Void work is measured in days, and every day a property stands empty carries a cost. The inspection at the start of the void determines the works schedule.
That makes the void inspection unusually unforgiving: an incomplete record produces either a return journey or a works order that turns out to be wrong when the contractor arrives.
01
Inspect for the works order, not the report
The output of a void inspection is a schedule of work. Every observation should be specific enough that somebody can price and schedule it without seeing the property.
That is a higher bar than most inspection types require, and it is worth designing the template around explicitly.
- Record location precisely enough to find it again
- Capture measurements where work will be priced by area
- Photograph every item that will become a work order
- Note access constraints and services status
02
Capture the things only visible while empty
Behind furniture, under carpets, inside cupboards — a void is the only opportunity to record these without obstruction. Deferring them to a later visit means either an occupied property or a wasted opportunity.
03
Complete it in the property
Writing up afterwards is where voids lose time. Anything ambiguous in the notes becomes either a guess or a return journey, and both are more expensive than the minutes it would have taken to record properly on site.
