Finance category
Mortgage, loan, investing, tax, and money calculators.
Move-In Inspection Cost Calculator
Done right, a move-in inspection takes 60-90 minutes on site, another hour of photo tagging and write-up, plus a rekey service. This calculator adds every piece — on-site labor, photo processing, inspection software, printing, battery/smoke/CO checks, rekey, and IRS-rate mileage — into a single per-unit cost you can track against make-ready budget.
Zinspector, RentCheck, etc.
Color, tabs, photo prints
2025 IRS: $0.70/mi
Usually 0% — landlord cost
Total move-in inspection cost
$217
Labor cost
$98
Hard cost (materials + mileage + rekey)
$119
Landlord-absorbed share
$217
Chargeable to tenant
$0
Total minutes
155
Mileage reimbursement
$13
How the math works
The move-in inspection is the single most important piece of evidence in any future deposit dispute. Photo-rich inspection done right prevents 80% of small-claims cases. Budget 60-90 minutes on site, another hour of photo tagging and report writing, plus the rekey service that every turnover needs. Typical cost to the landlord: $100-$175.
Most states prohibit charging the move-in inspection fee separately to the tenant — California, Illinois, Washington all explicitly prohibit it. Some states (Texas, Florida) allow an "inspection administration fee" up to $25-$50 if disclosed in the lease. The landlord should generally absorb it as part of make-ready. Save every photo in dated, geo-tagged format — courts weigh app-verified photos far more heavily than loose images.
How to Use
- Enter on-site inspector minutes (60-90 for thorough 2BR).
- Add photo processing and condition-report writing time.
- Include inspection software (Zinspector, RentCheck) per-unit cost.
- Add printing and hard materials (batteries, smoke/CO test kit).
- Enter rekey cost — required nearly every state between tenants.
- Include travel time and round-trip mileage at IRS rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I charge the tenant for move-in inspection?
Mostly no. California, Washington, Illinois, New York, Oregon all prohibit separate move-in inspection fees. Texas and Florida allow a modest fee ($25-$50) if lease-disclosed. Bake the cost into your operating expenses rather than fighting a disclosure dispute.
What makes a legally defensible inspection?
Dated, geo-tagged photos (app-verified beats loose images), a room-by-room written condition report signed by both tenant and inspector, smoke/CO detector test confirmed, and at least 100+ photos for a 2BR unit. Keep all originals archived for 4 years minimum — statute of limitations for deposit disputes.
Is a third-party inspector better than in-house?
Third-party ($125-$250 per inspection) creates cleaner evidence because they have no stake in deposit outcome. In-house is faster and cheaper but introduces bias challenges in court. For high-value rentals or properties with turnover litigation history, hire third-party.
What's the minimum photo count?
Every room from each of 4 corners, every wall surface, every floor area, every appliance interior (including oven, refrigerator, dishwasher), every cabinet interior, every window sill, the HVAC filter, every door both sides, every smoke/CO detector. A thorough 2BR unit runs 120-180 photos; a 4BR house can hit 300+.
Related Calculators
Tenant Onboarding Cost Calculator
Full new-tenant onboarding cost.
Make Ready Cost Calculator
Turnover make-ready budget.
Move-Out Cleaning Cost Calculator
Move-out cleaning and charge-back.
Damage Repair Allowance Calculator
Itemized tenant damage.
Security Deposit Refund Calculator
Lawful refund math.
Tenant Turnover Cost Calculator
Full turnover cost.
More Finance Calculators
Browse all finance →AI Cost Calculator
Compare token costs across OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google AI models. Calculate monthly API spending for GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini, and more.
Tip Calculator
Calculate the perfect tip and split the bill between friends. Choose preset percentages or enter a custom tip amount.
Bill Splitter Calculator
Split an uneven restaurant bill by item, divide tax and tip proportionally, and see exactly who owes whom.
Discount Calculator
Calculate sale price, discount amount, stacked discounts, sales tax, and total savings for any markdown.
Gas Mileage Calculator
Calculate MPG or km/L, estimate trip fuel cost, and compare annual fuel expenses between two vehicles.
Sales Tax Calculator
Add sales tax to a price, reverse-calculate the pre-tax amount from a total, and estimate tax for multiple items on one receipt.
Keep exploring
Next steps in Finance
Previous calculator
Move-In Cost Calculator
Total upfront move-in cash — first month, last month, deposit, broker fee, movers, utilities setup, and essentials.
Next calculator
Move-Out Cleaning Cost Calculator
Budget turnover cleaning by sq ft, condition, carpet, appliances, and windows — and split the chargeable share against the security deposit.