How to Take Condition Report Photos for a Queensland Rental

Why Photos Decide QCAT Outcomes

Bond disputes, rent reduction claims, and repair order hearings at QCAT all come down to evidence. The adjudicator compares the property's condition at move-in against its condition at move-out, and the party with better documentation wins.

Your Entry Condition Report (RTA Form 1a) is the statutory baseline, but the form itself is a list of tick boxes and text fields. Without photographs backing every entry, Form 1a is a statement of opinion that the tenant can dispute. With dated, high-resolution photographs, it becomes contemporaneous evidence that is extremely difficult to challenge.

Every successful landlord at QCAT arrives with a matching set: entry photos showing the property at handover, and exit photos showing the same angles after the tenant leaves. Landlords who rely on the written Form 1a alone routinely lose claims they should have won.

The Photo Checklist: Room by Room

Photograph every room in the property following this systematic approach:

Each room gets a minimum of four shots: one wide-angle showing the overall room from the doorway, and close-ups of any existing marks, stains, damage, or wear. For kitchens and bathrooms, add functional shots — the cooktop with burners operating, the toilet after a flush, taps running.

Specific areas to capture:

• Walls and ceilings: photograph scuff marks, nail holes, paint chips, and any existing cracks. These are the items tenants most commonly dispute at exit.
• Floors: photograph carpet condition, tile grout colour, timber floor scratches, and any stains. Shoot along the floor at a low angle to reveal wear patterns.
• Windows: photograph frames (especially timber frames showing any existing rot or paint peel), latches in the locked position, and window coverings.
• Wet areas: photograph bathroom tile grout, shower screen condition, silicone sealant around baths and showers, and exhaust fan grilles. Mould disputes often hinge on whether these areas were clean at handover.
• External: photograph the front and rear of the property, fences, garden beds, lawns, driveways, and any external structures (sheds, carports, decks).

Technical Standards for Usable Evidence

QCAT does not require professional photography, but your photos must meet basic evidentiary standards:

Date metadata must be intact. Use your phone's camera with location and date stamping enabled. Do not rename or edit the files in a way that strips EXIF data. If you print photos for the hearing, include the metadata date on the print.

Resolution must be sufficient. Modern phone cameras at default settings are more than adequate. Do not use heavy compression or low-resolution modes. QCAT adjudicators may zoom into photos to inspect details.

Lighting must be adequate. Open curtains and turn on all lights before photographing. A dark, grainy photo of a wall stain is useless if the adjudicator cannot see the stain. Use the phone's flash for close-ups of marks and damage in corners or under countertops.

Consistency between entry and exit. Photograph from the same position and angle at move-in and move-out. Side-by-side comparison photos are powerful evidence. If you photograph the kitchen wall from the doorway at entry, photograph it from the same doorway at exit.

Indexing Photos to Form 1a

The strongest evidence files cross-reference each photo directly to a specific line item on Form 1a. This means labelling or organising your photos so that photo 1 corresponds to the living room wall condition noted on page 2, item 3 of the Form 1a.

A simple approach: create a folder for each room, number the photos sequentially, and note the photo numbers next to the corresponding Form 1a entries. At QCAT, you can hand the adjudicator the Form 1a and say "photo 14 in the kitchen folder shows the cooktop condition recorded in item 8."

This indexing takes an extra 30 minutes at move-in. It saves hours of argument at a QCAT hearing and dramatically increases your chance of a successful bond claim.

Timing: When to Take Photos

Take entry photos on the day of handover, before the tenant moves any belongings into the property. Ideally, photograph the property after any pre-tenancy cleaning and repairs are complete but before keys are handed over. This captures the exact condition the tenant received.

Take exit photos on the day the tenant returns the keys, before any cleaning or repair work begins. The property should be empty of the tenant's belongings. Photograph everything before you touch it — once you start cleaning or repairing, you have altered the evidence.

For periodic inspections during the tenancy (up to once every three months), take photos of any new damage or deterioration you observe. These mid-tenancy records establish a timeline of when damage occurred, which is critical if the tenant argues the damage was pre-existing.

Beyond Bond Claims: Compliance Evidence

Entry condition photos serve double duty. They document the property's condition for bond purposes and simultaneously prove compliance with Schedule 5A minimum housing standards at the start of the tenancy.

When you photograph locks in the locked position, you are documenting section 3 compliance. When you photograph clean, mould-free bathroom walls, you are documenting section 4 compliance. When you photograph privacy coverings on bedroom windows, you are documenting section 5 compliance.

If the RTA Investigations Unit ever queries your property's compliance, your dated Form 1a photographs are your first line of defence.

The Rental Minimum Standards in Queensland guide includes a photo indexing worksheet that maps directly to Form 1a line items and Schedule 5A standards, so every photo you take at move-in serves both purposes simultaneously.

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