How to Perform Commercial Property Inspections Using Software and Checklists?

Buying or managing a commercial property is a monumental task with its share of potential and pitfalls. A meticulous commercial property inspection can help you detect any deficiencies early on and ensure you make an informed decision.

But this doesn’t mean you should settle for archaic pen-and-paper checklists and cumbersome reporting. Famous hotel chains like Hyatt, and Latour Hotels & Resorts have already switched to digital inspection tools.

Commercial Property Inspection Software & App

GoAudits commercial property inspection app helps you dodge the challenges of traditional commercial real estate inspections. These include too much reliance on paperwork, outdated checklists and spreadsheets, manual creation and distribution of reports, too many in-person meetings, delayed reporting time, etc.

With GoAudits, you get ready-to-use inspection checklists, which you can fully customize based on the property type. GoAudits equips inspectors with a mobile app that they can use on their iOS and Android devices. Through the app, inspectors can:

• Conduct inspections in remote locations
• Submit inspection summary
• Assign checklist items to roofers, plumbers, etc.
• Generate, and share reports in a single click, and more

Renters, investors, property managers, or facility managers can access the inspection results and reports on the GoAudits Analytics Dashboard. You can apply filters and monitor the condition of each of your properties in real time.

Here’s what Toby Clarke of Culham Consultancy, a health and safety consultancy based in the UK, has to say about GoAudits:

Being able to complete a report in about 10 minutes, which may have taken over an hour previously, has been a massive relief.

Our report turnaround has been drastically reduced, and quality of information is far higher: results across clients and sites are much more consistent and easy to read and interpret.

Toby Clarke, Health & Safety Consultant, Culham Consultancy

---

---

What is a Commercial Building Inspection?

A commercial property inspection consists of a thorough inspection of a commercial real estate, in most cases, before renting, buying, or leasing it. One can also opt for commercial building inspection for maintenance purposes.

Commercial real estate inspection helps you check potential threats associated with a commercial property. These may include safety hazards, code violations, environmental issues, maintenance problems, etc.

With a thorough commercial inspection, you can estimate the value of a property. It can also help you budget for repairs and better picture your future ROI.

However, what comprises a commercial property? A commercial property is a real estate built on a commercial space for generating revenue. It can be categorized into five types:

• Office spaces such as office buildings, coworking spaces, etc.
• Retail/hotels such as shopping malls, cafes, restaurants, etc.
• Multifamily residences such as condos, rental property units, etc.
• Land
• Others. These may include fitness facilities, warehouses, etc.

Commercial vs. Home Inspection

Feature	Commercial Inspection	Home Inspection
Inspection standards	Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments: Baseline Property Condition Assessment Process developed by ASTM	Standards of Practice
Typical fee range	$500 – $5,000+	$300 – $500
Pricing basis	Square footage, complexity, scope	House size, inspector qualifications
Common inspection areas	Major building systems, roof, exterior, mechanical & electrical	Foundation, structure, roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC
Additional services	Environmental surveys, accessibility audits, energy audits	Radon testing, termite inspections, pool inspections

Who Performs Commercial Property Inspections?

An asset or a portfolio manager usually hires either of the two to perform a commercial building inspection:

1. Engineer/Architect: They are domain experts in building structures, maintenance, and related subjects. They have a keen eye for defects present in a commercial property. However, due to their level of expertise and experience, their hourly rates may burn a hole in your pocket.
2. Professional Inspectors: You can hire inspectors from inspection agencies or companies. However, you must verify that they offer a specialized inspection for commercial properties and charge no hidden fees.

Regular property inspections are a lifeline for asset and portfolio management companies. They safeguard investments by spotting issues before they become expensive problems. Timely maintenance keeps occupants of the commercial building safe and happy, minimizing vacancies and maximizing rental income.

However, hiring inspectors or engineers/architects for regular inspections is expensive. A digital inspection tool like GoAudits can be a more affordable and easy-to-use alternative.

With the right digital inspection tool, you can perform as many commercial real estate inspections as you like. They offer commercial inspection checklists that allow you to delegate tasks to your team members and access the real-time data at your fingertips anywhere.

Paper-Based vs. Digital Commercial Property Inspection

Traditionally, property inspectors use pen and paper, sticky notes, voice recorders, cameras, diagrams, etc., for inspections. However, these traditional methods are time-consuming, inaccurate, inaccessible, and prone to data loss.

For example, a hidden roof leak record may go missing in the pile of sticky notes and lead to a cascading waterfall after a few months. Such things may also occur due to improper inspection checklists or inaccurate reporting.

This is where inspection software performs better than traditional methods. The best commercial auditing tools offer an in-built inspection checklist, mobile apps compatible with all devices, and a real-time data capture mechanism.

What Does a Commercial Real Estate Inspection Involve?

A commercial property inspection involves a walkthrough from the inspector you hire. During the walkthrough, the inspector will take photos of the deficiencies observed in the building. They will also take note of the potential threats or fixes needed in the future.

