Moving Out of an Apartment in Japan: Photos to Take and How to Check Cleaning and Repair Charges

Last reviewed October 16, 2026 · 14 min read · By the PEA team (Lumina Spark)

日本語版 (Japanese version)

Short answer: Photograph the apartment after you have moved everything out and finished cleaning, and before the move-out inspection (tachiai) or before you return the keys. Shoot the same spots from the same angles as your move-in photos, each as a pair: a wide shot and a close-up of any mark. Once the keys are back you can't get in, and once repairs start the marks are gone, so you can't retake these photos after the bill arrives. Keep the original files and send them to the management company the same day. Even without photos, normal wear and tear and aging are not the tenant's responsibility under Japan's Civil Code. This article is general information about Japan, not legal advice.

Why move-out photos matter

Most disputes over move-out costs come down to one question: when, and how, did this mark appear? 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. It recommends that landlord and tenant inspect the unit together with a checklist at both points, and that they use visible means such as photos.

Move-out photos do a job your move-in photos can't:

  • They show the state of the unit when you left. The bill can arrive weeks later. By then you can't enter, and repairs may already have started. Your photos may be the only record of what the unit looked like.
  • They cover places nobody mentioned. If you photograph the whole unit, you can compare it with any charge that comes later for a spot that wasn't raised at the inspection.
  • They can be compared with move-in photos. Same spot, same angle makes it easy to separate marks that were already there from marks that appeared while you lived there (see moving into an apartment in Japan).

Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center (NCAC) receives thousands of consultations about restoration costs every year: 13,273 in fiscal 2023, 13,312 in fiscal 2024 and 14,711 in fiscal 2025, with fiscal 2026 running ahead of the previous year (1,846 by the end of May, against 1,645). One case it describes: a tenant was told at the inspection that there was no problem, then later received a bill for floor repairs. Recording the unit yourself is worth it even when nothing is said at the inspection.

When to take them

  • After everything is out and the cleaning is done. You want the floors and walls that furniture used to hide, and the photos also show the unit was left clean.
  • Before the inspection. During the inspection you'll be busy photographing whatever is pointed out.
  • If there's no inspection (for example, you post the keys back), before you return the keys. MLIT's supplementary materials (March 2023) say photographing the unit before moving out is useful when there is no inspection; in its survey of management companies, about 7% didn't ask for one. Tokyo's guideline on preventing rental disputes also suggests that tenants make their own checklist with dated photos if the landlord can't attend.
  • In daylight, with any remaining lights on, so fine scratches and stains show up.

Checklist: what to photograph

MLIT's sample move-in/move-out checklist lists the parts of a unit to check. In its March 2023 survey, management companies most often named wallpaper (cross) and flooring as the parts that lead to disputes, so take extra care with those.

AreaWhat to photographTip at move-out
RoomsCeiling, walls (wallpaper), floor, windows and screens, closets and storage, ceiling fixturesAlways shoot the floor and walls where furniture stood. Dents and marks from furniture and dark marks behind a TV or fridge are given by the Ministry of Justice as examples of normal wear
Floors (flooring, tatami, carpet)The whole room, then close-ups of scratches, dents and discolorationWide shot first so the location is clear; light shallow scratches from an angle with your phone's flashlight
Walls (wallpaper)Stains, peeling, holes, pin marks, fadingShoot all four walls of each room, including clean walls, because wallpaper replacement is a common charge
KitchenSink, stove and surroundings, range hood, cupboards, floorShow it after cleaning; close-ups of grease or scorch marks
Bathroom, washroom, toiletTub, walls, floor, ceiling, drains, mirror, sink, toilet, washing-machine trayMold and limescale as a wide shot plus a close-up
FixturesAir conditioner, water heater, fan, intercom, lightsVideo showing they work; the air conditioner vents
Entrance and balconyFront door inside and out, keys, shoe cabinet, balcony floor and drainLay the keys out so the count is visible before you hand them back
Marks recorded at move-inEvery spot in your move-in photos or checklistSame angle and distance as before, so the two can be compared

How to shoot

  1. Work from your move-in photos. Same spot, same angle, same distance. Without move-in photos, pick an order (for example, clockwise from the door) and stick to it.
  2. Shoot pairs: wide and close. A close-up alone can't show which room or which wall the mark is on.
  3. Show the size. Put a tape measure or ruler next to the mark.
  4. Walk through with video too. It shows where marks are relative to each other, and that the unit was emptied and cleaned.
  5. Don't edit. No cropping, brightness changes or filters on the originals; make edited copies if you need them, so nobody can say the photos were altered.
  6. Check before you leave. Count the shots and check focus on the spot. Once the keys are back, there's no second chance.

