A perfect check-in in 20 minutes

A check-in report is the single document that decides most deposit disputes in Dubai. The Rental Dispute Center weighs documented evidence, and the party without a baseline loses the benefit of the doubt. The good news: building an evidence-grade baseline takes about 20 minutes with your phone. This tutorial walks you through it, step by step.

What you need before you start: your Snagify account (the check-in is free), the tenancy details (contract dates, Ejari reference if you have it, deposit amount), access to the property, and 20 minutes before furniture and boxes get in the way. The best check-in happens on handover day, with both parties present if possible.

[SCREENSHOT 1: the dashboard with the ”+” new inspection button visible, dark theme]

Step 1: Create the inspection (3 minutes)

From your dashboard, tap the plus button and choose Check-in. Add the property (building, unit, type) and the tenancy details: contract start and end, annual rent, security deposit, Ejari reference. Two minutes of typing that ends up printed on the report cover, identifying exactly which tenancy this baseline belongs to.

If the property is furnished, enable the inventory: you will document each furniture item with its own photo and condition during the walk.

[SCREENSHOT 2: the new inspection form with property and tenancy fields filled]

Step 2: Plan your room order (1 minute)

Walk the property once, phone in pocket. Decide your route: entrance first, then main rooms, kitchen, bathrooms last. Snagify lets you add rooms as you go, but a planned route means you never backtrack or forget a room. For a 1-bedroom apartment, expect 4 to 5 rooms.

Step 3: Photograph each room, wide then detail (8 to 10 minutes)

This is the heart of the report, and one technique covers it: the wide-then-detail technique (wide shot first, detail shots second).

Start each room with one or two wide photos from the corners, capturing walls, floor, ceiling and windows in context. Then move close to anything worth recording: a scratch on the wall, a stain on the ceiling, a crack near the window. One detail photo per finding, close enough that the finding is unmistakable.

Two habits that make photos defensible:

1. Get the measurement in. A crack “approximately 80 cm” beats “a crack”. Hold a hand or a key next to small findings for scale when it helps.
2. Photograph clean rooms too. A room with zero findings still needs its wide shot. “No findings recorded” only has weight if the photo proves you looked.

Every photo is timestamped automatically, and where you allow location access, GPS coordinates are recorded to anchor the on-site verification at check-out.

[SCREENSHOT 3: the capture screen in a room, with the camera interface] [SCREENSHOT 4: a detail photo being taken of a wall finding]

Step 4: Tag findings and validate the AI notes (in the flow)

After each photo, Snagify’s AI drafts a description and suggests finding tags: scratch, stain, crack, damp. Read them. Confirm what is right, correct what is not, remove what you disagree with. The AI drafts, you decide. Nothing reaches the report without your validation, and that human review is exactly what makes the report yours to sign.

Be honest in both directions. A check-in that hides existing findings hurts the landlord at check-out; one that invents findings hurts the tenant. The baseline protects whoever tells the truth.

[SCREENSHOT 5: the photo review screen with AI-suggested tags and editable description]

Step 5: Record the key handover (2 minutes)

Document every key, card and remote handed over: door keys, access cards, parking cards, with their counts. At check-out, Snagify compares what was returned against this list, item by item. A missing access card is a finding like any other, and it only counts if the handover was recorded.

[SCREENSHOT 6: the key handover screen with items and counts]

Step 6: Review and generate the report (2 minutes)

Before generating, Snagify shows you the full summary: rooms, photos, findings, keys. Scan it once. Then generate: the PDF is built with your photos embedded, an executive summary, a per-room breakdown, and a SHA-256 integrity hash with a scan-to-verify QR code. From this moment, any altered copy fails verification.

[SCREENSHOT 7: the report review screen before generation]

Step 7: Sign on the spot (2 minutes)

The strongest check-in is signed at handover, while everyone is standing in the property. Hand your phone to the tenant and the landlord in turn: each signs on the pad after a short identity verification. No app, no account needed on their side.

Someone can’t be there? Send a remote signature link by email. It stays valid for 7 days with automatic reminders, and if a party never responds, the report documents that too. Read more in our guide to what makes a report carry weight at the RDC.

[SCREENSHOT 8: the on-site signature pad with the consent line visible]

What you have when you’re done

A signed, timestamped, hash-verified baseline of the property’s condition, delivered to every party by email, verifiable by anyone with the QR code, and retained for at least five years. If the tenancy ends in perfect agreement, it cost you 20 minutes. If it ends in a dispute, it is the document that settles it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the landlord present for the check-in? No, but it is better. If they can’t attend, complete the inspection and send them a remote signature link. Their signature, or their documented response, completes the report.

Can I do a check-in mid-tenancy? You can document the property at any time, but a baseline signed at handover carries the most weight, because it captures the condition before occupation. Mid-tenancy, it still beats having nothing.

How many photos should I take? Quality over quantity: one or two wide shots per room plus one detail photo per finding. A 1-bedroom apartment typically produces 8 to 15 photos. What matters is coverage, not volume.

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Ready to build your baseline? Your first check-in is free. Start your free check-in