Each template is organized by report section. For example, our Home inspection - Standard template contains the following report sections:

• General Information
• Grounds
• Exterior and Foundation
• Crawl Space
• Basement
• Roof
• Attic and Roof Structure
• Garage or Carport
• Electric
• Plumbing / Fuel Systems
• Water Heater
• Heating, Ventilation and Air Condition (HVAC)
• Fireplaces, Stoves, Chimneys and Flues
• Kitchen
• Bathrooms, Laundry and Sinks
• Interior, Doors and Windows
• Wood Destroying Organism Findings

Within report sections there are 3 types of items:

Descriptions quantify or describe items and help make your reports compliant with various standards of practice. For example, noting that an electric service is rated at 200 amps, or that a water heater's capacity is 50 gallons.

Concerns are short narratives that explain defects or conditions that require repair, further evaluation, monitoring, etc. Concerns can include hyperlinks to related websites, images, illustrations, and more. Concerns may have one or more types associated with them, including:

Safety
Major defect
Repair/Replace
Repair/Maintain
Minor defect
Evaluate
Monitor
Comment

These types determine the order in which concerns appear within a report section. For example, Safety items appear at the top of a section while Monitor and Comment items appear near the bottom.

Labels are words or phrases that visually organize your templates. They can group related concerns together or denote subsections within a report section. They do not appear in published reports.

You get the Home inspection - Standard report template when we activate your account. You can download other templates as you wish. Any report template in your account can be customized in a variety of ways. For example, you can:

• Add, modify or delete concerns descriptions and labels
• Delete, change the names of, or reorder report sections
• Move or replicate concerns, descriptions or labels within or between report sections
• Import concerns, descriptions, labels or entire report sections from our default templates into your own templates
• Create your own templates
• Copy one template to another (useful for multi-inspector companies that want to share the same customized template)

The example below shows the Water Heater section in our Home inspection -Extended template as you'd see it in our printed field notes. Descriptions are shown in blue, concerns are shown in red, and labels are shown in black.

As mentioned above, descriptions quantify or describe items, and help make your reports compliant with various standards of practice. There are fill-in-the-blank descriptions, where you enter text as you wish, and multiple choice descriptions where you select one or more predefined values.

Example 1:

Model #: ____________________

This fill-in-the-blank description is used for the model number in the Water Heater report section. Its value is blank by default. With it, you'd simply type in the model number of the water heater. If you typed in the value "1210A0002243", it would appear like this in your report:

Example 2:

Limitations: ____________________

This fill-in-the-blank description is the first item that appears in the Water Heater report section. Its default value is a short paragraph of text listing the limitations of evaluating a water heater during an inspection. If you didn't change that text, it would appear like this in your report:

Example 3:

Energy source: Electricity / Natural gas / Propane / Oil / Solar / ? / ____________

This multiple choice description indicates the energy source for a water heater. It has 5 choices. Like many multiple choice descriptions in our templates, the last choice appears as a question mark and results in the text "Not determined" appearing in your report. You can also enter any value you wish in underlined space at then end. If you selected "Electricity", this description would appear like this in your report:

If you selected the question mark, and then entered "(was in locked closet)" in the underlined space at the end, this description would appear like this in your report:

As mentioned above, concerns explain defects or conditions that require repair, further evaluation, monitoring, etc. There are standard concerns that have a pre-written paragraph of text, and multiple choice concerns that have sets of choices with the paragraph of text.

Example 1:

No drain line for pan

This standard concern indicates a drain line is missing for a water heater's catch pan. It has the "Repair/Maintain" type assigned to it. If you selected this concern, it would appear like this in your report:

A catch pan was installed below the water heater, but no drain line was visible. Typically such catch pans hold only a gallon or two of water. If the water heater fails and leaks significantly, nearby flooring and wall materials, or finished spaces below (if any) may be get water-damaged. Normally, a drain line is installed at the catch pan to route any accumulated water outside the structure. Consider having a qualified contractor install a drain line per standard building practices.

Example 2:

Lifespan (8-12 yrs) - near / at / beyond

This multiple choice concern indicates a water heater is either near, at or beyond its service life. "near / at / beyond" is a set of choices within this concern's pre-written text. There can be multiple sets of choices in the text. If you selected the "near" choice, this concern would appear like this in your report:

The estimated useful life for most water heaters is 8-12 years. This water heater appeared to be near this age and/or its useful lifespan and may need replacing at any time. Recommend budgeting for a replacement in the near future, or considering replacement now before any leaks occur. The client should be aware that significant flooding can occur if the water heater fails. If not replaced now, consider having a qualified person install a catch pan and drain or a water alarm to help prevent damage if water does leak.