Thai Condo Move-In Inspection Checklist 2026: What to Photograph Before You Unpack

A room-by-room move-in inspection checklist for Thai condos: what to photograph, test and count on handover day, the 7/14-day deposit-return rules for in-scope landlords, and how to mirror it at move-out.

Facts in this guide were verified in October 2026 against the Contract Committee's lease notification B.E. 2568, OCPB Form A and the Civil and Commercial Code; law-firm, agency and cleaning-company guides are named as secondary where we use them. This is not legal, tax or financial advice.

Contents

Why does the move-in record matter?
When must the landlord return the deposit?
When should you inspect?
The room-by-room checklist
How do you document it?
What should you test?
Why photograph the meters?
The move-out mirror
Normal wear vs damage and the usual clauses
Where ElefyMove fits (and where it doesn't)
Sources

Photograph and film every room, test every appliance, count every key and card, read both meters and get a signed handover record on the day you receive the keys, before furniture arrives and with the landlord or agent present. Send the whole set to the landlord that same day.

This is the procedure our rental-law guide and renting guide stop short of: what to photograph, test and sign on day one, so that the same routine at move-out gives you the evidence to get your deposit back.

Why does the move-in record matter?

The law presumes the unit was fine. Under section 561 of the Civil and Commercial Code (ป.พ.พ. มาตรา 561, unofficial translation), without a written, signed description of the property's condition the tenant is presumed to have received it in good repair and must return it so, unless they prove the contrary. That applies to every tenancy.

The landlord holds the deposit and makes any deductions, which must be justified. It is paid tenant-to-landlord; ElefyMove does not hold it. Whoever claims damage later needs evidence.

Deposit seizure is the top rental complaint. According to Thairath's and Pattaya Mail's reports of an OCPB briefing (28 May 2026), the OCPB logged at least 1,655 housing-rental complaints from 2025 to late May 2026; the commonest was unfair confiscation of deposits, then utilities charged above official rates.

When must the landlord return the deposit?

Question	Landlord in scope of the 2568 notification	Private landlord outside scope
Who	Three or more rental units let to individuals, including online; not dormitories or hotels	One or two units
Rules	2568 notification plus the OCPB standard lease (Form A for terms up to three years)	Your lease plus the Civil and Commercial Code
Deposit return	7 days if no damage; 14 days after deducting actual repair costs	No statutory deadline; a "reasonable time" under general Code principles (one agency guide suggests about 30 days)
Money cap	Advance rent plus deposit ≤ three months' rent	None beyond the lease
Condition record	Required, attached to the lease, copy to you	Not required; your own signed record is the evidence

Citations and cautions (the 30-day figure is an agency rule of thumb from Superagent, not a legal norm):

The notification: ประกาศคณะกรรมการว่าด้วยสัญญา พ.ศ. 2568, Royal Gazette 6 June 2025, in force 4 September 2025. Leases signed before that date keep the old rules until expiry (clause 10).
Which form: Form A is the OCPB standard lease for terms up to three years; longer leases use Form B, whose clauses differ. Landlords may use their own form, but its terms cannot contradict the notification (Tilleke & Gibbins).
Timing: under Form A clause 10 the deposit is due at once at lease end unless the landlord inspects; the 7- and 14-day limits run from lease end and repossession, and only actual repair costs for tenant-caused damage may be deducted.
The cap: clause 6.1(2) of the notification, on a monthly contract. It replaced the older "one month each" caps on 30 January 2020, when the 2019 notification applied from five units (Conventus Law).
The record: the handover record (หลักฐานการตรวจรับสภาพอาคาร) is Form A clause 9. Get a dated note when you hand back the keys.

Two myths. There is no statutory 15% interest on a late refund; the general default rate under section 224 of the Code is 5% a year (the section 7 rate of 3% plus 2%) for defaults since 11 April 2021, claimed through the courts. And Form A's "seven days" are days, not working days. Recourse is the OCPB (hotline 1166 or the OCPB Connect app, per Thairath) for in-scope tenants, or a civil claim; verify against your contract.

When should you inspect?

Before furniture arrives. A sofa hides a scuff for a year.
On the day you receive the keys, so photos and meter readings carry the handover date.
With the landlord or agent present. The OCPB annex is signed by both parties as having jointly inspected the unit.