At the move-out inspection (tachiai)

  1. Bring your move-in photos, checklist and any emails to the management company. MLIT's materials also suggest having move-in photos and the condition checklist ready at move-out.
  2. Photograph anything pointed out, then and there, and note what was said. Compare with your move-in photos if you have them.
  3. Read before you sign. In the guideline's Q&A, signing to confirm that damage exists is not, in itself, agreeing to pay for it. If a document does say you accept the cost, the amount is basically settled by it, so ask questions and be careful. The Q&A also explains that, unless the contract has a special clause on restoration, there is no reason to pay for damage that wasn't caused by the tenant's intent or negligence.
  4. You don't have to agree a figure on the spot. You can wait for the itemized bill.

If you didn't take photos, or have no move-in photos

  • Normal wear and tear and aging are not your responsibility, photos or not. Since April 1, 2020, Article 621 of the Civil Code says the tenant must restore damage that arose after receiving the property, but not damage from ordinary use (normal wear and tear) or aging. Damage that was there before you moved in isn't yours either.
  • Ask what the charge is based on. Which spot, what damage, what work, at what cost? Ask whether you can see any photos the management company took at the inspection, and the move-in checklist if one exists.
  • If you still have access, photograph now. Even after the inspection, photos taken before you return the keys are worth having.
  • Look for other records: photos from viewing the apartment or signing the lease, everyday photos with walls or floors in the background, and emails with the management company.
  • Even when you are responsible, there are limits. MLIT's materials say elapsed years are taken into account, and that the tenant's share is basically the minimum work needed to repair the damaged part (see the next section).

When the bill arrives

  1. Check the itemization. For each spot: the work, unit price, quantity, years elapsed and your share. If any of it is unclear, ask. The guideline's Q&A says the landlord has a duty to explain restoration costs deducted from the deposit, and the tenant can ask for an itemized statement. MLIT's standard lease also requires the landlord to show the breakdown of anything deducted from the deposit. You don't have to pay for upgrades beyond the original specification.
  2. Look for normal wear and aging in the bill. Furniture dents and marks, and dark marks on the wall behind a TV or fridge, are generally not the tenant's responsibility (Ministry of Justice examples).
  3. Compare with your photos. Was the mark there at move-in? Was it there at move-out? MLIT's materials encourage both sides to show evidence such as photos and talk it through.
  4. Read the special clauses in your lease. A clause may make you pay for professional cleaning, for example. For residential leases in Tokyo, the Tokyo Rule requires agents to explain the basic principles of restoration and any special clauses in writing at signing, so look for that document too. The MLIT guideline is a general standard, not a legally binding rule.

How depreciation works

The MLIT guideline says that even where the tenant is responsible for damage, the tenant doesn't pay the full cost. Aging and normal wear are treated as already paid for through rent, so the tenant's share falls the longer they lived there, following the useful life of each item; after its useful life, the remaining value is set at 1 yen.

ItemUseful life / treatment
Wallpaper (cross)6 years; after 6 years the remaining value is 1 yen. Your share covers one wall face that includes the damage (the whole room only where smoking discolored and scented all of it)
Carpet, cushion floor, tatami base6 years
FlooringSpot repairs ignore elapsed years and are charged in full; only replacing the whole floor uses the building's useful life
Tatami surface, sliding-door and shoji paperTreated as consumables; elapsed years not considered
Air conditioner, intercom, gas appliances6 years
Kitchen sink unit5 years
Toilet, washbasin15 years

Worked examples from MLIT's supplementary materials: wallpaper after 3 years is a 50% share; replacing two wall faces (20 m², ¥1,200 per m²) after 4 years comes to 33.3%, or ¥8,000. A spot repair of flooring (2 m², ¥15,000 per m²) ignores elapsed years, so the full ¥30,000 applies. If the unit wasn't new when you moved in, the starting point is agreed between the parties. Even past an item's useful life, you can still be charged for the labor and work needed to fix damage you caused deliberately or carelessly.

