Furnished Apartment Move-In Inventory Checklist

A furnished apartment move-in inventory checklist should separate what was promised, what is present, how many items you count, and what you can actually observe. Give each supplied item an ID, note removable parts, and connect the row to a few clear photos. Keep unanswered questions open until you receive clarification.

A photo of a furnished living room may show a sofa without telling you whether its cushions, a lamp shade or a remote belong to the apartment. An item ledger makes those smaller details easier to find again when you return the home. It also keeps “not supplied,” “not found” and “not checked” from becoming one ambiguous box.

Use our original editable furnished-inventory CSV or printable inventory and fictional example. These are organizational worksheets, separate from the Tenacove app. Use any required management form and follow the process that applies to your tenancy.

Start with two lists: expected and present

Save the supplied inventory and the relevant listing or lease information you already have. Record where an expected item was described: “supplied inventory, bedroom section” is more useful than “it was online.” Preserve the original document separately and note its version or date if available. A personal worksheet does not amend an agreement or settle a disagreement about what “furnished” includes.

Then look at what is actually in the home. Work through one room at a time before bringing in your own similar items, where practical. Use the move-in photo checklist for general room coverage; use this ledger for supplied objects, counts and missing parts.

If the listing says only “furnished,” leave the expected quantity unknown rather than inventing a standard bundle. A bed frame does not tell you whether bedding was included. A television does not tell you whether a remote was promised. Ask for the relevant list or written clarification while keeping your own observations separate.

Count the item and its separate parts

Start with larger items, then count the pieces that could be separated during the tenancy. A sofa can have loose cushions; a lamp can have a shade; a desk can have a removable drawer unit. For a set of dining chairs, either give each chair a row or record the set count and identify any chair with a distinct visible condition.

Use a consistent counting unit. “One dining set” is difficult to compare with “one table and three chairs” later. Write “table: one; chairs: three” and keep the expected count in its own field. If you cannot safely inspect behind or underneath an item, say what remained uninspected. Do not move heavy furniture merely to complete a cell.

Use room prompts without assuming everything is included

In a living room, check seating, separate cushions, tables, lamps and any listed electronics or remotes. In a bedroom, distinguish the frame, mattress and any specifically listed bedding. In a kitchen, compare the actual supplied list with appliance drawers, trays or cookware sets only where those are included and safely accessible. Record keys or access devices privately without photographing readable access codes.

The Illinois State University inventory example includes quantity and arrival/departure columns, furniture and appliance components. It is a useful reminder to count parts as well as objects. Its local timing instructions are not a nationwide submission rule; use your own applicable process.

Keep personal possessions out of the supplied-item count. If an outgoing occupant left a chair and nobody has confirmed ownership, label it “present; ownership unconfirmed.” Do not assume you can discard, repair, exchange or take it. For shared spaces, agree descriptive room labels while keeping each person's observations attributable; our shared-apartment records guide covers that coordination.

Write one row that another person can follow

Give each item a stable reference such as F-03. Keep the same ID in the spreadsheet, the photo index and any message about that item. IDs are organizational labels; they do not authenticate an object or prove when it arrived.

Write the observed condition in plain language. “Small pale mark on the front-left arm” gives a location. “Ruined sofa” gives a conclusion without detail. For a lamp, “shade present; small visible crease on window-facing side; function not checked” says more than “okay.” Do not turn an untested appliance into “working” just because it is present or switched on in a photo.

Take one context view showing the item's place in the room and a closer view for any relevant part or mark. Keep the original filenames. If you rename delivery copies to include F-03, map those copies back to their original files. Store a short note identifying which file shows location and which shows the part.

Work through a fictional living-room example

Imagine a supplied list specifies one sofa, one coffee table and one floor lamp, but says nothing about loose cushions. You observe those three objects and three cushions. The following example records what you see without inventing the cushions' expected count or deciding who caused a mark.

The downloadable CSV includes these clearly marked fictional rows and blank rows for your own home. Delete the examples before submitting your copy. Enter an actual observation date only after inspecting; do not leave the example's placeholders looking like completed facts. If you later find another supplied item, add a new row rather than silently changing a previously sent inventory.

Notice that the visible table does not include a repair estimate, replacement price or “tenant damage” field. Those would introduce separate questions the count and photos do not resolve. Keep the inventory focused enough to be checked against the actual supplied list.

Handle missing items and unanswered questions

For an expected item you cannot find, record the expectation source, where you looked and “not found during this inspection.” If you have not accessed a locked room, record that limit. “Not found” is a more precise observation than a claim that an item was never supplied.

Send a focused clarification through the management channel you are instructed to use. For example: “The supplied list names one bedroom desk. I did not find a desk in Bedroom 2 during my inspection on [actual date]. Is it to be supplied, or is the list being corrected? Please also confirm whether the three living-room cushions are supplied items.” Replace the placeholders, attach the relevant index and retain the actual message.

Keep the original question and any actual response. If management sends a revised inventory, save it alongside the earlier list and identify which version you are referring to. An unanswered message is still unanswered; a delivery notification is not agreement about the inventory. If the disagreement concerns your obligations, use local advice rather than drawing a legal conclusion from this worksheet.

Keep a version you can compare at handoff

Save the working ledger, photo index and source files in a folder you can reopen. Keep a separate copy of the exact packet you actually submitted, including attachments. Add a transmission log only when you really send it: channel, intended recipient, actual date and any acknowledgment received.

During the tenancy, record a replacement or removal as a new dated observation with its actual supporting communication. Do not overwrite the initial count. Before returning the home, compare the same item IDs and parts, then record the later count and condition separately. The move-out photo route can help you repeat the broader room views.

Tenacove can organize supporting photos and notes by room, spot and tenancy stage. For F-03, the spot might be Living room → Floor lamp. Keep the item ledger and actual management messages separately; these editorial downloads are not an app inventory module. The current workflow explains original-photo ZIP exports and their readable report. Download and check your own backup rather than relying on a permanent-storage promise.

Furnished inventory questions

What if there is no supplied inventory?

Make a dated observed-item list and ask for the supplied inventory or written clarification. Label expected quantities unknown where they are unspecified. Your list can organize the conversation, but it does not decide what the lease required. Rutgers offers sample rental forms and checklists as educational aids, rather than a universal furnished-items contract.

Do identical chairs each need an ID?

A set count may be enough for otherwise indistinguishable items, with separate rows for visible differences. Describe a distinguishing location or feature instead of attaching stickers that could mark a surface. If you cannot reliably identify the same chair later, record that limit.

Does a photo prove an appliance works?

No. Presence and visible condition do not establish electrical safety, full function, cause or responsibility. Record only checks you actually and safely carried out; ask management about unfamiliar equipment. Start with one room, finish its item rows, then check that every photo reference opens.