All reputable property inspectors will provide a written report following their visual inspection. However, there are many different styles of report, which vary from a simple checklist of items to a fully individual, written narrative. It is our view at Aston Property Inspection that checklist-style reports, which usually contain an awful lot of very similar sentences, are hard to read and of very little value to clients – after all, most clients could complete a checklist themselves! We provide our clients with an individual, narrative-style written report tailored exactly to the property inspected.
The most common complaint with checklist reports is that they contain very little information. A checklist report, for example, describe the Kitchen Sink as follows:
(1) Kitchen Sink: Condition……….. Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ X ] Poor [ ]
But does this really tell you anything? The answer is “no” since you do not know what is wrong with the sink to make its condition less than excellent – is it leaking? Is a faucet loose or damaged? Is the sink chipped? Is it simply a cosmetic problem?
An individual report on your property should supply you with descriptive information on the condition of the site and home. To take our Kitchen Sink example, this would be as follows:
(2) Kitchen sink: Condition – there surface of the sink has a few minor chips in enamel finish, and there is a quarter inch gap between the sink and the counter top. It would be advisable to seal this gap with water proof caulk.
As you can see, narrative-style description includes much more detail, and a recommendation for repair. Narrative reports without suggestions or recommendations for repairing deficient items are difficult to comprehend if your knowledge of construction is limited.
It is well worth taking the time to become familiar with property inspection reports before choosing your inspector. Aston Property Inspection provide a sample report for download . If you have any additional questions about our reporting standards, please contact us.