For an in-scope landlord, two documents change hands that day: the lease, in two identical copies with one handed to you at signing (notification clause 7), and the handover record attached to it (Form A clause 9). If the landlord will not sign, send a written summary the same day (Superagent, secondary); a dated set is the next best thing to the signed writing section 561 asks for.

The room-by-room checklist

The OCPB's model record is a 21-line table (quantity, normal or abnormal, remarks) from doors and furniture to the two meters; we have extended it for a furnished condo. Photograph wide, then close up with something for scale.

Area or system	Photograph	Test, count or note
Walls, floors, ceilings	Each wall from the doorway; every scuff, crack, stain, chipped tile.	Note hairline cracks and faded paint as existing.
Air-con (each unit)	Unit, remote, filter pulled out, drip tray.	Run 5–10 minutes on cool; remote and batteries; ask in writing when last serviced.
Water heater	Heater, breaker, shower head.	Hot water at sink and shower; pressure.
Bathroom	Grout, silicone, floor drain, toilet, extractor.	Flush twice; run the shower, watch the drain; check under the basin.
Fridge, washing machine, hob, hood	Fridge inside and out, drum and hoses, hob, hood filter.	Fridge cold; every ring lights; hood runs; machine fills and drains.
Windows, screens, balcony	Every pane, screen, handle, lock; balcony floor and drain.	Open and close each; locks engage.
Keys, key cards, fobs, parking card	All laid out together.	Count, note serials in the record, test each.
Furniture	Each item; any scratch or stain close up.	Numbered list with condition against the lease annex (Form A clause 1).
Mattress	Both sides, uncovered.	Stains, sagging.
Curtains	Each set open and closed.	Cords and rails work.
Lights, switches, outlets	Each light on; each outlet.	Try every outlet with a charger.
Electricity and water meters	Meter face, number and reading legible, then its location.	Readings and time into the record; landlord initials.
Wi-Fi and internet box	Router, box, wall cable.	Connect a phone; who holds the account.

How do you document it?

Timestamped photos plus one slow video. Leave date stamps on; the OCPB annex itself advises photographing the unit and equipment before moving in.
A written inventory signed by both parties. Section 561 asks for it; Form A clause 9 requires it of an in-scope landlord. Photos inside the record are optional (Tilleke & Gibbins); the signed table is the required part. Keep a scanned copy.
Send the set the same day. Share a cloud folder with the landlord and agent on handover day, so the set is dated by someone other than you, and keep the chat thread (Superagent, secondary). A dated LINE message is useful evidence, not proof.

What should you test?

The agency routine (Superagent, secondary) fits one pass: run each air-conditioner 5–10 minutes, run hot water at sink and shower, check pressure, flush twice, try every socket and built-in appliance, open and close every window and door, photograph both meters. Add drainage: fill basin and shower tray and watch them empty.

A failed test is a repair, not a deduction. Form A clause 12 puts repairs beyond minor ones on the landlord, requires you to notify first, and lets you terminate only if the defect is not fixed within a reasonable time and deprives you of use. Section 551 of the Code also requires notice first. You handle ordinary care and minor repairs (clause 11). Record each failure as "abnormal" and request the repair in writing that day.

How long do you have to report defects? There is no statutory reporting window; section 551 only requires notice before you can terminate. Any window is contractual: check the lease's repairs or handover clause. Report anything you missed in writing the day you find it, with a photo, in the same thread.

Why photograph the meters?

Because utilities charged above official rates are the second most common OCPB rental complaint (Thairath, May 2026), and the meter photo checks your first bill. For an in-scope landlord, charging above the utility's own rate is a prohibited clause (6.1(6)); Form A clause 4 bills you that pass-through rate times units used, and clause 8 requires an invoice at least three days before the due date, which you may check.

For reference, from September 2026 bills PEA (provincial areas; Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan are served by MEA, so check its tariff page) caps the residential energy charge for the first 200 units at 3 baht per unit before service charge, Ft and VAT (PEA notice, 11 September 2026). MWA (Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan; provinces such as Chiang Mai and Phuket are served by PWA, so check its tariff) starts residential water at 8.50 baht per cubic metre for the first 30, excluding VAT, raw-water charge and meter fee (page checked October 2026; it dates the table to 1999, so verify).

