The 12 things every inspection report should contain

An inspection report is a legal document — the client's basis for action, and the proof of compliance if an inspection ever comes. What separates a report that holds up from one that gets picked apart is usually not the findings themselves, but what's around them. Here are twelve things a good report carries, whatever the trade.

1. Who did the inspection — and on what basis

Your name, company and credential or registration number, so the report traces back to a qualified person. An anonymous finding carries no weight.

2. The client and the site

Who commissioned it, and the exact address and identification of the site inspected. A report that could refer to “any building” refers to none.

3. The date — and the scope

When it happened and what it covered. State the boundaries: what you inspected, and just as importantly, what you didn't. That protects you as much as the client.

4. A clear, specific description of each finding

Not “not compliant”. “Combustible material stored in the escape stairwell, narrowing the route.” A finding someone can act on without ringing you to ask what you meant.

5. A photo of each finding

Rarely required, always your best evidence. It makes it indisputable that this was the state of things, there, then — for an audit or a claim months later.

6. A consistent risk rating

A single scale makes the report readable and comparable, and tells the client what to fix first. Whatever you call it — risk, deviation, compliance, damage category — apply it the same way every time.

7. The reference behind the finding

Where a rule applies, cite the specific one in force. Only current regulation — an out-of-date clause undermines the whole report.

8. Who fixes it, and by when

A finding without an owner and a deadline is a note, not an action. The client should close the report knowing exactly what happens next.

9. Signatures — yours and the participants'

Signed on site, by you and whoever was there (site rep, plant manager), the report is finished and hard to dispute later.

10. A consistent structure

The same order every time — identity, scope, findings, actions — so a client, an auditor, or you in three years, can read it at a glance.

11. One place it lives, and can be found again

Sorted by client and site, not scattered across folders and sent-mail. When someone asks for the report from two years ago, it's a search away.

12. A format the other side can actually use

A print-ready PDF, and ideally an editable version too — not everyone on the receiving end works the same way.

A checklist, not a burden

TUZKEMPRO builds these twelve in by default: identity and scope in the header, findings with photos and a renameable risk scale, references you confirm, owners and deadlines, on-site signatures, one searchable archive, PDF and Word out the door. You keep the judgement; it keeps the structure.