Rental listing photos: a landlord's guide to end-of-tenancy photography

Good rental listing photos come from one habit: photograph each unit after the end-of-tenancy clean and before the next tenant moves in, using the same short shot list each time. Keep your phone level and horizontal, switch on every light, and aim for at least 10 to 15 photos, as Zillow Rental Manager recommends. Stage an empty flat if you like, but label it. Renters have less patience with listings that don't match the property.

This guide is for landlords and property managers who take their own photos, particularly when they manage multiple properties. It covers photographing properties between tenancies, empty properties, disclosure and a workflow that won't take over your week.

Take photos between tenants, not while the tenant is still there

The best window is short. The old tenant has moved out, the cleaners and painters have finished, and the new tenant hasn't arrived. The flat looks the way it will be on move-in day, which is exactly what you want to show.

If you must list before the current tenant leaves, you'll be photographing someone's home. Check your lease and your state's notice requirements for entry, ask the tenant, and arrange a time with them. Expect clutter you can't move. Declutter can remove a tenant's furniture and belongings from the photo and restore the flooring and walls behind them. That's an altered photo, so label it in the same way as a staged photo.

A lived-in family room with a large grey sectional sofa, blankets, a coffee table covered in mugs and papers, toys beside the TV stand and a laundry basket in the foreground — Declutter in an occupied room. The furniture, rug and washing have been removed, and the floor has been restored. The TV and console were left in place for this edit. If the TV won't be staying with the property, run the edit again or use a different photo.

The same family room cleared out, showing the oak floor, a stone corner fireplace and a window, with the TV and its wooden console still in place — Declutter in an occupied room. The furniture, rug and washing have been removed, and the floor has been restored. The TV and console were left in place for this edit. If the TV won't be staying with the property, run the edit again or use a different photo.

The turnover shot list

Use the same list for every unit, in the same order. It speeds up the shoot and keeps your listings consistent.

Living room from the corner opposite the windows, then from a second corner.
Kitchen, with a wide shot showing the benchtops, appliances and how it opens onto the living area.
Each bedroom from the corner opposite the window.
Each bathroom. Toilet lid down, shower curtain open or removed.
Built-in wardrobes and storage, if they're a selling point.
In-unit laundry, or the building's shared laundry room.
Balcony, patio or backyard, and the view if it's attractive.
The building's exterior and entrance.
Amenities: gym, roof terrace, parking, bike storage and parcel room.

Zillow's rental photography tips reflect what works for sales photos: shoot from corners rather than straight at a blank wall, use daylight along with all the indoor lights, and avoid letting direct sunlight overexpose part of the room. For the phone photography technique itself, see how to shoot listing photos on an iPhone. The property photography shot list covers each room in more detail.

Photos of "a similar unit"

If you manage a building with 40 identical one-bedroom units, it's tempting to photograph one and use it for all of them. Plenty of landlords do. This is only acceptable if the listing makes it clear: "Photos are of a similar unit. Finishes and views may differ."

Leaving that line out can leave renters feeling misled. The floor plan might match, but the flooring, appliances or view from the 2nd floor won't be the same as in the model unit on the 9th. Exterior and amenity photos are another matter. They show the same building, so feel free to reuse them.

Empty units and virtual staging

An empty apartment doesn’t photograph well. Renters can’t tell whether a queen bed will fit in the bedroom or whether the living room can accommodate a sofa and a desk. Virtual staging solves this by adding furniture to the photo of the empty room.

For a rental, I’d stage no more than two rooms: the living room and the main bedroom. Leave the kitchen and bathrooms empty. Choose a style that complements the building. Modern or Scandinavian suits most apartments. Using Luxury Contemporary in a basic walk-up sets expectations the property can’t meet.

Empty living room with tan-coloured walls, dark timber floors, a white mantelpiece with a black fireplace surround and a window on the right — Check every staged result against the original. Here, the window on the right is higher and looks taller than it really is. Don’t post a version like this. Run the staging again.

The same living room virtually staged with a white sofa, two armchairs, a dark coffee table and artwork above the fireplace, with the window sitting noticeably higher on the wall than in the original — Check every staged result against the original. Here, the window on the right is higher and looks taller than it really is. Don’t post a version like this. Run the staging again.

That example captures the whole risk in a single image. A renter who sees a larger window online and a smaller one in person will wonder what else isn’t quite right. Check the windows, doors, floor and ceiling in every staged photo before posting it.

Disclosure rules for rental properties are changing

Most virtual staging rules to date were written for property sales. California's AB 723, for example, covers brokers and agents advertising property "for the sale of real property." Rental properties are next.