Additionally, the inspector would conduct exterior, interior, documents, and system verifications of the building.

After inspection, the inspector would document their findings in a report and hand it over to the client. Ideally, the report should contain photos of the defects. However, due to the manual process, photos might need to be found. To avoid such problems, major facility management companies like Hygiene & Safety Consultants use GoAudits.

» Customer Success Story: Read how Hygiene & Safety Consultants save time and increase business turnover.

What Do Inspectors Look For?

A commercial inspector generally looks at the following aspects of a property:

• Property Documents: The inspector verifies documents associated with the commercial property. These include planning applications, appraisals, contracts, environmental studies, certifications, permits, evacuation plans, etc.
• Building’s Exteriors: It includes inspecting landscaping, roofing, parking lots, etc. The inspector might work with construction experts to inspect roofing and landscaping.
• Building’s Interiors: Walls, working spaces, windows, kitchen and pantry facilities, etc., comprise the components of interior inspection.
• Building Systems: There are five major systems that an inspector would check – electrical, heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and ventilation. In case of a defective system, the inspector would include the cost of repair or replacement in the commercial field inspection report.

The Property Condition Report (PCR) is a significant part of the inspection process. It helps the portfolio manager, asset manager, or investor understand the actual condition of a commercial property.

However, in most cases, reporting is manual. Hence, inspection agencies or companies might spend several hours and resources on it. Digital commercial inspection tools like GoAudits propose an easy solution for this.

Here’s what Kristin Ingram, Regional Director of Resort Operations Latour Hotels & Resorts, has to say about GoAudits’s reporting feature:

“GoAudits provides us with trend reports that assist us in our annual budgeting processes. In addition to the portfolio trends, we now know the top 5 issues for each property and can reserve funds to correct them.”

Kristin Ingram, Regional Director of Resort Operations, Latour Hotels & Resorts

Popular Commercial Inspection Checklists

Here are some ready-to-use commercial building inspection checklists:

• Commercial Building Property Inspection Checklist
• Structural Audit Checklist – Commercial Properties
• Commercial Property Inspection Checklist
• Annual Fire Extinguisher Inspection Checklist
• Commercial Real Estate Due Diligence Checklist
• Solar Panel Inspection Checklist
• Building Exterior Maintenance Checklist
• Automatic Door Maintenance Checklist
• Fire Safety Inspection Checklist
• Property Damage Report Templates
• Window Inspection Checklist
• Handrail Inspection Checklist
• Stair Inspection Checklist
• Furnace Maintenance Checklist
• Electric Furnace Maintenance Checklist
• Heat Pump Maintenance Checklist
• Building Inspection Checklist
• Parking Inspection Checklist
• Defect Checklist Template
• Facility Management Checklist
• ADA Checklist for Existing Facilities
• Other property inspection checklists

» Use These Checklists: Sign up with a 14-day free trial to try these checklists.

Benefits of Regular Commercial Building Inspections

Here are the following benefits of regular commercial inspections:

• Preventive Maintenance: Regular inspections can help identify minor issues before they become big problems. You can save money in the long run by avoiding costly repairs. For example, you can easily fix a small leak in a roof when found early, but if left unattended, it can lead to water damage that can cost thousands of dollars to repair.
• Improved Safety: Inspections can also help identify hazards like fire risks or electrical problems. You can help keep your employees, tenants, and customers safe by addressing these hazards promptly.
• Extended Lifespan of the Property: Regular inspection and maintenance can help prevent wear and tear and keep the property in good condition. This can extend the lifetime of the commercial property.
• Improved Cash Flow: With regular inspections, you can address wear and tear in time and maintain the property. This can allow you to charge a premium amount in rent.

GoAudits: Industry’s Go-To Commercial Building Inspection Software

Serving clients in over 70 countries, GoAudits is a popular commercial building inspection mobile app. It offers customizable inspection checklists, an advanced reporting and analytics dashboard, real-time collaboration with your team, and much more. Book a demo or start a 14-day free trial to explore GoAudits.

With GoAudits, you can perform regular inspections and maintenance to significantly increase your property’s value. You can perform as many inspections and for as many properties as you like because we do not charge based on the number of inspections.

GoAudits goes beyond paper checklists, giving you customizable templates built for your specific needs, whether for a routine maintenance check, tenant move-in/out assessment, or fire safety compliance inspection.

With the GoAudits mobile app, you can:

• Conduct commercial property inspections on the go
• Capture every detail with photos and notes
• Assign specific checklist items even to non-users 
• Generate and distribute reports instantly
• Monitor the condition of all your properties on a single analytics dashboard

With a rating of 4.7 stars on Capterra, GoAudits is trusted by some of the biggest names in the hospitality, retail, and facility management industries.

» Customer Success Story: Read how organizations leverage GoAudits to save time and improve standards.

---

---