You get the keys to a flat, hand back a van, or lend your tools to a neighbour. A short checklist and your phone give you a record of what everything looked like that day. This guide walks through what a good inspection checklist covers, then how to make one with Inspect Cat, our condition report app for iPhone.
What goes on an inspection checklist
- Rooms in the order you walk through them: entry, living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms. For a vehicle, walk around the outside, then the inside.
- The same few items in every room: walls, floor, ceiling, windows, doors, lights and switches. Then add what that room has: the oven, fridge and sink in the kitchen; the toilet, shower and mirror in the bathroom.
- The numbers that change: how many keys you got, the meter readings, a vehicle's mileage and fuel level.
- Nothing you won't finish. A short list you complete beats a long one you give up on. Add an item when you find something worth noting.
Rate every item the same way
Pick three words and stick to them, like Good, Fair and Damaged. The same three for every item make the list quick to fill in and easy to read later. Add a note only where it helps: "scratch on the left door, about 5 cm" says more than "fine".
Take photos as you go
Take one wide photo of each room, then close-ups of anything that isn't Good. Use good light, and take each close-up from a spot you can stand in again next time. Keep each photo with its item: a pile of photos on your camera roll is hard to match up later.
Make the checklist in Inspect Cat
- Pick a starting list. On the home screen, under New report, tap Move-in, Move-out, Vehicle, Equipment, Before & after or Blank. Type where it is or what you're checking, and your name under Prepared by, then tap Start report. You can change everything later.
- Make the list yours. The starting lists are suggestions, and nothing is required. Tap ⋯ next to a room to Rename it, Add item, move it up or down, or Delete room. Tap Add a room or area below the last room for a new one.
- Rate each item with one tap. Tap Good, Fair or Damaged right in the list.
- Add photos and a note. Tap an item to open it. Under Photos, tap Camera or Choose photos from your library, and type what you see under Note. The Next button at the bottom, labeled with the next item's name, takes you to the following item, room after room, so you never have to go back.
- Write down the rest. Use Notes at the end of the report for anything else, like meter readings, keys or who was there.
Every tap and photo is saved at once, so you can stop any time and carry on later. Each photo keeps the date it was taken when the photo has one, or the date you added it.
Sign it and share a dated PDF
Tap Sign at the bottom of the report. There's room for one or two signatures, for example Tenant and Landlord or agent on a move-in or move-out; the second is optional. Each person types their name and signs with a finger, and the time is added when they sign. Signing locks the report so it matches what was signed. To change it later, tap Unlock to edit: the signatures are removed, and you can sign again.
Then tap Print & share:
- Print sends it to your printer.
- Share PDF sends it to Mail, Files or any app, so each person can keep a copy.
- Preview full size shows the PDF first.
Under Options, pick Letter or A4 paper. The PDF shows when the report was made, a count of Good, Fair and Damaged, the damaged items under Needs attention, and every photo with when it was taken or added. Not signed in the app? The PDF has blank lines to sign by hand.
Moving out? Start from your move-in
At move-out, use the same list as at move-in, in the same order, so each item can be compared with what it was. In Inspect Cat, tap Move-out under New report. Under Start from, your most recently edited move-in report is already picked. You get the same rooms and items, nothing checked yet, and a Then card on each item with its condition, note and photos from the earlier report. The same works for next year's vehicle or equipment check: start from last year's report.
Need to sign a lease or another document on your phone? See how to sign a PDF on iPhone. Doing before-and-after photos for a paid job? See how to make an invoice on iPhone.
What it costs
Reports, rooms, photos, notes, signatures and the PDF cost nothing, as many as you like, and starting from an earlier report is free too. There's no watermark: nothing is printed on your report except your report. There's no trial, no sign-up, no account, no ads and no subscription. Inspect Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds two extras: a side-by-side PDF of a report next to the earlier report it started from, and your business name and logo on your reports. More on the Inspect Cat page.
Your reports, photos and signatures are kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print them. Inspect Cat makes a record of what you saw. It isn't legal advice, and whether a report is accepted is up to the people you show it to.
Quick answers
How do I make an inspection checklist on iPhone for free?
In Inspect Cat, pick a starting list, tap Good, Fair or Damaged for each item, add photos and notes, sign on the screen, then print or share a dated PDF. All of that is free, with no watermark.
What should a tenant check at move-out?
The same rooms and items as at move-in, in the same order, with photos from the same spots. In Inspect Cat, start the move-out from your move-in report.
Is there a move-out inspection checklist template?
Inspect Cat's move-out list starts with the entry, living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and keys and meters, each with its usual items. Rename, add or delete anything; nothing is required.
How do I make a reusable checklist on iPhone?
For condition checks, start each new report from an earlier one. Inspect Cat copies the rooms and items, leaves them unchecked, and shows what each item was last time.
Try Inspect Cat
Try Inspect Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/inspect-cat