Moving Into an Apartment in Japan: Photos to Take on Day One to Protect Your Deposit

Last reviewed October 16, 2026 · 12 min read · By the PEA team (Lumina Spark)

日本語版 (Japanese version)

Short answer: Photograph the apartment after you get the keys and before any furniture or boxes go in, room by room, as pairs: a wide shot and a close-up of each mark or stain. Keep the original files and, the same day, email them to the management company or landlord, or note the marks on the move-in checklist and keep a copy. The date a phone records can be changed later, so back it up with records that sit outside your phone, such as that email or a third-party timestamp. This article is general information about Japan, not legal advice. If you disagree with charges when you move out, see moving out of an apartment in Japan.

Why move-in photos matter

Most disputes over repair costs at move-out come down to one question: was this mark there before you moved in, or did it appear while you lived there? The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) guideline on restoring rental properties (genjō kaifuku) names insufficient checks at move-in and move-out as a major cause of disputes, because tenancies last years and memories fade.

The guideline recommends a checklist completed with both parties present at move-in and move-out, and says it's also important to use visible means such as photos. It notes such checklists can serve as evidence if a dispute goes to court.

Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center (NCAC) receives over 13,000 consultations a year about restoration costs (13,273 in fiscal 2023, 13,312 in fiscal 2024, 14,711 in fiscal 2025). It advises checking the unit at move-in "together with the landlord's side as far as possible, taking photos and notes" (our translation).

What tenants do and don't pay for

Since April 1, 2020, Article 621 of the Civil Code says tenants must restore damage that arose after they received the property, but not normal wear and tear from ordinary use, or aging. Damage that was there before you moved in isn't your responsibility either.

CategoryExamples (from the Ministry of Justice)
Normal wear and aging (generally not the tenant's cost)Dents and marks in floors or carpets from furniture; dark marks on the wall behind a TV or fridge; glass broken by an earthquake; replacing locks when nothing was broken or lost
Not normal wear (can be the tenant's cost)Scratches made while moving in or out; tobacco stains and smell; damage and smells from pets; fixtures broken by poor care or misuse

That's why recording the state of the unit on the day you move in matters. Scratches from moving in can be charged to you, so photographing before anything is carried in helps separate them from marks that were already there.

The guideline is a general standard and isn't legally binding. If your lease has a special clause on restoration (tokuyaku), things may differ, so read the restoration and move-out cost sections of your contract before you move in.

When to take them: after you get the keys, before anything goes in

  • After you receive the keys and before furniture or boxes are brought in. Furniture hides floors and walls, and makes moving-in scratches hard to tell apart from older ones.
  • If the management company or landlord does a walkthrough, shoot while you check together, which is ideal (NCAC, MLIT).
  • In daylight, with every light on, so fine scratches and stains show up.
  • If you're given a move-in checklist (check sheet), there may be a deadline for returning it. Check and meet it.

Room-by-room checklist

Based on the areas in MLIT's sample move-in/move-out checklist. In MLIT's March 2023 survey, management companies most often named wallpaper (cross) and flooring as the parts that lead to disputes, so give those extra attention.

AreaWhat to photographTips
Entrance and hallwayFront door inside and out, keys, intercom, shoe cabinet, floor, lights, mailboxDoor open and closed; open the shoe cabinet and shoot inside
Living room and bedroomsCeiling, walls (stains, peeling, holes), floor (scratches, dents, discoloration), sliding doors, closets, windows and screens, lightsShoot each room from all four corners first, then each mark close up; light shallow floor scratches from the side
KitchenSink, stove and surroundings, range hood, cupboards, water-heater panel, floorOpen the cupboards; close-ups of scorch marks, grease and scratches in the sink
BathroomCeiling, walls, floor, door and seals, tub, shower, drain, mirror, fanMold, limescale and dark marks as a wide shot plus a close-up
WashroomBasin, mirror, washing-machine tray, plumbing, floorShoot the tray and the floor around it before the washing machine hides them
ToiletBowl (cracks, stains), tank, heated seat, paper holder, floor and wallsLid up as well; check it works
FixturesAir conditioner, water heater, fans, stove, intercomCheck they work and film it; photograph the air-conditioner vents
OtherSwitches and sockets, TV and phone jacks, balcony floor and drain, laundry hooksLook for cracks, scorch marks or looseness and shoot close-ups

