NovTenant move-in and move-out
Move-in and move-out are two halves of one procedure and only work together. Anything not recorded at move-in cannot be raised at move-out. Anything not checked at move-out is paid for by the owner. Roughly a year usually passes between those two days, and by then memory is not an argument.
Move-in: what to hand over and record
- Sign the contract and attach the inventory and condition report with photographs.
- Receive the deposit and first payment before handing over keys, not after.
- Take water and electricity meter readings and enter them in the record.
- Hand over keys, access cards and remotes — counted and recorded.
- Hand over the instructions: house rules, management contacts, how to call a plumber, waste disposal and use of common areas.
- Register the tenant with the management company if the building requires it.
Add FPCS to move-in and move-out for a foreign tenant
Registration with condominium management and immigration reporting are separate steps. Article 18 of Cambodia's Law on Immigration requires the owner or occupier of a place of abode to inform the competent authority of the presence of an immigrant or non-immigrant foreigner within 24 hours. Before releasing the keys, identify in writing who will perform that task — the owner, manager, authorised representative or accommodation operator — and what evidence will show it was completed.
The General Department of Immigration provides the Foreigners Present in Cambodia System, or FPCS, for recording a foreigner's stay and departure. Keep the responsible person's name, submission date and confirmation in the move-in file, and update the departure under the procedure then in force. Limit access to passport data and avoid retaining unnecessary copies. The application workflow and local requirements can change, so confirm them with the General Department of Immigration or competent police before each new tenancy.
Separate visible discrepancies from latent defects
At delivery, the tenant should check what is reasonably available to inspection and functional testing: contents, surfaces, water, electricity, appliances, locks and access devices. Article 605 of the Civil Code links easily discoverable departures from the written contract to examination when the leased object is accepted. A discrepancy should therefore appear in the signed report or in a numbered attachment to the same lease, not remain in an informal message thread.
Some faults emerge only through normal occupation, such as a concealed leak or intermittent equipment failure. The lease should provide a controlled addendum process: the tenant reports the issue in writing, records when it appeared, supplies evidence and permits inspection. The addendum does not make the owner responsible for every later problem; it preserves a distinct record for a defect whose existence and cause still need to be established.
Keys go last. It is the only leverage that guarantees the documents get signed and the deposit is received.
While the tenant is living there
Two rules prevent most future conflict. First, record every agreement in writing, even by message — verbal permission to put up shelves becomes, a year later, an argument about who damaged the wall. Second, do not give up on periodic inspections. An inspection every few months with advance notice is normal practice, and the right to it, on reasonable notice, belongs in the contract.
Keep a change log throughout the tenancy
Every agreed change should have its own entry: what may be installed, removed, drilled, replaced or repaired; who pays; who owns the replacement; whether reinstatement is required; who selected the contractor; and where the photographs and invoice are stored. When furniture or equipment changes, update its description, serial number and condition in an inventory attachment, and record what happened to the former item.
The log protects both sides. Article 604 of the Civil Code contemplates reimbursement claims for certain necessary costs and beneficial expenditure, while Article 611 requires the tenant to report required repairs without delay. A dated record distinguishes an authorised cost from an unauthorised alteration and establishes the condition that should actually be compared at move-out.
Use a pre-check and a final handback for different purposes
A pre-check takes place before the apartment has been fully surrendered and is not the move-out record. Its purpose is to identify matters the tenant can still address, such as cleaning, removal of belongings, restoration of agreed contents, a minor repair or a missing key. Record a concise action list without deciding the final deduction and without stating that no further issue can be found.
Carry out the final inspection only when belongings have been removed, cleaning is complete, every room and meter is accessible, and all keys, cards and remotes are available. Compare the apartment with the original report, the change log, repair records and latent-defect addenda. The pre-check date should not be treated as the date on which possession was actually returned.
If the tenant does not attend or refuses to sign
Send the inspection invitation through the notice channel required by the lease and retain delivery evidence. If the tenant does not attend, record the time, attendees and authority for access, invite an independent witness or building representative, and make a continuous walkthrough recording. Reproduce the move-in views and record meters, access devices and every claimed item of damage. Do not sign for the absent tenant or label a unilateral report as jointly agreed.
Where the tenant attends but disputes an item, offer space for a comment beside that numbered finding. If the tenant refuses the whole report, note the refusal in front of the witness and promptly send the report, media and contractual route for objections. Professional deposit-dispute methodology treats invitations to attend, dated records, correspondence and witness evidence as a stronger package than a unilateral list created after the event.
Separate physical handback from financial close-out
On the final handback date, record the physical facts: vacant possession, condition, meter readings, returned access devices and the date occupation ended. Use a separate financial statement for rent and other charges, payments received, supported costs, the deposit, each proposed deduction and the balance due. Do not delay the handback record merely because a supplier has not yet issued its final invoice.
If the lease permits a reserve for a pending final bill, limit it to a documented category and amount and state when the calculation will be reopened. Return the undisputed deposit balance on the contractual timetable, then issue the final reconciliation and refund any unused reserve after the invoice arrives. This is process guidance rather than a single statutory Cambodian procedure; the legal basis and timing must still follow the lease and applicable law.
