A property condition report is a factual, dated, photo-documented record of the state of a property at a precise moment. It does not test systems and it does not predict problems. It fixes, on the record, what was visible on that day, so that nobody has to argue from memory later.
A condition report does not judge a property. It records it, so that nobody has to argue from memory later.
General information about California law (AB 2801, Civil Code § 1950.5), not legal advice.
A condition report documents every room with timestamped photographs, notes on the visible state of walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures and equipment, and an overall factual summary. At Scoutmyplace it also includes a video walkthrough, so the record shows the unit in motion, not just in frames.
Living areas, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, plus the building areas that matter when relevant: entrance, hallways, parking, storage.
Every photo is dated and geo-stamped, then filed by room, so each observation is anchored in time and place.
The visible condition of walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures and equipment, kept factual: what is there, and what state it is in.
The whole unit in one continuous take, delivered alongside the photos, so the record shows the place in motion, not just in frames.
A structured digital report to store, print, and produce later if a dispute arises. Neither side has to rely on memory.
Reports and photos stay available for four years, the retention period recommended for deposit records in California.
No. In California, a home inspection is a defined professional service (Business and Professions Code § 7195) in which a licensed inspector examines and tests systems such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC and structure. A condition report is a visual record only: nothing is tested, operated, or dismantled.
In California, "home inspection" is a defined professional service (Business and Professions Code § 7195). Scoutmyplace does not perform home inspections. For structural or system concerns, a licensed professional is the right call.
At the three moments where the state of the unit has consequences: before you commit to a place you have not seen, the day a tenancy starts, and the day it ends. Each moment has its own report, and California law now expects photographic documentation at the last two.
You found a place you cannot visit. A property visit report tells a remote renter what the unit and the street are really like: photos, video, measured light and noise, before any money moves.
The move-in condition report fixes the baseline. Under AB 2801, move-in photographs are required for tenancies starting July 1, 2025 or later, and whatever is documented as already worn cannot be deducted later.
The move-out condition report records the unit as it is handed back, before any repair or cleaning: exactly the photo set AB 2801 requires to support a deduction.
Once the deducted work is done, the result is documented too, closing the loop the law describes.
Both, which is why independence matters. The landlord needs the record to justify any deposit deduction under AB 2801. The tenant needs the same record to contest deductions for wear that predates them. A report produced by a neutral third party serves both sides at once.
One documented record per unit turn, produced the same way every time, ready to attach to the itemized statement AB 2801 requires within 21 days.
Proof of the state of the unit on day one, so normal wear and pre-existing defects stay off the final bill. The same record, read from the other side.
A report neither side authored is hard to argue with. The conversation moves from memory against memory to a shared document.
The reason condition reports became the standard in California is a 2024 law, AB 2801, which ties every security deposit deduction to photographic documentation. We wrote the complete factual guide: deadlines, photo requirements, legitimate and abusive deductions. And a second one on the line between normal wear and damage.
Primary texts and official guidance this guide is based on. Verify against them: the law changes, this page is general information, not legal advice.
Scoutmyplace produces independent condition reports across Los Angeles: property visit reports for remote renters, move-in and move-out condition reports for tenancies. We document the unit, the report is delivered within 24 hours.