How to shoot

  1. Go room by room in a fixed order (for example, clockwise from the door) so nothing is missed and photos are easy to find later.
  2. Shoot pairs: wide and close. A close-up alone can't show which room or wall the mark is on.
  3. Show the size with a tape measure or ruler next to the mark.
  4. Use light from an angle. Turn on all the lights and shine your phone's flashlight across the floor or wall to reveal shallow scratches; change angle so glass and mirrors don't reflect the flash.
  5. Photograph places with no problems too, so you can show the overall condition.
  6. Walk through each room on video. It shows where marks are relative to each other; video also suits checking that fixtures work.
  7. Don't edit. Cropping, brightness changes or filters invite claims that the photos were altered. Edit copies only.
  8. Number the photos on the checklist. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's guideline example writes photo numbers on the floor plan, linking each mark to its photo.

Is the photo date good evidence?

Photos taken on a phone record the date and time (Exif). You can check them without uploading the image using PEA's photo date and location checker (Japanese page; it works in any browser).

But the recorded date alone is weak evidence:

  • Apple's iPhone User Guide explains you can change a photo's date, time and location with "Adjust" in the Photos app, and Google Photos on Android lets you edit a photo's date and timestamp.
  • The phone's own clock can be set by hand if automatic time is turned off.
  • Photos sent through LINE and similar apps often lose their date record.

Tokyo's guideline suggests tenants make their own checklist with dated photos if the landlord can't attend, which helps at move-out and when the deposit is settled. A visible date is handy, but any date stored on your phone is still a record on your own device.

To make the date easier to explain, keep a dated record outside your phone:

  • Send the photos to the management company or landlord. The email sits, with its date, on their side too.
  • Have both parties date and sign the checklist. MLIT's sample checklist has spaces for the move-in check date and signatures from tenant, landlord and management company.
  • Fix the file with a third-party timestamp. A trusted time-stamping authority certifies that a file existed at a given time (the RFC 3161 standard). It shows when the file existed, not when the photo was taken.

Combine them rather than relying on one. For a comparison, see how to prove when a photo was taken.

Keeping and sharing the photos

You may not move out for years, so protect the files from phone changes and clean-ups:

  • Keep the original files, as taken, not copies re-saved by an editor or re-sent through a messaging app.
  • Store them in two places, such as a computer and a cloud service that keeps original quality.
  • Keep them together in a folder such as "Move-in photos 2026-10-16", with your checklist copy and emails.

Send them to the management company

MLIT's March 2023 materials say that even if the management company doesn't ask for a checklist, tenants can share their understanding of the unit's condition, and the evidence, using the guideline's checklist.

  • On the day you move in if possible, send the photos as "marks and stains that were there before I moved in", by email or another method that leaves a record.
  • If the company has its own check sheet, app or form, use it, and keep a copy or a screenshot of the completion screen.
  • Split large sets across several emails, and keep the originals yourself.
  • Save any reply.

A sample message (in Japanese, which most management companies will expect):

件名：〇〇マンション〇〇号室 入居時の室内の状況（写真添付） 〇月〇日に入居した〇〇です。入居時に確認した室内の傷・汚れの写真をお送りします。入居前からあったものとして、記録をお願いいたします。・居間の床（窓側）の傷：写真1・2 ・洋室の壁（クロス）の汚れ：写真3・4 ・浴室ドアのパッキンのカビ：写真5

(In English: "I moved into unit [number] on [date]. Attached are photos of marks and stains I found when moving in. Please record them as existing before my move-in: scratch on the living-room floor by the window, photos 1–2; stain on the bedroom wallpaper, photos 3–4; mold on the bathroom door seal, photo 5.")

