Overheard a lawyer say most rental disputes come down to photos

I was at a coffee shop near the courthouse yesterday and caught two lawyers talking about landlord tenant stuff. One said he wins like 80% of cases just because the other side didn't take proper move-in photos. It got me thinking about my own rental situation, I have zero pics of the place when I moved in last April. Should I start documenting everything now just in case?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.jason27d ago

Yeah thats a good point actually because its not just about having photos its about having photos that actually show the condition. Most people take a quick picture of the empty room and call it a day but that doesnt show the little things like the tiny crack in the tile or the spot where the carpet is already worn down. If you start documenting now I would focus on anything that looks worn or damaged already even if its small. Take a picture close up with a ruler or a coin next to it so the scale is clear. And make sure you email them to yourself with a timestamp that way if it ever goes to court you have proof of when you took them. Its not perfect since you missed move in but its better than nothing.

elliot_miller2227d ago

You mentioned "email them to yourself with a timestamp" but like, what happens if the landlord claims you faked the date somehow? I always wondered if there's a way to make those timestamps legally bulletproof or if they just look good in small claims court. Because I've heard landlords can just say "well they could've taken those yesterday" and then it's your word against theirs.