written reports. For example, retain the email in which you informed the landlord about a leaking pipe and the photographs showing the resulting stain.
This is particularly important when a maintenance problem caused or contributed to the condition.
Understand Normal Use Versus Undue Damage
Ontario’s standard lease explains that tenants are responsible for damage caused by themselves, their guests or other people living in the unit. This does not include deterioration resulting from normal use over time, commonly described as wear and tear.
Ordinary aging might include faded paint or flooring that has gradually become worn through regular use. A large hole in a wall, broken fixture or serious stain caused by carelessness may be treated differently.
Whether a particular condition amounts to normal use or undue damage depends on the circumstances. Relevant factors may include the item’s age, its condition at the beginning of the tenancy, how the problem occurred and whether it was reported.
Photographs, maintenance messages and move-in records provide useful context. The Landlord and Tenant Board’s guide to the Residential Tenancies Act provides general information about the responsibilities of landlords and tenants in Ontario.
Document the Cleaning You Completed
Photograph the apartment after your belongings have been removed and cleaning is complete.
Pay particular attention to:
- The inside of the refrigerator and oven
- Kitchen counters and cupboards
- Bathroom fixtures
- Floors and carpets
- Empty closets
- Window ledges
- The balcony
- Any furniture supplied with the unit
Keep receipts if you paid for professional cleaning, carpet treatment or another move-out service. A receipt does not establish the apartment’s entire condition, so combine it with photographs.
Remove your belongings and garbage from all areas assigned to you. This may include a parking space, storage locker, balcony or shared storage area.
Keep Records of Repairs and Maintenance Requests
Save copies of repair requests you made during the tenancy, particularly if a problem remains visible when you move out.
Useful records include:
- Emails and text messages
- Online maintenance requests
- Photographs sent to management
- Inspection notices
- Contractor appointment records
- Responses from the superintendent
- Municipal inspection documents
- Receipts for approved expenses
These records may show when a problem began, when you reported it and what action was taken.
If you communicated mainly by telephone, create a written summary identifying the approximate date, the person you spoke with and the issue discussed. Contemporaneous written communication is generally easier to verify than relying entirely on memory.
Request a Move-Out Inspection
Ask the landlord or property manager whether they will conduct a move-out inspection with you. Arrange it after your belongings have been removed but before returning possession of the apartment.
During the inspection:
- Walk through every room together
- Ask for concerns to be identified specifically
- Take notes and photographs
- Avoid agreeing to unclear or estimated charges
- Request a copy of any inspection report
- Read documents before signing them
- Keep a copy of anything you sign
If the landlord does not offer an inspection or is unavailable, complete your own photographic and video record.
An inspection is more useful when both sides discuss the apartment’s condition clearly. It should not replace your independent documentation.
Record All Keys and Access Devices Returned
Toronto rentals may include several access items:
- Apartment keys
- Building entrance keys
- Mailbox keys
- Parking remotes
- Garage fobs
- Laundry cards
- Amenity passes
- Locker keys
List everything you return. Whenever possible, hand the items to an authorized person and obtain written confirmation.
An email stating that the keys and fobs were returned on a particular date can help prevent a later disagreement. If you use a drop box, follow the property manager’s instructions and document the envelope and drop-off.
Do not leave keys inside the apartment unless the landlord has instructed you to do so in writing.
Retain Proof of Rent and Other Payments
Keep records showing that your rent and any agreed charges were paid through the end of the tenancy. These could include:
- Bank statements
- Electronic transfer confirmations
- Cancelled cheques
- Rent receipts
- Payment portal records
- Written confirmation from management
Under Ontario tenancy rules, a rent deposit is generally applied to the final rental period rather than being held as a general damage deposit. The Landlord and Tenant Board states that a rent deposit cannot be used to pay for damage to the unit.
Confirm how your final month’s rent is being applied instead of assuming that no further payment is required. Your move-out date and the legal end of the tenancy may not always be the same day.
Retain records of other payments as well, including parking, storage and utilities for which you were responsible. Moving costs can add up quickly, so include these items when reviewing your broader monthly expenses in Toronto.
Confirm the Final Utility Readings
If you pay utilities directly, record any meter readings available to you and retain confirmation that the accounts were closed or transferred.
Photograph the meter where it is safe and permitted to do so. Note the date and keep your final bills.
Do not disconnect a service that must remain active under your lease or building rules without confirming the correct procedure. Some condominium utilities are managed through building-specific providers rather than a conventional residential account.
Document Parking, Lockers and Common Areas
Your tenancy may include areas outside the apartment. Photograph the condition of your assigned parking space and storage locker after removing your belongings.
If you caused damage while moving furniture through a hallway, elevator or loading area, document what happened and notify management. Conversely, photograph any pre-existing common-area damage before your move if there is a possibility it could be attributed to you.
If you are transporting large items without your own vehicle, plan the building access carefully. The guide to furnishing a Toronto apartment without a car also explains elevator reservations, loading access and furniture transportation.
Preserve the Original Files
Store your documentation somewhere that will remain accessible after you move. Do not keep the only copy on a phone that could be lost or damaged.
Create a folder containing:
- Original photographs and videos
- Your lease
- Inspection reports
- Maintenance correspondence
- Payment confirmations
- Cleaning receipts
- Utility records
- Key-return confirmation
- Move-out messages
Back up the folder to a secure cloud account or another device. Keep the original files rather than screenshots whenever possible because the originals may contain useful dates and other metadata.
Use clear filenames such as “kitchen-floor-August-30” or “key-return-confirmation” so the materials can be located quickly.
Provide a Forwarding Address
Give the landlord or property manager a reliable forwarding address and current contact information. Make the notification in writing and retain a copy.
Your forwarding address may be needed for final correspondence, receipts or documents connected to the former tenancy.
You may also need to update your address separately with banks, government agencies, insurers, subscription providers and other organizations. Informing the landlord does not redirect all mail sent to the old apartment.
Create Your Record Before Returning Possession
Complete your final photographs and video after cleaning and removing your belongings but before returning the keys.
Once you surrender access, you may not be able to enter the apartment again to document its condition. Building staff, contractors or another occupant could also enter afterward, making it harder to establish when a later change occurred.
A useful final record should show the empty apartment, the date you left, the condition of each room, what access items you returned and whether your payments were complete.
Note: This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Ontario tenancy rules and Landlord and Tenant Board procedures can change. Consult current official guidance or a qualified legal professional if you have a dispute about damage, payments or the end of a tenancy.