Check-in inspection in Dubai.
An undocumented move-in is the single biggest cause of lost deposits in Dubai. A proper check-in inspection sets the baseline that protects both landlord and tenant for the entire lease.
Try Snagify free →What is a check-in inspection?
A check-in inspection is a documented walk-through of a rental property the day the tenant moves in. It captures the exact condition of every room, every fixture, and every appliance before anyone has lived in the unit.
In Dubai, a check-in inspection serves one critical purpose: it creates a baseline that the Rental Dispute Center (RDC) can compare against at move-out time. Without that baseline, every scratch, stain, or damage at check-out becomes a he-said-she-said argument that almost always ends with the tenant losing their deposit.
Snagify makes check-ins free. We want every Dubai tenant and landlord to have that protection, regardless of whether they ever use Snagify again.
When you need it.
You just signed your Ejari and got the keys.
The day you move in is the only chance to document the apartment in its original state. Wait two weeks and you can no longer prove what was already there before you arrived.
You're a landlord renting out a unit for the first time.
Without a documented check-in, you have no baseline to defend against false damage claims at move-out. A 20-minute inspection now saves a 12,000 AED dispute later.
You're an agency onboarding a new tenant for your client.
Your landlord client expects you to protect their asset. A signed check-in inspection report, branded with your agency name, is the deliverable that justifies your management fee.
The Snagify approach.
Step by step.
Auto-detect Ejari
Enter the property address. Snagify pulls the Ejari registration and pre-fills the report header.
Walk room by room
Living room, bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, balcony. The flow adapts to studio, apartment, or villa.
Photograph everything
Each room gets 3 to 8 photos. Walls, floor, fixtures, fittings. AI tags damage as you shoot.
Note unit details
Appliances tested, keys handed over, AC service date, meter readings if applicable.
Dual digital signature
Landlord (or agent) and tenant both sign on the same device. Timestamps are cryptographically logged.
Receive the PDF
Branded RDC-valid report delivered by email to both parties within 60 seconds. Free at check-in.
What you get at the end.
A multi-page PDF including a cover page with property details, room-by-room photo grids with AI-tagged condition notes, an issue summary, dual signatures, and a SHA-256 verification hash. Accepted as-is by the Dubai RDC and civil courts.
Frequently asked.
An undocumented move-in is the single biggest cause of lost deposits in Dubai. We want every tenant and landlord to have that baseline protection. You only spend a credit when you do a check-out.
Most check-ins run 20 to 25 minutes for a 1BR or 2BR apartment. Studios are quicker (12 to 18 minutes). Larger villas can take 40 to 60 minutes.
No. Either party can initiate a check-in inspection. Once you start one, you generate a signing link for the other party to sign on their own phone. The report is dual-signed regardless of whether the landlord has a Snagify account.
You document the refusal directly inside the report. A dedicated field logs it with timestamp and optional reason. The report stays legally valid. A documented refusal is strong evidence you followed due process.
The check-in alone protects you against false claims about pre-existing damage. To protect against new damage during the lease, you'll also need a check-out at move-out time. The check-out compares directly to the check-in baseline.