Simple Capture

Guide · 6 min read

Protect your deposit
with one walk-through video.

Most deposit disputes come down to one question: was that mark there when you moved in? A slow, narrated video on move-in day answers it. This guide shows what to film in each room, how to talk while you film, and how to turn the video into a dated report your landlord can read.

Why a video beats a folder of photos

Photos show a mark. A continuous video shows where the mark is, how big it is next to things you recognize, and that you walked every room on one day. It is much harder to argue with a single unbroken walk-through than with forty loose pictures.

Talking while you film matters just as much. When you say "small chip in the counter, right of the sink", the note sits next to the picture of it, and Simple Capture copies your words into the report beside the right room.

Before you start

  • Film on the day you get the keys, before any boxes or furniture come in.
  • Turn every light on and open the blinds. Dark corners hide the marks that get disputed.
  • Charge your phone and clear some space. A two-bedroom walk takes six to ten minutes.
  • Say the date and the address out loud at the front door. It puts both on the record in your own voice.
  • Bring your lease or the landlord's checklist if there is one, so you film what it asks about.

Room by room: what to film

Entry and hallway

  • Front door, lock and frame
  • Light switches and plates
  • Walls at hip height, where scuffs start
  • Smoke alarm: press test

Kitchen

  • Counter edges and the area around the sink
  • Inside the oven, burners and extractor fan
  • Inside the fridge and freezer, seals
  • Cupboard doors, hinges and shelves
  • Under the sink: leaks or damp

Bathroom

  • Grout and caulk around the tub or shower
  • Toilet, seat and flush
  • Taps and drains: run them
  • Mirror, cabinet and towel rails
  • Fan and any mold on the ceiling

Bedrooms and living room

  • Carpet or floor, especially by windows and doors
  • Walls and ceiling: holes, nail marks, cracks
  • Closet doors and rails
  • Windows, locks, blinds and screens

Utilities

  • Electric, gas and water meters: read them aloud
  • Breaker panel
  • Heating, thermostat and water heater
  • Washer and dryer if supplied

Outside and extras

  • Balcony or patio, railings
  • Parking spot, storage unit, mailbox
  • Keys, fobs and remotes: count them on camera

How to film

  • Walk slowly. Count two seconds on every wall, then move on.
  • Stop and get close on anything wrong: scuffs, chips, stains, holes, cracks, burns, broken blinds. Every stop becomes a photo in the report.
  • Say what you see, with where it is: "palm-sized stain on the carpet, by the bedroom window."
  • Open things. The oven, fridge, dishwasher, cupboards, closets and the bathroom cabinet are where deductions hide.
  • Read numbers out loud: the electric, gas and water meters, and the count of keys you were given.
  • Test what should work: taps, the shower, burners, the extractor fan, smoke alarms. Say whether each one works.

Turn the video into a report

When the walk is done, Simple Capture finds the rooms, lists what is in each one, copies out the meter numbers it can read, and puts your spoken notes beside the right scene. That takes about a minute.

Then tap Make and ask for what you need, in your own words: "a move-in condition report for my landlord, 14 Alder St Apt 3." You get a dated page with a section for every room, the photos from your walk and your notes. Change anything you like ("add the meter readings at the top"), and the page updates in place.

Send it, and keep it

  • Share the private link with your landlord or agent the same day, so the date on the report and the date they received it match.
  • They can read it on any phone or computer, save it as a PDF, and ask the page questions such as "was there any damage in the kitchen?"
  • The link isn't listed by search engines. Stop sharing it whenever you want.
  • Keep the original video. The report links back to it, and the video is your strongest record.

On move-out day, do it again

Clean first, then walk the same route with the same narration. Make a move-out report the same way. With both reports in your library you can show the place left the way it came, room by room, and point to anything that was already there on day one.

Questions

Is a video legal proof?

It's a dated record made by you, which is the kind of evidence landlords, agents and small-claims courts are used to seeing. What counts in a dispute depends on where you live and your lease, and this guide isn't legal advice. If your lease includes a check-in form, fill it in too and attach the report.

Will my landlord accept a link?

Most will read it, because it's quicker than a stack of photos. If they want a file, open the page and save it as a PDF from the browser's print menu.

Who can see my report?

Only people you send the link to. Search engines never list report pages, and you can stop the link at any time. Your original video stays private in your library.

What does it cost?

New accounts start with free credits: enough for a move-in and a move-out report, with room to spare. A typical walk-through and its report use about 80 credits. After that, credits start at $4.99 for 500 and never expire. You can buy them in the app or on the web with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Can I do it without the app?

You need the phone app to record the walk-through. You can sign in on the web to see your library and buy credits.

Read next