LOCAL RULES

Louisiana rental inspection report requirements

Your Louisiana rental inspection report has 2 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • The tenant's forwarding address
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Louisiana measures the end of a lease against its beginning: the Civil Code has the tenant return the dwelling in the condition it was delivered, normal wear and tear excepted, and the deposit statute lets the landlord keep only what is needed to remedy a default or unreasonable wear. A 2026 amendment added 15 days to the time for the itemized statement. Here is each rule with a link to Louisiana's laws, and how walkthrough notes become the reports behind it.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Rental inspectionLOUISIANA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 88 words

Move-in inspection
Address: 22 Cedar Court, Unit 4B, Baton Rouge, LA
Date: 2026-09-30
Landlord: Pinecrest Property Management
Tenant: Jordan Lee and Priya Raman
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
79%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 13 items into 6 sections and flagged 5 to fix soon.

  • Fix soonLiving and dining areas

    Carpet has a stain near the sofa wall.

  • Fix soonKitchen

    Dishwasher not working.

  • Fix soonKitchen

    Counter chipped near the sink.

2 Louisiana rules on your checklist, including the itemized statement of what is kept and why (one month, plus 15 days under the 2026 amendment).

Still to add

  • RecommendedNotes for entry and hallways
  • RecommendedNotes for laundry and utility

Filled in for you

Inspection typeMove-in
Rental unit address22 Cedar Court, Unit 4B, Baton Rouge, LA
Inspection dateSep 30, 2026
Landlord or property managerPinecrest Property Management
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What Louisiana requires

  • The deposit goes back to the tenant within one month after the lease ends; if any part is kept, the landlord sends an itemized statement accounting for the amount kept and giving the reasons, within that month or, under a 2026 amendment, within 15 days after itLa. R.S. 9:3251 (A) · Act No. 63 of the 2026 Regular Session (HB 292, enrolled)
  • The landlord may keep only the part of the deposit reasonably necessary to remedy the tenant's default or unreasonable wear to the premisesLa. R.S. 9:3251 (A)
  • At the end of the lease the tenant gives the landlord a forwarding address for the statement; the return and statement rule does not apply when the tenant abandons the premises without the required notice or before the lease endsLa. R.S. 9:3251 (A), (C)
  • If the landlord willfully fails to comply, the tenant recovers the amount wrongly kept plus 300 dollars or twice that amount, whichever is greater; not paying within 30 days after the tenant's written demand counts as willful; the court may award costs and attorney's fees, and a tenant's waiver of these rights is voidLa. R.S. 9:3252 (A) · La. R.S. 9:3253 · La. R.S. 9:3254
  • The lessee returns the dwelling at the end of the lease in the same condition as when it was delivered, except for normal wear and tearLa. Civil Code art. 2683 (3)
  • The lessee is liable for damage caused by their fault or by people on the premises with their consent, and must repair deterioration from their use beyond the normal or agreed useLa. Civil Code art. 2687 · La. Civil Code art. 2692
  • The lessee tells the lessor without delay when the dwelling is damaged or needs repair, and the lessor may recover damages caused by a failure to do soLa. Civil Code art. 2688
  • During the lease the lessor makes every repair needed to keep the dwelling suitable for its purpose, except repairs the lessee is responsible forLa. Civil Code art. 2691

The benchmark is the condition at delivery

Under the Civil Code the lessee returns the thing at the end of the lease in the same condition as when it was delivered, except for normal wear and tear. The lessee is liable for damage caused by their fault or by people on the premises with their consent, and repairs deterioration beyond the normal or agreed use.

Comparing the end with the start needs a record of the start. A dated move-in report, with each room and item described, is that record, and the move-out report is read against it.

One month, and the itemized statement

The deposit goes back within one month after the lease ends. The landlord may keep only what is reasonably necessary to remedy the tenant's default or unreasonable wear, and sends an itemized statement accounting for the amount kept and giving the reasons. Act 63 of the 2026 Regular Session lets that statement go out within 15 days after the one-month mark.

The tenant gives a forwarding address at the end of the lease for the statement. The rule does not apply when the tenant abandons the premises without the required notice or before the lease ends.

When a deposit is kept wrongly

A willful failure to comply lets the tenant recover the amount wrongly kept plus 300 dollars or twice that amount, whichever is greater. Not paying within 30 days after the tenant's written demand counts as willful. The court may award costs and attorney's fees to the winning side, and a tenant cannot waive these rights.

Repairs during the lease

The lessor makes the repairs needed to keep the dwelling suitable for its purpose, except those the lessee is responsible for. The lessee tells the lessor without delay when something is damaged or needs repair, and a failure to tell can make the lessee answer for the damage that follows. A routine inspection report dates what was found and what was reported.

From walkthrough notes to a finished Louisiana report

At move-in, note each room and the condition of everything in it. At move-out, walk the same rooms and note what changed. ReportDraft writes each up room by room, keeps normal wear apart from damage and unreasonable wear, gives each item kept a plain reason for the itemized statement, and leaves lines for the landlord and the tenant to sign.

Common mistakes

  • Sending a total without an itemized statement giving the reasons for each amount kept.
  • Missing the one month after the lease ends, plus the 15 days the 2026 amendment allows for the statement.
  • Charging for normal wear and tear.
  • Ignoring a written demand: 30 days without payment counts as willful.
  • Having no move-in record to show the condition at delivery.

Sources

Last reviewed October 10, 2026. Next review due January 10, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.