Belongings left behind do not automatically become the owner's property
Where items remain after move-out, prepare a separate inventory, photograph them in place and tell the tenant in writing where and how they can be collected. Do not treat obvious rubbish, identity documents, valuable possessions and bulky goods as one category. The lease should address notice, storage, evidenced cost and the next step, but destruction, sale or appropriation should not rest solely on an internal manager's note.
The Civil Code provides a statutory lien over certain tenant movables for obligations arising from the lease; where a security deposit exists, Article 793 limits the lien to the portion of the claim not satisfied by that deposit. This is not an automatic licence to sell or discard property immediately. Obtain Cambodian legal advice before retaining, moving or enforcing against the goods, based on the lease, proven debt, ownership and required procedure.
Retain the close-out file after the deposit has been returned
The final file should contain the lease and attachments, notices, move-in and move-out reports, change log, evidence of foreign-resident reporting, original photographs and files, readings and bills, quotes and receipts, defect correspondence, the deposit calculation, proof of every payment and evidence of the date the apartment was returned. A remote owner's file should also include the representative's authority and the chain of custody for originals.
Article 621 of the Civil Code sets a one-year period after return for specified landlord claims concerning loss from use in breach of the contractual purpose and tenant claims for reimbursement of expenditure. It is not a general deposit-return deadline and does not justify holding undisputed money for a year. The operational point is to preserve the evidence after settlement and ask Cambodian counsel whether a particular claim falls within the official Khmer text.
Move-out: the sequence
| Step | Why |
|---|---|
| Notice of departure within the contractual period | Gives time to find the next tenant and avoid a void month |
| Inspection together with the tenant | Contested points get discussed on the spot rather than by email a week later |
| Comparison against the move-in inventory | This is the basis for any deduction at all |
| Meter readings and final bills | Utility arrears otherwise surface after the deposit is returned |
| Return of all keys and cards, counted | A missing access card is the cost of reissuing it |
| Move-out record signed by both parties | Closes the relationship and fixes the condition on that date |
Wear and damage: where the line runs
This is the main source of disputes, and it is settled not by fairness but by the wording of the contract.
Fair wear and tear is what ordinary use produces: worn flooring on walking routes, faded fabric and paint, loosened door hardware, perished seals. Nothing should be withheld for this: the tenant paid to use the apartment, and use leaves traces.
Damage results from an act or a failure to act: a chip in the worktop, a burn, broken glass, a torn-off cupboard door, mould because the place was never ventilated and a leak was never reported.
The difference belongs in the contract as examples, not as general words. "Return in original condition" is poor drafting: nobody returns an apartment to its original condition, and the requirement becomes unenforceable. "Allowing for fair wear and tear" works.
Calculating deductions
- Base the amount on the actual cost of putting it right — a quote or a contractor's invoice, not a guess.
- Take the item's age into account: a ten-year-old sofa cannot be charged as new.
- Put the calculation in writing: what is deducted, on what basis, at what price, with photographs and invoices attached.
- Return the balance within the period stated in the contract. We have not confirmed a single statutory deadline for Cambodia in this review — so it must be agreed in advance.
A written calculation with evidence closes most disputes before they start. A verbal "I withheld it for damage" does not.
If you are not in Cambodia
Move-in and move-out are run by someone on the ground — documents cannot be signed and an apartment cannot be inspected closely over video. Agree in advance who does it, who decides on deductions, and by when the signed records and photographs reach you. How to set this up is in the guide to remote ownership.
Tenant moving out? We can advise what to check at move-out and how to document the deposit calculation so that deductions are justified and evidenced.
Ask about your propertyor on TelegramFrequently asked questions
What counts as fair wear and tear rather than damage?
Wear is what ordinary use produces over a tenancy: worn flooring on walking routes, fading, loosened door hardware. Damage results from an act or a failure to act: a chip, a burn, broken glass, mould caused by never ventilating. The boundary is best set out in the contract with examples, or the argument comes down to subjective words.
How soon must the deposit be returned?
Within the period stated in the contract. We have not confirmed a single statutory deadline for Cambodia in this review, so it must be agreed in advance and recorded in writing along with the deduction procedure. Uncertainty about timing is the second most common cause of conflict after the deductions themselves.
Can unpaid utility bills be deducted from the deposit?
Only if the contract expressly provides for it and the amounts are evidenced. That is why meter readings are taken and final bills requested at move-out before the deposit is returned — otherwise arrears surface after the money has already gone back.
Sources
Practice with landlords in Phnom Penh · NovAsia corpus on letting and management · checked July 2026. A statutory deadline for returning a deposit and a mandatory deduction procedure for Cambodia are not confirmed in this review — practice is described, and it should be fixed by contract. This content is for general information only and is not legal advice.
Template: move-in and move-out report — a CSV table that opens in Excel and Google Sheets. It is a working draft, not a legal document: the fields should be adjusted to the specific unit and contract terms.