The move-out mirror

Move-out is the same routine run backwards. Per Superagent and a Legardy blog (both secondary), a deduction stands or falls on photos from the same angles at both ends, the asset list, the key-handover record, final meter readings and repair estimates.

Clean to the standard you received. Bangkok end-of-lease cleans listed at ฿1,790 (studio) to ฿4,990 (three-bed) in April 2026 (CleanRova, vendor price list); its named deduction triggers are grout mildew, limescale, a greasy hood and an uncleaned air-con filter.
Service the air-con if your lease requires it; keep the receipt. EGAT advised a clean every six months, cutting running cost by roughly 10% (via The Bangkok Insight, August 2022). Prices seen in 2026: ฿650 per wall unit at HomePro Home Service (labour only, checked October 2026), from ฿890 as a cleaner's add-on (CleanRova, April 2026). Superagent says landlords who find it skipped deduct ฿800–1,200 per unit.
Photograph and film every corner again with file dates visible, photograph the final meters, and return every key, card, fob and remote against the move-in count.
Walk through with the landlord and get a signed, dated note that inspection is complete and keys returned; that starts the 7- or 14-day clock for an in-scope landlord.
If a deduction appears, ask in writing for a costed, itemised list with evidence of actual repair cost by a set date (a Thai lawyer's approach in a Legardy Q&A); Form A clause 10(b) allows only the cost of fixing tenant-caused damage.

Normal wear vs damage and the usual clauses

Section 562 of the Code makes the tenant liable for damage from their own fault or that of people living with them, not from proper use. In-scope leases may not shift normal-use damage, no-fault damage, force majeure or normal deterioration onto the tenant (clause 6.1(10)–(12); Form A clauses 10(b) and 11). The examples below come from agency guides, not case law.

Usually normal wear	Usually damage (actual repair cost)
Faded paint	An impact dent in a gypsum wall
Light furniture scuffs	Deep stains
Hairline cracks at wall corners	A broken air-con where the tenant never cleaned the filter as the lease required
Deterioration from normal use (Form A clause 11)	Unpaid bills; lost keys at the written replacement rate

Three clauses recur; all are only as good as the paper.

A flat cleaning fee. One lease in a Legardy Q&A (#18265) set a flat 1,000-baht cleaning fee; there is no official figure. A flat deduction with no itemisation is only defensible with a written basis and a condition beyond normal use (Legardy blog, September 2026).
Air-con servicing. A February 2024 agency guide (Perfect Homes) said Chiang Mai contracts commonly required a clean every six months; Bangkok leases vary. In the same Legardy Q&A, a tenant billed for servicing not in the contract was advised to demand the itemised list above. Not written, not a debt.
"The landlord may keep the whole deposit." For in-scope landlords, forfeiting the deposit where the tenant is not at fault is prohibited (clause 6.1(4)); for anyone, a Thai lawyer's answer (Legardy, July 2026) is that such a clause is an excessive penalty under section 383, which a court may reduce to the real loss.

Where ElefyMove fits (and where it doesn't)

ElefyMove is a long-term rental platform for furnished apartments and condos in Thailand, used by expats, digital nomads and remote workers.

A landlord's identity and property ownership are verified before a listing goes live, and landlords can request an optional staff review of a listing's photos and condition to earn a verified badge.
The written rental contract is signed through the platform, and rent is paid through it (Stripe for cards and Thai PromptPay QR, PayPal as an alternative), with ElefyMove as the landlord's payment collection agent.
Tenancy Records are an optional evidence record: move-in and move-out handover photos, condition reports and damage reports with a defined reporting window. They document evidence so landlord and tenant can settle any disagreement directly between themselves.

Where it doesn't fit: ElefyMove does not hold deposits, and what is deducted remains between landlord and tenant, with the OCPB and the courts as recourse. A Tenancy Record does not replace the signed paper record an in-scope landlord must attach to the lease, so do both (see the FAQ).

Sources

Primary (official)

Secondary (advisory and guide sites, identified as such in the text)

Disclaimer: this article is general information, not legal, immigration, tax or financial advice. ElefyMove is a long-term rental platform and the landlord's payment collection agent; it does not hold deposits, and any deduction is settled between landlord and tenant directly. Rules and tariffs change: verify with your contract, the OCPB (hotline 1166) and a licensed Thai lawyer before acting.