Statement of Condition (MA)

Some states require that landlords provide written documentation of the condition of the leased or subleased property to their tenants at the beginning of the tenancy when collecting a security deposit. In those states, this document will follow the particular requirements for that state's law. Even if your state doesn't require that you provide this to a tenant, this document is still a valuable tool. The checklist and statement will ensure that you and the tenant are in agreement on the condition of the property at the time of move-in and reduce disputes at the time of move-out if you withhold any part of the security deposit. While you hope that there won't be any damage to the property beyond normal wear and tear during the tenancy, having this documentation will help you prove, as far as possible, if the damage was caused by the tenant and was not present before they moved in.

This document will give you the option of either:

• answering some basic questions at the start about the property, printing it, and then completing the document by hand; or
• completing this completely online (you may, for example, have a tablet you're using as you walk around the property).

Laws applying to landlords also apply to sublandlords, so this document should be used for leases and subleases.