The first fifteen minutes in a rental are the only moment when everything you find clearly was there before you. Once bags are open and the kitchen has been used, it gets harder for anyone to say what was already broken. A quick walk-through now saves an awkward conversation later.
Before you unpack
Leave the bags by the door and do one slow lap of the place. You are not inspecting a house you are buying; you are noticing anything that would be a problem during the stay, or that someone could later think you caused.
- Check the keys, fobs and codes all work, including any gate, lockbox or building door.
- Note anything you can smell: damp, smoke, gas, drains.
- Look for anything obviously broken, stained or missing before anyone touches it.
Room by room
Kitchen. Turn on the hob and oven briefly, open the fridge and freezer, run the tap, check the dishwasher and washing machine doors and seals. Look for chipped plates and glasses if the kitchen is well stocked, because those are the things most often counted at checkout.
Bathroom. Run the shower for a minute to check the hot water and the pressure, flush the toilet, look under the sink for leaks, check the extractor fan and any mould in the corners.
Bedrooms. Look at the mattress and bedding, the wardrobe doors and hangers, the curtains or blinds, and the bedside lights.
Living room. Try the TV and remote, the wifi (the password on the card does not always match), the heating or air conditioning, and look at the sofa and any rugs for stains.
Outside and safety. Check the balcony or terrace railings, the pool gate if there is one, the smoke alarm, and whether there is a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher where the listing says.
If you find something
- Note it straight away, with where it is and the time. A short sentence is enough: "Kitchen: oven door does not close".
- Take a photo if it helps show the problem. A wide shot of the room and a close-up of the issue work best.
- Tell the host through the booking platform the same day, so there is a record on their side too. Keep it friendly and factual.
- Keep your own copy. Messages get buried, and people in your group forget who noticed what.
Small things count. A missing remote or a wobbly chair is not worth a complaint, but it is worth one line on the record, because it is exactly the kind of thing that comes up at checkout.
Do the same at checkout
A two-minute walk-through before you leave closes the loop: the record shows what the place looked like when you arrived and when you left. If something broke during the stay, say so yourself before the host finds it; it is almost always taken better.