Traditionally, property managers, inspectors, and landlords used pen and paper to carry out inspections on their assets managed and not property inspection software. The age-old method used to consist of walking the property jotting things down, speaking with tenants and adding notes and comments to your notebook, taking photos with a digital camera, and then heading back to the office for the next few hours as you attempt to format a report without getting a headache.

It’s not hard to imagine why property professionals around the world were desperately seeking alternative methods to manage their business operations and ramp up productivity.

Technology has now caught up so much so that 98% of your typical inspection work can be automated through property inspection software.

From automatically formatting reports to cutting down inspection time from hours to minutes, it’s evident that property inspection software gives your company the competitive edge it needs to stand out in the current cut-throat property industry.

So what exactly is property inspection software, and how can it assist my company?

Could-based Property inspection software

Property Inspection software is a system designed for property managers and inspectors that allows you to carry out inspections via your mobile or Android device. Typically, they use cloud-based technology. This enables you to communicate in real time with your team through the app.

For example, say you had a manager conducting inspections on the floor that needed a second opinion on an area within the house they are inspecting. That manager can take a photo with the property inspection app and upload it to there account.

You could be in your office doing paperwork, press refresh on your end and see the photo and be able to give comments, suggestions or even add photo annotations. This allows you to communicate effortlessly with your team in real time. No more confusing lines of communication, having to re-visit old inspections or spending multiple days on a single inspection.

Cloud-based Features

• On-demand – Everything is available when you want it. From employees inspections to photos you took five months ago that are being used to handle a tenant dispute, all information is readily available to you when you need it.
• Flexible- Property inspection and management companies often experience growth at a moments notice. Cloud-based technology allows you to scale your company quickly without any warning. This is due to the pricing system, with most property inspection software companies pricing their service based on asset number.
• Tenant interaction- Property inspection software that uses cloud-based technology allows you to interact with tenants in real time, much like you would with your employees. You can review tenant inspections, send reports in PDF format and even set tasks for them or reminders of any upcoming inspections.
• Storage- Cloud technology means that everything is accessible via a web browser or app. No longer do you have to worry about backing up your inspections on a hard drive or where you will store completed inspections. Technical logistics are made simple, with all information being accessible 24/7
• Reliability- Ever need to review an inspection you did months ago, only to spend the rest of the week searching for it with little to no luck? Well, with cloud-based property inspection software you can simply enter your inspection details into the universal search bar, and hey presto! A whole weeks worth of searching is saved.
• No upfront investment- Pay for the service exactly how you would pay for Netflix, as a monthly subscription. This means you are not required to make any investment in the beginning and can cancel at any time should you no longer need the service.

Productivity

Time is money, but you already knew that. If you could complete an inspection that usually takes you three hours in 30 minutes, would you? No doubt!

One of the most attractive things about property inspection software is how productive it can make your business. On average, property inspection apps and software save you up to 75% of inspection time, from start to finish.

This is primarily contributed to by the software’s ability to replace human resources and automate complex processes. From sending emails and reminding tenants of upcoming inspections to fully formatting your inspection into a sleek, professional report, property inspection software looks after the entire inspection process start to finish.

Not only will property inspection software transform your entire businesses operations, but it will also allow your team to focus on what they do best. This is achieved by automating all the back-end, time-consuming administrative tasks as mentioned above.

Outdated pen and paper Inspection Method:

• Format your inspection checklist in excel to match the property/inspection type
• Print the inspection onto paper
• Walk through the property adding notes and comments by writing
• Re-walk the property to talk photos with a digital camera
• Take the information gathered back to the office to spend the next couple of hours trying to compile everything into a readable report

Property Inspection Software Inspection Method:

• Pre-load your companies inspection checklists onto your mobile device
• Walk the property with your device filling out the mobile checklist
• Take photos in-app during the inspection that automatically load formatted onto your inspection report
• Bring up previous reports to compare and assess a property’s condition
• Finish and click “complete.”
• Email the report from your device straight to your client’s inbox

The ability to upload and send your report instantly after walking the property means you save hundreds of hours worth of back-end work each year. They are allowing you to focus on other areas of your company to do things like scale and grow.

Property Inspection Software Myths

1 Cloud-based inspection software is confusing and takes too long to learn

Given that property inspection apps are relatively new to the inspecting space, it’s natural that they seem like a fad and that learning how to use them will only halt business operations as it is too confusing to keep track of.

This isn’t the case. If you can open a web browser and sign into Facebook, you will have no problems learning how to use property inspection software. It’s simple; everything is stored in one secure plan that you have round the clock access to regardless of your location, all you need is internet access.

2. My data and intellectual property is not secure or safe

It’s true that when you store your information on cloud-based software, it isn’t protected by a safe or lock. Instead, it is encrypted and backed-up. When you use cloud-based property software you have fewer worries about data, nothing is kept onsite. This means that even if someone steals your phone or computer, your data isn’t lost and you can still access it.

3. I already have software that works just as well

If you are using software that doesn’t offer cloud-based storage and pricing systems, mobile inspections and automates a majority of your back end work, then we doubt this is true.

Additionally, given that property inspection software is an application it means that updates will consistently happen to tweak and enhance your user experience, for no extra cost.

If you are using a system that you pay one large upfront fee for, it’s likely that it will never be updated. How can you expect to grow and scale your company if you are using 2014 technology in 2019? Don’t get left behind using old outdated systems.