Keeping your photos, and showing the date

  • Keep the original files, as taken on the phone, not copies re-sent through a messaging app.
  • Store them in two places, such as a computer and a cloud service that keeps original quality. Don't delete them until the deposit is settled.
  • Send them to the management company the same day, by email or another method that leaves a record, as "the condition of the unit at move-out". The email then sits, with its date, on their side too.

The date and time a phone records can be changed later in the iPhone Photos app or Google Photos, and the phone's clock can be set by hand. To make the date easier to explain, keep a dated record outside your own phone: the email to the management company, or a third-party timestamp (the RFC 3161 standard), which shows that a file existed at a given time and hasn't changed since. A timestamp shows when the file existed, not when the photo was taken. For more, see how to prove when a photo was taken.

If you disagree: where to get help

  • Consumer hotline 188: connects you to your local consumer affairs center (in Japanese).
  • Houterasu (Japan Legal Support Center) Multilingual Information Service: 0570-078377 (050-3754-5430 from IP or prepaid phones). Weekdays 9:00–17:00, in English and nine other languages, as a three-way call with an interpreter. It gives free information on the legal system and where to consult; call charges apply.
  • Other routes: small claims litigation, civil conciliation and ADR. Small claims (shōgaku soshō) covers claims for up to ¥600,000, is usually filed at the summary court for the other party's address, and is in principle decided in a single hearing. Evidence must be submitted by that first hearing and be something the court can examine on the spot (Courts of Japan). Your move-out photos are central to that.

Your deposit (shikikin) is returned after the lease ends and you have handed the unit back, minus unpaid rent and similar debts (Civil Code Article 622-2). If restoration costs are deducted, ask for the basis.

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 its findings with 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 PEA certificate is an extra step for the photos that matter most.

  • Fix the photo's existence at move-out, 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. The timestamp is the time of the check, so checking on the day you return the keys gives you material to show the photo existed by move-out day.
  • Turn it into a certificate within 7 days. Free results are deleted after 7 days. A certificate costs ¥1,000 per image, charged in yen (international cards accepted), and anyone you show it to can check the issue time, the file hash and the timestamp by certificate number on PEA's public verification page.
  • You don't need a certificate for every photo. Pick the one or few showing the costliest spots: a large area of flooring, a wall you may be asked to repaper, a damaged fixture.
  • Keep the exact file you checked. Re-saving or cropping it changes the hash and it will no longer match.
  • Photos only (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, up to 25 MB). Walk-through videos can't be checked; keep them as original files.

PEA can't prove when or by whom a photo was taken, which room it shows, or who caused a mark. 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. Use it together with the original photos, your move-in records and your emails. 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-out photos in Japan?

After everything is moved out and cleaned, before the move-out inspection, and before you return the keys. You then capture the floors and walls that furniture used to hide. Once the keys are back you can't enter, and once repairs begin the marks are gone, so you can't retake them after the bill arrives. If there is no inspection, the last chance is just before you return the keys.

I didn't take move-out photos. What can I do?

If you still have the keys, take them now. If not, ask the management company what the charge is based on (which spot, what damage, what work, at what cost) and whether you can see photos they took at the inspection. Normal wear and tear and aging are not the tenant's responsibility, with or without photos (Civil Code Article 621). Look for other records, such as photos from your viewing or everyday photos showing the walls and floor.

Do I have to pay the full cost of new wallpaper?

Not necessarily, even if you caused the damage. Under the MLIT guideline, wallpaper has a 6-year useful life: your share falls the longer you lived there and reaches a remaining value of 1 yen after 6 years (MLIT's example: 50% after 3 years). Your share also normally covers only the wall face with the damage. Check how years and shares are applied in the itemized bill.

Do I have to sign the move-out inspection form?

Read it first. The guideline's Q&A says that confirming damage exists is not, by itself, agreeing to pay for it. If the form says you accept the cost, the amount is basically settled by it, so ask questions and be careful. You don't need to agree a figure on the spot.

What can I do if I disagree with the move-out bill?

Ask for an itemized statement: the guideline's Q&A says the landlord must explain restoration costs deducted from the deposit and the tenant can request the details. Compare the bill with your photos and check for normal wear, aging and depreciation. If that doesn't settle it, you can call 188, Houterasu's Multilingual Information Service (0570-078377), or a lawyer. For up to ¥600,000, small claims litigation is another route.

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