Every crack in the neighbour's kitchen
Before the works start, the adjoining owner's property is inspected and its condition recorded, so that any damage later can be told apart from what was there before. That means going room by room, wall by wall, noting hairline cracks, stains, loose tiles, sticking doors and the condition of the garden wall, and photographing each.
On site, the surveyor takes a large number of photos and writes notes on a pad or dictates. Back at the desk, they match photos to notes, number them, write each observation in a consistent style and build a document the other surveyor can agree. It is careful work, and a lot of it is admin rather than surveying.
Why schedules take so long
- Photos and notes are captured separately and matched afterwards.
- Observations are written up in the office, from memory and shorthand.
- Numbering and cross-referencing photos is manual.
- The format differs slightly between surveyors and matters.
- Agreeing the schedule with the other surveyor involves emailing Word files back and forth.
What the write-up costs
Surveyor time that could go on more matters. Delays to the building owner's start while the schedule is written and agreed. Errors, such as a photo matched to the wrong wall, which matter a great deal if damage is alleged later. And disputes that are harder to resolve if the schedule is vague.
| Part of the schedule | Paper and camera | On-site capture |
|---|---|---|
| Location of observation | Written in shorthand | Room and wall chosen on screen |
| Description | Typed up later | Dictated on the spot, tidied into draft text |
| Photo | Matched later | Taken with the observation |
| Numbering | Manual | Automatic and consistent |
| Agreement | Word files by email | Shared draft with comments |
The capture tool we build
- The surveyor sets up the property on a tablet: rooms, elevations and external areas.
- For each observation, they choose the room and wall, take the photo, and dictate or type a short description. Crack widths or measurements can be recorded in set fields.
- Dictation is turned into draft text in your practice's style, placed against the observation.
- The schedule is generated in your format, with numbered observations and photos next to their descriptions.
- The other surveyor receives a link to review the draft, comment on specific observations and agree it, with every comment kept.
- The agreed schedule is locked and stored with the matter, ready to compare against if damage is alleged later.
What to record, and how to describe it, is the surveyor's professional judgement. The tool puts their observations in order and removes the transcription.
Schedules finished when you leave the house
The surveyor leaves the property with a draft schedule almost complete. Checking and tidying replaces hours of writing. The other surveyor agrees it from a link. Works can start sooner. If a question arises after the works, the photos and observations are organised by room and wall, and a follow-up inspection can be recorded against the same structure for direct comparison.
That comparison is where the structure really pays off. A second inspection after the works uses the original schedule as its starting point, so each observation can be marked unchanged, changed or new, with a fresh photo beside the original.
Is this your schedule of condition?
- Photos and notes are matched after the visit.
- Schedules take longer to write than to inspect.
- Agreeing schedules means Word files by email.
- Photos have been placed against the wrong wall.
- Post-works comparisons mean searching the original schedule.