The inventory of fixtures is the document that decides, years later, what will be withheld from the rental deposit. It is the only moment when both parties look at the property together and write down what they see.
Why it is decisive
The rule is simple and blunt: without a detailed entry inventory, the tenant is presumed to have received the property in the state in which they return it. In other words, with no document, the landlord can claim almost nothing — the point of comparison is missing.
So the inventory protects the landlord first. It also protects the tenant, by establishing in black and white that the crack in the living room or the stain on the parquet was there before they arrived.
Joint, detailed, annexed
Three requirements:
- Joint: drawn up in the presence of both parties, or by an expert appointed by mutual agreement. A document written by the landlord alone and sent to the tenant does not carry that weight.
- Detailed: room by room, item by item. « Good general condition » means nothing. What counts are precise entries: state of walls, floors, window frames, sanitary ware, appliances, and the meter readings.
- Annexed to the lease and registered with it, free of charge.
Dated photographs, attached to the document and signed, are worth more than three paragraphs of description. They avoid the argument over what « a few marks » meant.
Who pays?
If the parties do it themselves, it costs nothing. If they appoint a joint expert, the fees are split in half. A landlord who imposes their own expert and charges the full cost to the tenant is outside the framework.
Each party remains free to bring in their own expert, at their own cost.
The exit: comparison, not inventory
The exit inventory is not drawn up in the abstract: it is compared with the entry one. Three categories come out of it.
| Category | Borne by whom? |
|---|---|
| Normal wear from occupancy | The landlord |
| Damage attributable to the tenant | The tenant |
| Age of the material | The landlord |
Normal wear is never charged to the tenant. Paint dulled after six years of occupancy, a silicone joint to redo, carpet worn along walkways: that is the cost of time, not a fault.
Age also affects the amount: a damaged appliance that was already ten years old is not replaced with a new one at the tenant's expense. Compensation takes the age of the damaged item into account.
Changes during the lease
If significant works are carried out during occupancy, record them in an addendum to the inventory. Without it, the improvement or deterioration they bring will be argued at exit with no written reference.
Returning the deposit
Where the exit inventory records nothing attributable, the deposit is released in full. In case of disagreement, the sum stays blocked until both parties agree in writing or a court decides — all the more reason for the entry document to be precise.