A defect reinspection checklist for checking repairs

Prepare the return visit from the original list

Start with the report that was actually issued, not a fresh blank checklist. Identify which items the contractor says are ready, which remain in progress and which require access or specialist input. Agree the areas and the people needed for the visit before everyone arrives.

• Keep the original descriptions and photographs available.
• Confirm the correct property, unit and room references.
• List the items reported repaired and the date of that response.
• Arrange access, keys, demonstrations or the relevant trade where needed.
• Identify checks outside your competence or agreed inspection scope.

A return visit at the end of a defects period may also involve deadlines and contractual steps. Use the separate end-of-DLP inspection guide for that planning context. This checklist deals with recording the result of an individual repair check.

Compare the same condition in the same location

Read the original observation before looking at the repair. If the item was a window handle that would not close, a photograph of fresh paint around the window does not answer it. Check the reported condition using the agreed method and record the result.

Do not quietly expand the original item into a different complaint. If you find a separate issue, make a new record and explain any relationship. If the original description was unclear, preserve it and add a dated clarification rather than replacing the historical observation.

Where verification requires technical testing, arrange the appropriate person and retain the relevant evidence. A visual walkthrough cannot establish every concealed condition. State the part you actually checked and any limitation rather than using an unqualified “all satisfactory”.

Build a useful before-and-after pair

Keep the original photograph. Take the return image from a similar position, with enough context to show it is the same item. Add a closer view when the repair detail needs one. Similar framing makes the comparison easier, but the caption still needs to identify the location and visit.

For example: “Entry threshold, return visit 30 September: previously chipped edge now shows the replacement tile.” If you did not witness the repair, avoid claiming how it was carried out. Record what the return image shows and distinguish any contractor explanation from your own observation.

In Site Audit, you can attach further photos to the existing issue and caption each one. This provides a before-and-after record without needing a special comparison mode. Use the caption examples to keep the original and return images understandable in the exported report.

Choose an outcome that matches the evidence

A simple return-visit record can distinguish four outcomes:

• Checked and addressed: the observed condition has been checked and no longer remains within the stated scope.
• Partly addressed: describe the improvement and the specific work still outstanding.
• Not checked: record the access, information or technical limitation.
• Still outstanding: explain the condition that remains and the next action.

These are suggested descriptions for your notes, not additional status buttons in the app. Site Audit’s statuses are Open, In Progress, Resolved and Closed. Agree how your team uses them and use resolution notes to explain the outcome. Changing an app status does not constitute a contractual certificate or approval.

Write a closure note someone else can follow

Weak: “Done.” This gives no indication of who checked the item, what they checked or when.

30 September, checked by the inspection coordinator during the return walk. Bedroom 2 cupboard door now opens and closes through its normal range without contacting the adjacent panel. Original observation checked; new overview and clearance photos attached.

For a limitation, the note should be equally concrete:

30 September, unable to verify the reported repair because the utility room was locked. Contractor advised completion by email on 29 September. Access and a further check are still required; the item remains outstanding.

These are illustrative notes. Substitute the actual date, observer and finding. Do not copy a successful outcome into a record you have not checked.

Issue the updated report and keep both versions

Generate a new report after the visit. Review the outstanding items and ensure the report does not imply that unverified work was accepted. Tell the recipient which version it supersedes for current action, while retaining the earlier file as part of the record.

Send any remaining work through the contractor reporting workflow, with the access or repair action made explicit. Finally, back up the updated project so the follow-up photographs and notes survive a lost or replaced phone.