Deposit horror stories / how to protect yourself

Photograph and timestamp absolutely everything on move-in day now, video walkthrough included — non-negotiable habit ever since a similar scare of my own.

The mystery cleaning fee is apparently extremely common — I’ve now heard this exact story from three different people separately.

I get the move-in condition report physically signed by the landlord in person now, rather than just submitted or emailed. Closes a loophole I only learned about the hard way.

Adding all of this to my own move-in checklist, thank you.