When renting a property, a condition report is a vital document that helps protect both landlords and tenants by recording the state of the premises at the start and end of a tenancy.
With RentBetter, you can easily create, share, and manage condition reports online - capturing photos, notes, and everyone can digitally sign to finalise the report. The Condition Report feature ensures transparency, minimises disputes over bond claims and provides a clear record for both parties throughout the lease term.
In this Article:
What is a Condition Report?
A Condition Report is a document given to your tenants at the beginning of their tenancy that records the general state of the condition of your property on a room-by-room basis, including fittings and fixtures. It typically needs to be completed within the first 7 days of the tenancy (this varies by state).
The report is used as a reference point when tenants move out of your property to determine if there was any damage caused in the property while they were living there.
Unique to Your Property 🏡
Customise the property details so that your condition report includes the specific rooms in your property. Remove the hassle of trying to add extra info to a generic report.
Inspect With Ease 🔍
With the ability to add pictures and comments, you can thoroughly inspect all aspects of your property from your desktop or mobile device.
Sign and Send to Your Tenant ✍️
Send the completed copy to your tenant for them to complete their part of the inspection. You can save the report and access it in the future in case you need to make changes.
How Condition Reports Work on RentBetter
You can update the report at the beginning, middle, and end of your lease, and because it's saved on the platform, you won't have to recreate it each time.
To easily create a report, you can visit the Condition Report section of the platform via the left-hand navigation menu and select 'Condition Report' from the list under the 'Manage Property' section:
Creating a New Report
From the drop-down menu, you can select which property you would like to create a report for.
Click 'Create New Report' to start a customised report for that property.
Inspect Your Own Property or Hire a Professional
On the next page, you can choose whether to inspect the property yourself or hire a professional.
Inspecting yourself: You’ll be directed straight to the form where you can start adding your property details
Hiring a professional: Simply fill out the booking details and make the payment. Your request will be sent to our team, and you’ll receive a booking confirmation usually within 24 hours.
Adding Your Property Details
You can either start a new report with a blank template or import data from an existing report you’ve previously completed on the platform.
The report includes default room categories, such as bedrooms and bathrooms. You just need to indicate the types of rooms and how many of each your property has to customise it.
If your property has other custom rooms, you can easily add them by clicking the ‘Add new area’ button.
Filling out the Report
After you have created the report and indicated each area, you can fill out the form with the details of the condition of each area (room) and items.
Marking Items
Click on an area to expand it, and you'll be able to mark if each item under the room is Clean, Undamaged and Working.
Click once to mark that everything is in good order with a tick (green).
Click twice to mark that something is not in good order with a cross (red).
To clear your selection, click again until it returns to grey and is unselected.
You can bulk mark items in each area to show they are in good condition (clean, working and undamaged) by selecting the option at the top of each room to 'Mark all items as good'
Adding Comments, Photos and Items
You can add comments and photos for each item under a room and if you need to customise a specific room or item, you can do that too.
To add an additional room item, click on the 'Add new item' button at the top of the page.
To add a comment, click the speech bubble icon on the far right of the item.
To upload a photo, click the camera icon.
If you’d like to remove an item from the room, click the trash can icon.
To add general comments or photos for the room that aren’t tied to a specific item, use the 'Add Additional Comment' or 'Add Additional Photo' buttons at the bottom of the area page:
Editing Room Names
If you need to edit a room name, you can do this at any time by selecting the option to 'Edit name' and then clicking on the tick to save it.
Navigating to a different Area/Room
You can navigate to another room easily by scrolling to the bottom and clicking on the arrow. It will display the next room to work on:
💡 Remember to save each area as you go along so that you don’t lose your work if you lose connection. You can also come back to it later if you need to.
Finalise and Send
When you have finished filling you the report you can click 'Sign and Send' to finalise it.
On the final screen, you can finalise the report by:
Editing the inspection completion date
Setting the due date for the tenant to complete their side
Selecting the type of report: Entry, Routine, or Exit
Click the 'Sign here' box to type your name which will digitally sign the report and then send it to your tenant through the platform via the 'Send report' button
Your tenant will be notified to review and complete their side of the condition report, including digitally signing it.
Once the tenants have signed, a copy of the finalised report will be available for you in the Condition Report section and will also sync to your Documents folder in RentBetter.
Your tenant will receive their own copy for reference, which will also appear in their RentBetter account.
Viewing Your Reports
Condition Report Dashboard
The main Condition Report dashboard shows all current inspections - whether in draft, sent, or completed. You can filter by property at the top, quickly see the status of each report and click on any report to view its details.
To see who has signed and take any actions such as download a PDF copy of the report, just click into the report from the dashboard.
To view the report’s history, click the ‘History’ button at the top. This will display all the main events and actions related to the report.
If you need to make changes to a report, click the 'Actions' button at the top of the page and select 'Edit report'. This will remove any existing signatures, return the report to edit mode and allow you to update details before sending it back to your tenants.
Condition Report FAQs
How many photos can I add to a condition report?
You can add as many photos as you like to each area of the report however, we recommend keeping it to around 15-20 for clarity and ease of review.
How can I download a copy of the report?
To download a copy, click on the report in your account and then at the top of the page, you'll see a view button where you can choose to view the report in your browser or download a copy as PDF.
I forgot to save my report, can I get it back?
The report includes a number of ‘save’ buttons to allow you to save in small steps as you create the report. Unfortunately, if you have not saved your progress, we’re unable to retrieve the data.
Can I use a copy of an existing report for my new tenants?
Absolutely. If you’ve already created a report in the platform, you can copy that data into a new report for future tenants. You can also duplicate existing reports for repeatable tasks, such as routine inspections.
To do this, when creating a new report, select 'Import data from existing report'. This will copy over the details from your chosen inspection and you can then update the contents to reflect the property’s current condition.
When does the condition report need to be completed?
In most states, initial Entry Report must be completed within the first 7 days of the tenancy. It is recommended that you complete a condition report for each routine inspection you then do throughout the tenancy as well.
An Exit Report should be completed with the tenants at the end of the tenancy, once they have moved out. This report helps document the condition of the property and is used as part of the bond return process.
How is my tenant notified there is a report to complete?
Your tenant will get an email notification informing them that a condition report is ready for review. They’ll need to log into their RentBetter account to view and complete the report.
Can I book someone else to complete the condition report for me?
Yes! On RentBetter you can hire a trusted professional who can complete a Condition Report on your behalf. Perfect for saving you valuable time but also great if you're not able to be in the location of your property. We’ve made it easy to book directly through the platform when the time comes. It’s a stress-free way to ensure you get the task done on time, accurately and with ease.
Find out more here - https://rentbetter.com.au/book-professional/
What is a Routine Inspection?
A routine inspection (or a landlord property inspection) is conducted throughout the lease period to ensure there is no damage or other issues in the rental property. The person conducting the property should respect that someone lives in the property and it is not a judgement on how tidy surfaces are, but rather to ensure the property is kept in a clean state and there is no damage. These inspections are also about rental safety and should be conducted with respect to tenants' rights.
How can I complete a Routine Inspection?
If you’re conducting a Routine Inspection during the tenancy, you’ll use the same document as the Condition Report. At the end, before sending it, simply select the type of report it is: Entry, Routine or Exit.
💬 Need further assistance?
Have more questions about Condition Reports? Reach out to our friendly team via the support chat or email info@rentbetter.com.au and we’ll be happy to help.