When you prepare your own home as a furnished rental, you quickly realize it's about more than just keys and contracts.
I live in Porto, Portugal. This apartment has been my home: I renovated it, furnished it, equipped it exactly the way I wanted. Now, as I get ready to travel to South America (maybe for good), I decided to rent it out. That's where the adventure already began.
More Attached Than a Typical Landlord
Because it's my personal home, I'm more attached to everything inside it — from the furniture I picked out to the little details I installed during renovation.
If I had set it up purely as a rental investment from the start, maybe it would feel different. But this is my space. I wanted to make sure that when I hand it over to someone else, everything is properly prepared, documented, and easy to maintain between many future tenants.
The German in Me Needed a List
Being German, I enjoy preparing. Early on, I knew I needed at least a list of everything that would be part of the lease agreement and remain my responsibility.
I started looking for tools to digitize my furniture and belongings. Something simple — a way to list items with photos and notes. I disliked using Google Sheets (I tried twice) because item names alone didn't help me navigate my own stuff. I needed visuals.
From Lists to Inspections
That search reminded me of inspections. When I left my apartment in Berlin years ago, I hired an inspector just to protect my deposit. It worked — but I was surprised how much content, text, and photos I got for just 70€. It felt like overkill for my situation and more appropriate if things go really wrong.
So I restarted my research, this time focusing on inspections and inventory apps.
The Apps I Found Didn't Fit
I tested several apps. Many were aimed at professional inspectors or large property managers — not upcoming DIY landlords like me. None that I could just try focused on furniture or equipment within a rental property, and because of that, none tied these items into the inspection process.
Items First, Reports Second
For me, it's items first: Furniture, appliances, walls, doors, floors — everything I added, renovated, or know could become a maintenance task in the future. Reports are second: powerful for lease agreements, disputes and for keeping the inventory up to date with each check-in and check-out. The twist is that reports should be based on the inventory — not start from a blank template. I only need specific data, not a 40-page report, like the one I received from the inspection I mentioned earlier.
That's why I built my own tool.
The Result: Mono — An Inventory Tracker
The result of all this is Mono, my new startup. From the Japanese word mono 物 (“thing, object”), it's a photo-based property inventory tracker that uses AI to instantly label, describe, and categorize your items the moment you take a picture.
Once your inventory is set up, you can send inspection requests to tenants or your rental agent. Every inspection is a guided, room-by-room walkthrough of your actual inventory.
Think of it as a calorie tracker — but for your property's inventory. Only what you photograph exists in the tracker. You set it up once, and don't have to dwell on each item as the tracker eventually runs on autopilot thanks to the built-in inspections.
Why This Matters
If you're considering renting out your home, a proper inventory is one of the best protections you can have.
It helps you:
- Define exactly what's included in the lease and remains your responsibility.
- Avoid disputes with tenants about damage or missing items.
- Feel more confident when handing over your keys — whether to tenants or rental agencies (a topic I'll cover soon).
And if you're like me, it lets you start a trace you can use to continuously improve your property, item by item.
Final Thoughts
Preparing my apartment for rental taught me a lot about the gap in apps for DIY landlords of furnished rentals.
Spreadsheets don't cut it — it's visual. Professional inspectors are overkill for regular check-ins and check-outs. Not having at least a list is strange, if not careless.
If you're in the same situation — turning your home into a furnished rental, or simply wanting peace of mind with your property — give Mono a try. It's free for 5 items.
