The Site Inspection Tool is available to all agents and access can be turned on and off from the agent settings screen under the Site Management tab.
Please also ensure you have the relevant user roles set up. More info in the Users section on this KB article:
3.5.4 OrganisationIt would be also good to download the PM Toolkit App from Apple store or Google play store depending on which phone operating system you have.
The Site Inspection Tool supports you in undertaking Property Management inspections. Specifically, it supports:
- Setting up of visits for the completion of inspections on a timely basis.
- Controlled inspections driven by Checklists that you have built, or
Freeform inspections based on what you observe at site. - Using your mobile device with the Blocks Online PM Toolkit app to complete inspections whilst on-site even with no signal.
- Easy review and editing of information collected on site when back in the office on the desktop so as to ensure everything is in order.
- Loading of Recommended Actions that are the result of your inspection
- Production of a professional report that can be shared with clients.
Checklists
The Site Inspection Tool allows you to maintain Checklists which can be used to drive your inspections. We expect this to be used for larger agents whereby using a checklist greater consistency can be achieved.
Checklists can only be built and maintained by users with the right role. They are built of Sections that you control e.g. Internal/External, or Services/Maintenance and within each Section you can add as many checklist questions (prompts) as you like and you can specify what type of answer you want to get to the question/prompt.
Checklists can be set up to apply across the organisation, or they can be set up for a specific block, allowing you to tune the checklist to the structure and assets on site at each block. You can also lock the editing so only the owner of the checklist can edit it.
To speed up Checklist creation and management the Site Inspection Tool provides a number of starter checklists that you can copy. You can also copy your own checklists, so if you have set one up for one block, you can copy it and just tweak it for another block.
Setting up Visits
You can manage inspection visits to blocks through their lifecycle, set them up with a scheduled date in advance which will help manage your diary, then keep it up-to-date with follow through statuses until is it complete. Alternatively, you can create a record of your visit when you turn up on-site.
A visit will inherently be to complete an inspection and when you set up a visit you can choose whether the inspection is to use a Checklist or to be a freeform inspection.
Records of all visits are kept and hence you can filter active visits and also historic visits as well as visits for yourself versus visits for others.
Completing an Inspection
You normally complete an inspection by accessing the site inspection tool using the PM Toolkit app on your mobile device, but it can also be done on the desktop.
To complete an inspection, you start a visit to a Block on your device and chose a Checklist if you want to use one. You can enter headline information about the visit e.g. a photo of the site and any overall details e.g. weather. The site inspection tool will then guide you through any Checklist questions/prompts and show you how many you have completed. For each question/prompt you can take photos and answer the particular question you are asked depending on how the checklist has been set up.
You can add any free format Observations you may have at the back end of the inspection if you are using a Checklist. If you are not using a Checklist you can keep adding observations until you are finished.
Finalising an inspection and the Property Inspection report
When back in the office we would typically expect you to review the inspection on your desktop to ensure all the typing is correct and to add Recommended Actions based on the Checklist answers and free form Observations you made(this can be undertaken on-site during an inspection if you chose this approach).
After finalising your Observations and making sure you are clear of your Recommended Actions resulting from the inspection, you can print a formatted report that has all the photos in it and is structured in line with the Checklist if one was used.