How should a home watch report be delivered?
By email, as a PDF the homeowner can save. Sending it the same day as the visit shows the owner their home was checked when promised.
Sample home watch report
A home watch report is the record of one visit: when the home was checked, who checked it, what they found and what happens next. The homeowner should be able to read it in under a minute.
What every home watch report should include
- The client's name and the property address
- The date and time of the visit, and the type of visit
- Who did the inspection
- Every checklist item with its result
- A note on anything that needs attention, with photos
- What happens next, such as who is calling the plumber
- Your company's name, logo and contact information
Sample home watch report
This is the kind of report Spare Key IT sends after a visit. The homeowner, address and results are made up.
Your Home Watch Co.Sample report
- Test lightsAll lights turned on
- Check appliancesAll on and working
- Lanai and patio doors closedYes
- Windows checked for rainYes
- Sinks checked for leaksSee note
- Pests checked around the homeNone found
- Packages brought inN/A
- Mail checkedYes
- Sinks run on and offYes
- Toilets flushedYes
- Showers and tubs run on and offYes
- Water shut offYes
- Door locked on exitYes
Note: Slow drip under the kitchen sink. Photo attached. We've let you know and recommend a plumber this week.
Paper, Google Forms or home watch software
Most home watch companies start on paper or a Google Form. Here's how the three compare once you have more than a handful of homes.
| Paper check sheet | Google Form | Home watch software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos | Texted or emailed separately | Possible with file upload | Attached to the item they show |
| Looks like your company | Only if you print your own forms | Limited | Your logo and colors on every report |
| Review before the owner sees it | By hand | Not built in | Built in |
| Finding a past visit | Filing cabinet | A spreadsheet of responses | Each home's visit history |
| Payroll and invoices | Counted by hand | Counted from the spreadsheet | Sent to your payroll and invoicing software |
How Spare Key IT builds the report
Your inspector works through the home watch checklist on their phone and adds notes and photos to anything that's off. The report lands on your desk first. Once you've reviewed it, Spare Key IT emails it to the homeowner as a PDF with your logo and colors, and the visit is saved to that home's history.
Questions
Do home watch reports need photos?
Photos of anything that needs attention are the most useful part of a report. Some companies also include a few photos of normal conditions so owners can see their home.
Can I put my logo on reports in Spare Key IT?
Yes. Your logo appears on every PDF report, on the sign-in screen and in the app header, and the report colors come from your logo.
More home watch guides
Spare Key IT
Send reports like this after every visit
Spare Key IT builds the report as your inspector works, sends it to you for review, then emails it to the homeowner with your logo on it.
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