I need to document the condition
Document the home room by room
Guided Capture walks you through each space so you can record existing wear, damage, missing items, and other conditions with photos and notes.
Product path · Guided Capture
For renters
Document the condition at move-in — before it becomes a question later.
DwellCapsule helps you document what was already there, review anything you were given, and preserve a condition record you can refer back to later.
Why move-in matters
Move-in is your best chance to document what was already there.
Existing damage, wear, missing items, and other conditions can become harder to reconstruct later. Recording them early helps preserve what you saw and what you reported from the beginning.
Two ways to start
Start with what you have at move-in.
If you need to document the condition yourself, Guided Capture walks you through it. If you received existing condition information, review what’s already documented and add anything that’s missing.
I received something to review
Review what I was given
If you received a completed or partially completed checklist, inspection results, condition report, PDF, or other condition record, review what’s documented and add anything that’s missing.
Product path · Review
More than a camera roll
Photos help. A condition record gives them context.
DwellCapsule connects photos and notes to the place, condition, timing, and later history so the record remains easier to understand months later.
Organized by place
Photos and notes stay tied to rooms, areas, and conditions.
Connected to when they were added
Move-in documentation stays distinguishable from later additions and changes.
Preserved as a history
Reports, photos, notes, responses, and later condition events can remain connected over time.
Supporting context
More than half of deposit-paying renters did not receive the full amount back.
A move-in record cannot guarantee a deposit outcome. A clearer starting record can help reduce ambiguity about whether a condition was already present.
- About 56%
- Of deposit-paying recent renters received less than their full security deposit back.
- 24%
- Of recent renters reported receiving none of their prior security deposit back.
- 80%
- Of renters using photos, video, a property-condition checklist, and landlord or property-manager notification received at least some of their deposit back.
Calculated
Calculated from Zillow's reported categories among renters who paid a deposit: 18% received most, 9% received some, and 24% received none.
This is an observed association and does not establish that documentation alone caused the refund outcome.
Source: Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024. The 56% figure is calculated from Zillow’s published refund categories.
Deposit deductions may reflect damage, cleaning, unpaid balances, or other permitted charges and are not necessarily improper. DwellCapsule helps preserve clearer starting-condition context; it does not guarantee a refund.
From move-in to move-out
Keep the condition history connected.
1. Move-in
Establish the starting condition.
2. Repairs & changes
Keep later condition updates connected to the record.
3. Inspections
Preserve later observations without losing the starting point.
4. Move-out
Refer back to what was documented earlier.
Your record stays clear — and sharing stays controlled.
Originals stay preserved
Original source material remains distinct from later additions.
Later additions stay identifiable
Photos, notes, responses, and acknowledgments remain connected to who provided them.
Private does not automatically mean shared
Property managers do not automatically receive access to the renter's private record.