Entry condition report photos in Queensland: how to keep a move-in record that helps at bond time

In Queensland, the Entry condition report (Form 1a) is your main record of a rental’s condition when you move in, and photos back it up. The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) says the report “and any photos or video, can be used as evidence by QCAT if there is a dispute”. You must return your signed and completed copy within 7 days. Walk through every room, note every mark, take clear photos, and attach them to the report. Keep a copy of everything you send. If you’d also like a date for those photos that doesn’t depend on your phone’s settings, timestamp the photo files and the report. A timestamp shows those exact files existed no later than a recorded time. It doesn’t show what caused any damage or decide the outcome of a dispute.

Disclosure: I’m Inna Hall, co-founder of TimeBinder, the file timestamping tool mentioned in this guide. This page is general information, not legal advice.

What the RTA says about entry condition report photos

The RTA’s Entry condition report page covers general tenancies in Queensland (houses, units and similar). The key points, in its own words:

• The property manager or owner “must prepare, sign and give a copy of the report to the tenant at the start of the tenancy; it is an offence not to do so.”
• “The tenant/resident must return the signed and completed entry condition report to the property manager/owner within 7 days after the later of (a) the day they occupied the premises or (b) the day they were given a copy of the report.”
• “If the tenant does not complete and return the report it means they agree with the property manager/owner’s description of the property. However, failure to complete the report is an offence.”
• “The property manager/owner must send a copy of the signed and completed report back to the tenant within 14 days.”
• “The report, and any photos or video, can be used as evidence by QCAT if there is a dispute.”

The same page gives an example. A property manager wants to claim part of the bond for marks on a bedroom wall, and “The tenant shows the marks were listed on the Entry condition report and provides date stamped photos to dispute the claim. No money is deducted from the bond.”

The RTA’s New tenant checklist adds: “Take date-stamped pictures of the property, especially areas that are damaged or unclean. Keep these in case the property manager/owner objects to returning your bond at the end of your tenancy.”

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your situation, speak to a lawyer in your country.

How to photograph a rental on move-in day

Do this before your furniture arrives if you can. Empty rooms are easier to photograph.

1. Start with the report in hand. Go room by room in the same order as the Form 1a, so each photo lines up with a line on the report.
2. Take a wide shot of each room first, then close-ups. The wide shot shows where a mark is; the close-up shows what it is. Put a coin or a pen next to small marks for scale.
3. Cover the easily missed spots. Inside cupboards and the oven, under sinks, window tracks, flyscreens, the carpet under where a bed will go, outdoor areas, and the meter readings. The RTA’s entry condition report page suggests recording meter readings on the report.
4. Test things and note what doesn’t work. Taps, the dishwasher, locks and doors. The RTA checklist mentions these. A short video works well for something that leaks or sticks.
5. Write your comments on the report. Where you disagree with the manager’s description, mark it on your copy. Refer to photos by room so they’re easy to match up.
6. Keep the originals. Don’t edit, crop or filter the photos you’ll rely on. If you want to annotate one, save a copy and keep the original as well.
7. Return the report within 7 days and keep a copy. Note the date and how you sent it (email is easy to keep a record of).

What “date-stamped” photos can and can’t show

Your phone records a “date taken” inside each photo (part of its EXIF data). That’s useful, and it’s what most people mean by a date-stamped photo. But it comes from your phone’s clock, and it can be edited with ordinary tools, as our guide to date created, date modified and date taken explains. A property manager who disputes your photos may point that out.

Records held by someone else are harder to argue with:

• The email you sent with the report and photos. The manager’s inbox holds a dated copy. This is free and often the most useful record of all.
• Cloud photo backups. iCloud or Google Photos keep their own upload dates. Our page on cloud version history as a record covers where they’re strong and where they have gaps.
• An independent timestamp of the photo files and report.

