What is a Condition Report for a rental property?

A condition report is a document provided to you by the Landlord or Property Manager as the second part of the Residential Tenancy Agreement when signing a lease agreement for the rental of a property.

The condition report must be provided to you at the time of signing your lease and detail the property condition at the commencement of the tenancy. It will also note any material facts and photos of the property including its fixtures, fittings and potential damage or items to be repaired.

When you move into a property, all appliances, fixtures, fittings, and general condition should be in good working order and the property should be in a clean condition. The report will have a section to note the condition of all rooms with space for you to complete or add information as the tenant if required.

Once you have signed the lease paperwork and been handed the condition report either in electronic or paper format, in addition to the keys, it is important that you inspect the property prior to moving in any furniture and note the condition of the property.

Any discrepancies with the report should be noted and reported to the landlord or the property manager. If there are multiple areas of concern, the property manager will likely reattend to go over the report with you and arrange for repairs where required.

There is a time frame in which the report should be completed and any damage including marks, chips in walls, stains and other wear and tear or damaged items need to be noted on the report during this period.

Ensure that you are also noting down the condition of external areas and confirm meter readings if you are responsible for the care of lawns and gardens as well as payment of water usage on the property.

Check off the photos in the report and if you are completing this electronically, many reports require that if changes are to be made, you are to take a photo of the area of concern and include it with the return of the report as evidence.

Noting down areas of concern and submitting them back to the Property Manager or Landlord in the required time period is an important part of your tenancy. This report provides proof of the condition of the property at the start and will be used at the end to determine responsibility for cleaning or damage less fair wear and tear.

What is a Residential Tenancy Agreement?