The Move-In Inspection: How to Document a San Antonio Rental So You Get Your Deposit Back

The security deposit fight is won or lost in the first 48 hours after you get keys, not on move-out day. Under Texas Property Code § 92.103, your landlord has 30 days after you surrender the property to return your deposit or itemize deductions. Under § 92.104, they can deduct for damage "beyond normal wear and tear." The whole game is proving what was already broken, dirty, or stained before you set foot inside. If you don't document it in writing with photos, the landlord's word wins by default.

Here is the protocol I use with San Antonio renters, whether they're signing on a 3-bed in Converse, a 1-bed in Southtown, or a Stone Oak duplex.

Get the Inventory and Condition Form before you move a box

Most San Antonio landlords using a TAR-based lease (the Texas REALTORS® Residential Lease, TAR 2001) will hand you an Inventory and Condition Form — TAR 2006 — at signing or with your welcome packet. If your landlord uses a proprietary lease, they may call it a "move-in checklist," a "walk-through form," or nothing at all. Ask for it in writing before you take possession. If they don't have one, send an email — not a text — that says: "Attaching my move-in condition report for the property at [address], dated [date]. Please confirm receipt." That email becomes your record.

The form typically gives you a set number of days to return it — commonly 3 to 7. Do not miss that window. A late form is worth less than a timely one if this ever ends up in a Bexar County JP court.

Photograph everything, timestamped, before furniture arrives

Walk the unit empty. Every room, every wall, every fixture. On a modern phone, photos are timestamped and geotagged by default — leave that on. Some specifics for San Antonio housing stock:

• Foundation cracks. South Texas clay soil moves. Hairline cracks in drywall above doorframes and in tile grout are common in homes east of 281 and south of 90. Photograph them now so you're not blamed for them later.
• AC condition and filter. Under § 92.052 the landlord must keep the unit habitable, and in San Antonio that means functional cooling. Photograph the thermostat reading, the filter (date it if there's a slot), and the outdoor condenser. Run the AC for 20 minutes and confirm the vents blow cold.
• Water stains on ceilings. Especially in older housing in 78201, 78210, 78228 — anywhere the roof or plumbing may have leaked and been patched.
• Window screens and blinds. Landlords love to charge $35–$75 per missing or bent screen. Count them and photograph each.
• Appliance interiors. Open the oven, the dishwasher, the fridge, the microwave. Photograph the inside of each. Grease and burned-on residue that was there at move-in should not come out of your deposit.
• Carpet seams and stains. Photograph edges, transitions to tile, and any existing stains under a bright light. Note pet odor if you can smell it — write it on the form.
• Water heater and under-sink areas. Check for rust rings and prior leak stains. Bexar County water is hard; corrosion on fittings predates you.

Back every photo up to cloud storage the same day.

Test everything that has a switch, valve, or knob

A condition form that says "good" for every item is worthless. Actually test:

• Every light switch, in every position. Note which bulbs are burned out.
• Every outlet — a $10 outlet tester from any hardware store will tell you if grounding and polarity are correct. This matters in pre-1985 homes on the near West and South sides.
• Every faucet, hot and cold, and how long hot water takes to arrive.
• Every toilet — flush, then listen for a running fill valve.
• Every window — open and close, check the latch.
• Every door lock and deadbolt. Under § 92.153 the landlord must provide a keyed deadbolt, a keyless bolting device, and a door viewer on exterior doors. If any are missing, note it and request installation in writing.
• Garbage disposal, exhaust fans, garage door opener (and remotes — count them), sprinkler controller.
• Smoke detectors and any CO detector. Press test. If any chirp or fail, note it.

Confirm utilities are on in your name on day one

Separate from the condition form, but critical: in most of San Antonio proper, CPS Energy handles electric and gas, and SAWS handles water and sewer. In parts of Schertz, Cibolo, Selma, and Universal City you'll deal with different providers (Schertz has its own municipal utilities; some Cibolo homes are on Green Valley SUD for water). If you take possession and water is off, you cannot verify plumbing. If power is off, you cannot verify the AC or appliances. Insist on possession with utilities live, or document the day they come on and re-inspect.

Put repair requests in writing on day one

Anything broken at move-in becomes a repair request under § 92.052, not a deduction from your future deposit. Send a dated written request — email is fine, certified mail is stronger if the item is significant. The statute's clock on the landlord's duty to repair starts when you send written notice and are current on rent. Do not rely on a phone call to the leasing office.

Common day-one items I see in San Antonio rentals:

• AC not cooling below 78°F when set to 72°F on a 100-degree day
• Slow drains from prior tenant hair or grease
• Sticking or non-latching exterior doors (a security issue, not cosmetic)
• Missing or dead smoke detector batteries
• Missing keyless deadbolts or door viewers required by § 92.153

What most people get wrong

• Signing the condition form "good" everywhere just to be polite. You are documenting facts for a future dispute. If the microwave has a crack in the door, write "crack in microwave door, upper right corner" and attach a photo. Politeness costs you money in nine months.
• Only photographing damage. Photograph clean, undamaged surfaces too. If a landlord later claims you gouged the living room wall, your wide-angle move-in photo of that wall — showing it intact — ends the argument.
• Trusting a verbal promise to fix something. "We'll take care of that before you move in" is worthless if it isn't on the form or in email. Assume nothing gets fixed unless there's a paper trail.
• Missing the return window on the condition form. A late or unreturned form lets the landlord argue you accepted the unit as-is.
• Forgetting the exterior. Photograph the yard, fence condition, exterior paint, driveway cracks, and the meters. Yard damage and fence sections are common move-out charges, especially on single-family rentals in Converse, Live Oak, and far-west 78253.
• Not providing a forwarding address in writing at move-out. Under § 92.107, the landlord isn't obligated to return your deposit until you give a forwarding address. Give it in writing, keep a copy, and note the date sent.

If the deposit doesn't come back

After you move out and provide a forwarding address, the 30-day clock under § 92.103 starts. If the landlord retains any part of the deposit, they must give you a written, itemized list of deductions under § 92.104. If they don't — or if they keep the deposit in bad faith — § 92.109 allows recovery of three times the wrongfully withheld amount plus $100 and reasonable attorney's fees. Small-dollar disputes go to the Bexar County Justice of the Peace court in the precinct where the property sits (there are four precincts, filed through eFileTexas). Your move-in photos and the countersigned condition form are the case.

When you're ready to start the search, browse current listings at /rentals — RentInSA's active inventory shows a median asking rent of $1,695/mo across roughly 4,000 available homes as of August 2026, so there's room to be selective about the unit and the landlord. If you'd rather have a licensed Texas agent handle the search and walk the property with you, /agents lists local pros who do tenant representation.