How to write property maintenance defect reports with photos
A maintenance report should tell the reader where the problem is, what was observed and what needs to happen next. Keep the original observation separate from the proposed repair and the later confirmation that work is complete.
By Blu Mint Digital. 3 minute read. Last reviewed .
Capture an observation a contractor can locate
Start with the property reference, visit date, room or common area, and exact position of the item. Record what you can observe in plain language. “Cupboard door scrapes lower cabinet edge when opened” is more useful than “kitchen bad”, and it does not guess the cause before the responsible person assesses it.
Take a context photo showing the item in the room and a closer view of the observed condition. Add captions that identify the location and the detail. Avoid including occupants, personal papers or unrelated belongings when they are not needed to explain the item.
This workflow is for organising maintenance observations. A photo report does not replace any required inspection, tenancy form or specialist assessment. If an observation raises an immediate safety concern, use the property emergency process rather than waiting for a routine PDF to be read.
Use a repeatable maintenance record
For each item, record the following information in your issue description and the applicable app fields. Keep appointment details and any permissions in the property management process where the people arranging access can find them.
- Reference and location: property, room, item and position.
- Observation: what happened or what was visible, with the visit date.
- Evidence: context and detail photos with useful captions.
- Next action: who should assess or respond, and the target date.
- Follow-up: response received, repair reported and outcome checked.
Site Audit provides priority, status, assigned company and due-date fields alongside the description and photos. Recording a company name does not notify that company. Send the checked report and a clear request using your normal communication channel.
Worked example: a cupboard door
Observation: Unit 4, kitchen, cupboard immediately left of oven. Door contacts lower cabinet edge during opening. Contact visible at lower hinge-side corner. Recorded during routine visit; cause not assessed.
Photos: one image locates the cupboard within the kitchen; a second shows the contact point. Next action: ask the appointed joinery contractor to assess and advise the proposed adjustment. Confirm an access window separately with the authorised contact.
After a contractor reports completion, record the reply as a reported repair. At the follow-up, compare the same item and document what was actually checked. Do not treat a message or invoice alone as your own verification of the door operation. See the reinspection checklist for example outcomes.
Give each recipient the context they need
An owner may need the overall list and a summary of outstanding decisions. A contractor usually needs the items assigned to their company, photos and practical access arrangements. Check the recipient and scope of each file before sending it.
Pro can filter a project report by assigned contractor. Keep company names consistent and review the filtered PDF to ensure a misspelling has not left an item out. For work involving two trades, nominate the coordination owner and explain the dependency instead of assuming both will interpret a shared description the same way.
Keep repeat-property work organised
Use separate projects when property records and recipients need to stay apart. Pro supports unlimited projects and CSV export for transferring register fields to a spreadsheet. CSV is an export, not a live connection to property management software, and it does not embed the inspection photos.
Test the complete workflow on the free project first: capture a real item, generate the PDF and check that the reader can act on it. Then compare the Pro features with your reporting needs. Preserve issued documents and a backup so you can distinguish the original observation from later maintenance work.