RecordWhat it showsLimits
Original photo filesThe image as taken and the date the phone recordedThe date can be changed in photo apps or via the phone clock; sending can strip it
Photos with the date stamped inThe date is visible at a glanceA stamped date isn't proof by itself; it covers part of the image
Walk-through videoThe whole room and where marks areFine scratches may not show; same date weakness as photos
Checklist signed by both sidesBoth parties checked the conditionUnlisted marks are hard to raise; you must keep your copy
Email to the management company (with photos)You reported the marks at move-in, with a dated record on their sideDoesn't mean they agreed
Third-party timestamp (e.g., a certificate)The file existed at that time and hasn't changed, verifiable by anyoneDoesn't show when or by whom it was taken, or who caused the mark; costs money

If you forgot to take photos

  • Take them now. The photos will be dated after move-in, so on their own they can't show the marks predate you, but the sooner after moving in, the easier it is to explain.
  • Tell the management company about the marks or faults you found, with photos, by a method that leaves a record. Tenants are obliged to notify the landlord of repairs that are needed (Civil Code Article 615; MLIT materials).
  • Look for other records, such as photos from viewing or signing, and messages with the management company. The company may have its own move-in record; you can ask at move-out.
  • Normal wear and aging aren't your responsibility, photos or not. Even where you are responsible, MLIT's materials say elapsed years are taken into account and your share is basically the minimum work needed to repair the damaged part.

Where to get help

  • Consumer hotline 188: connects you to your local consumer affairs center (in Japanese).
  • Houterasu Multilingual Information Service: 0570-078377 (050-3754-5430 from IP or prepaid phones). Weekdays 9:00–17:00, in English and nine other languages; free information on the legal system and where to consult (call charges apply).
  • A lawyer, if the amount is large or talks have broken down.

What PEA can and can't do

PEA (Professional Evidence Authenticator), from Lumina Spark in Japan, checks an image for signs of AI generation or editing with several independent analyses and shows a grade from 1 to 10. It doesn't decide who is responsible for a mark or whether a repair cost is fair.

Start with the free steps: take the photos, keep the originals, send them to the management company. A certificate is an extra step for the most important photos.

  • Fix a photo's existence on move-in day, in a form others can verify. When you run a check, PEA records the file's SHA-256 hash and seals it with an Ed25519 digital signature and an RFC 3161 timestamp from a third-party time-stamping authority. Turn it into a certificate within 7 days (¥1,000 per image, charged in yen; international cards accepted), and the management company or a lawyer can check the issue time, hash and timestamp by certificate number on PEA's public verification page.
  • Check that a file is the same one. Anyone given the exact file can compute its hash and compare it with the one shown on the verification page (resized or recompressed copies won't match, so keep the file you checked).
  • Pick one or a few photos: deep floor scratches, large wallpaper stains, damaged fixtures. Move-in sets often run to dozens of photos.
  • Photos only (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, up to 25 MB); keep walk-through videos as original files.

PEA can't prove when or by whom a photo was taken, which room it shows, or whether a mark was there before you moved in. It shows that the file existed at the time of the check and hasn't changed since, plus the analysis results. The timestamp is not one accredited by Japan's Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, and we can't promise how a management company or court will weigh it. The account and certificate screens are in Japanese; browser translation works on them.

This article is general information about Japan, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

When should I take move-in photos in Japan?

After you get the keys and before furniture or boxes go in. Furniture hides floors and walls, and makes moving-in scratches hard to tell from older marks. If the management company or landlord walks through with you, shoot while you check together. If you're given a check sheet, note its return deadline.

Is the date on my phone photos good evidence?

It helps but is weak on its own: the iPhone Photos app and Google Photos let you change a photo's date, and the phone clock can be set by hand. Combine it with records outside your phone, such as an email sending the photos to the management company, a checklist both sides signed, or a third-party timestamp, which shows when the file existed rather than when it was taken.

Should I send the photos to the management company?

Yes. MLIT's materials say tenants can share their understanding of the unit's condition, and the evidence, with the management company even if a checklist isn't requested. Send them on move-in day if possible, by email or another method that leaves a record, and keep the originals.

I forgot to take move-in photos. What now?

Take them as soon as you notice and report the marks to the management company with photos; the sooner after moving in, the easier it is to explain. Even without photos, normal wear and aging aren't the tenant's responsibility (Civil Code Article 621). At move-out, photograph anything pointed out and ask for an itemized bill.

What if the inspection at move-out finds a mark I didn't make?

Show your move-in photos, checklist and the email you sent the management company, and photograph the spot. Read any form before signing and check whether it accepts the cost. If you disagree with the bill, ask for an itemized statement, and if it isn't resolved, contact 188, Houterasu's Multilingual Information Service or a lawyer.

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