Adding a timestamp: what it does

TimeBinder works out a hash of each file on your device. A hash is a fingerprint of the file: a short code calculated from its exact contents. Your photos are never uploaded. Only the fingerprint is recorded, anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain. Later, the TimeBind shows that an exact file existed no later than the recorded time, and that the file you show still matches its fingerprint. You get a certificate (a PDF) to keep with your tenancy papers.

Each TimeBind holds up to 10 files. Move-in photo sets are often larger than that, so put the photos into one zip file and include that, plus the report PDF and any videos. Keep the exact zip you timestamped: if you re-zip the photos later, the new zip will have a different fingerprint.

Pooled or ASAP for move-in photos?

There are two kinds of TimeBind:

• Pooled (1 Token). Your fingerprint is batched with others and anchored, usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity. Checking it later is done through TimeBinder.
• ASAP (3 Tokens). Your fingerprint gets its own Bitcoin transaction, broadcast straight away (confirmation still depends on the network). It can be checked independently with the certificate and the Bitcoin blockchain, without TimeBinder.

For most renters, Pooled is the sensible pick. You have 7 days to return the report, and a Pooled TimeBind made on move-in day records a time well inside that window. The free plan gives you 1 Token a month (it doesn’t roll over), which covers one Pooled TimeBind. That means a typical move-in costs nothing.

ASAP is worth it if you’re already in disagreement with the manager about the property’s condition, or if you expect a long tenancy and want a record that someone can check years later without relying on TimeBinder. ASAP needs 3 Tokens, so you’d need a paid plan or to buy extra Tokens. Plans and Token prices (in USD) are on the pricing page, and our guide to ASAP vs Pooled covers the difference in more detail.

Your options compared

	Entry condition report (Form 1a)	Phone photos (date taken)	Email to the manager	Cloud photo backup	Timestamp (TimeBind)
Required in Queensland	Yes, per the RTA	No	No	No	No
Signed by both sides	Yes, once returned	No	No	No	No
Shows the condition	Yes, in words	Yes	Yes, if attached	Yes	No (dates the files only)
Date held by someone else	Report date and return date	No (your phone’s clock)	Yes (their inbox)	Yes (the provider’s record)	Yes (Bitcoin blockchain)
Cost	Free	Free	Free	Often free	Free for 1 Pooled a month
Checked without the other side’s systems	No	No	No	No	ASAP: yes. Pooled: through TimeBinder
Best for	The main record. Always do it	Showing the condition	A dated copy the manager also holds	Day-to-day backup	An extra date record for the exact files

The report and your email to the manager do most of the work. If you only have time for one thing, complete the report properly and email it with your photos. A TimeBind is an extra record, not a substitute for either.

When TimeBinder isn’t the right tool

• You’ve already moved out and the dispute has started. A timestamp made today only dates files from today. Use the report, your emails and your cloud backups instead.
• You can’t keep the exact files. If your phone compresses or replaces originals when it syncs, the timestamped file may no longer match. Keep the originals somewhere safe.
• You need advice about a claim. The RTA and QCAT handle bond disputes in Queensland. A timestamp won’t help you work out your rights.

At the end of the tenancy

Do the same again for the exit condition report. Under the RTA’s General tenancy agreement (Form 18a), standard term 44 says the tenant must, “on or before the day this agreement ends, prepare and sign a condition report for the premises in the approved form.” Photograph the same spots, in the same order, after cleaning. Matching move-in and move-out photos are easy to compare. Our guide to exit condition report photos in Queensland covers the move-out steps in detail.

For other ways to date a file, see our guide to every method for showing a file existed before a date. Our page on property document timestamping covers agents and owners.

Plan details were checked against timebinder.io/pricing on 30 October 2026.

Date your move-in record. On the day you finish your Entry condition report, make a free Pooled TimeBind of the report and a zip of your photos. Keep the certificate with your lease. The free plan includes 1 Token a month (non-rolling), and your files never leave your device. See plans and pricing.