Assessing a building on site — ratings, defects, photo points and notes
An assessment is a dated visit to a building's areas. The screen follows the building's areas in order and asks the same things of each one, so a 72-unit site is quick: the default is one tap per area, with more detail only where there is something to record.
Starting
- From a Condition report job: open the job and tap Assess beside the building. If a visit is already in progress on that job, it reopens rather than starting a second one.
- From a building's page: Assess condition starts a visit with no job behind it, for a quick check or a pre-quote inspection.
On an iPhone the first tap asks for compass permission. Say yes: it is what records which way each photo faces, and iPhones only ask once, from a tap.
For each area
- Rate it: Green, Amber or Red. Green is sound, no action needed. Amber is wear showing, plan work within 1–2 years. Red is failing, act now. Each button says its meaning under it.
- Rate a surface separately when it does not match its area, for example a Red fascia on an otherwise Green elevation. Tap Rate a surface separately and pick the surface and its colour. The report prints these as "rated differently". A surface given the same rating as its area is simply the area's rating.
- Log the defects. + Log a defect asks for the type (cracks, peeling, mould, water damage, rust, other), how serious it is (minor or significant), which surface it is on, a description, and a photo. Every defect in a report needs at least one photo; the review screen will not let a report go out with a defect that has none.
- Add photo points you want to repeat next year. Name the viewpoint ("North elevation from the car park"), take the shot, and the point is saved on the area with its compass direction, so a later visit can find the same spot.
- Add a note if there is something worth saying about the area as a whole.
Not inspected
If you cannot get to an area, mark it Not inspected. That is a real answer and the report shows it as one. An area you simply skip stays unrated, and an unrated area stops the report being sent. Nothing is ever read as Green by default.
Taking photos
Every camera on this screen is the same one. It reminds you not to photograph residents or the inside of homes, records your position and heading, and sends the photo for a privacy check as soon as it uploads. Until the check comes back the photo reads Not checked yet; it cannot reach a report before that. See Photo privacy and location.
Suggestions from photos
If the area already has photos that Surfacely Assist has looked at, likely defects appear as suggestions under Seen in this area's photos. Nothing is added until you tap Add it. With the assistant off there are no suggestions, and everything else works the same.
Working through the building
Next area → moves on; the step dots and the area list show what is still open, so you can come back to anything in whatever order the site allows. Every edit is saved as you go and survives losing signal: with no connection it waits on the phone and replays when you are back online.
Finishing
On the last area, Finish the assessment marks the visit complete and takes you to the report review. You can reopen a finished visit from the job if something needs changing before you send.