New York City. In July 2026, the city released its Rental Ripoff Report, which includes a requirement for landlords to disclose when rental listings have been altered using AI or other digital tools. Realtor.com reports that the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection plans to introduce a "clear and conspicuous" disclosure rule, and that the city hadn't yet said whether staging or standard brightening would trigger it.
Other states. Zillow reported in July 2026 that legislation was pending in New York and New Jersey, as well as in California for rental properties.
Everywhere. Zillow's tips for rental listings already advise using editing "sparingly to avoid misrepresentation." The warning is that overexposed or filtered photos suggest to renters that you're hiding something.

This isn't legal advice, and the rules will continue to evolve. The practical answer doesn't change. Label every staged or decluttered photo "virtually staged" or "digitally altered" in the caption, post the original photo of the empty property immediately after it, and add a line to the description: "Some photos are virtually staged. Furniture is not included." This covers the strictest requirements so far. If you also sell property, the virtual staging MLS rules guide covers the specifics for those listings.

Real Estate Camera flags every staged photo as "virtually staged" in the app and asks you to confirm the disclosure when you export it. It doesn't print the label onto the image, so add it to the caption on each property listing website.

A fast workflow for multiple units

The slow part of rental photography isn't the shooting. It's getting 15 photos per unit edited, named and uploaded across a dozen listings. Here's how I'd keep things moving.

Shoot on your phone in the app, one unit at a time, following the shot list. You can also upload from a desktop on the web. It's one account across iPhone, iPad, Android and the web.
Enhance everything. It corrects the lighting, white balance and leaning verticals, and restores the view through the windows. 20 to 60 seconds per photo, 1 credit each. It leaves the sky as it was, so the building's exterior still looks like the building.
Stage only the empty living room and main bedroom, 2 credits each.
Compare each staged photo with its original, then export them together.
Keep the set. If the unit turns over again next year with nothing changed, you may be able to reuse it. Reshoot if you've painted, replaced floors or changed appliances.

The cost maths for one unit: 15 enhanced photos comes to 15 credits, plus 4 for two staged rooms, so 19 credits. The 150-credit pack costs $49.99, which works out to about $6.33 per unit, and the credits never expire. They'll still be there at the next turnover. Failed edits are refunded automatically.

Kitchen with white shaker cabinets and a large island, a heavy yellow-orange colour cast, a dark floor and the window over the sink blown out to solid white — Kitchen before and after Enhance. The yellow cast from the light bulbs is gone, the window shows the yard again and the fridge edge stands straight. Nothing in the room has been changed.

The same kitchen after Enhance, with white cabinets looking white, a brighter island and floor, the yard visible through the window and the fridge edge standing upright — Kitchen before and after Enhance. The yellow cast from the light bulbs is gone, the window shows the yard again and the fridge edge stands straight. Nothing in the room has been changed.

Small things renters notice

Blinds half open at different heights. Open them fully or set them all to the same height.
A missing bulb in a light fitting. Replace it before you shoot.
Paint touch-ups that haven't dried and read as patches in the photo.
Your reflection in the bathroom mirror or the oven door.
No photo of the building at all. Renters want to see the entrance and the street.
Vertical photos. Listing sites use a landscape frame, so shoot horizontally.

If the building photos come out dark or grey, the exterior photo guide covers timing and angles. For dim interiors, our guide to fixing dark real estate photos can help. If you're wondering whether staging is worth it at all, our guide to whether virtual staging helps sell a house examines the evidence, while our guide to virtual staging costs compares prices.

To try staging before you pay, check out free AI virtual staging.

Edit and stage your next vacant unit during turnover. Start free: 1 credit.

Questions

How many photos should a rental listing have?

Zillow Rental Manager recommends at least 10 to 15 good photos. For a typical flat, that includes the living room from two angles, the kitchen, each bedroom, each bathroom, storage space, the laundry, the building and any facilities.

When should I photograph a rental property?

After the end-of-tenancy clean and any painting or repairs, but before the next tenant moves in. The property is empty, clean and exactly as the new tenant will find it.

Can I use photos of a different flat with the same floor plan?

Only if you say so in the listing, using plain language such as "photos are of a similar flat on the 3rd floor." Finishes and views vary between flats, and renters who discover this at the open home lose trust in the rest of the ad.

Do I have to disclose virtual staging in a rental listing?

It depends on where you are, and the rules are changing. In July 2026, New York City announced plans to require clear disclosure of digitally altered rental photos. I'd label every staged photo and post the unstaged version beside it, wherever the property is.

Rental listing photos: how landlords photograph a flat between tenants