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AI property inspection: spotting defects on photos, dictating, estimating works
AI property inspection: defect detection on photos, dictation, works report and cost estimate. The step-by-step method and what to check.
The homePad team
In an AI property inspection, the AI serves five precise tasks in the field: recognising the elements of a room and their defects on a photo, writing what you dictate, controlling the app by voice, drafting a works report and estimating its cost. It suggests, you approve: every suggestion is reread before signing. Here is the step-by-step method on a real visit, what to check and the mistakes AI makes most often.
General uses and safeguards are covered in AI in property management; this article is about the field.
What should you prepare before an AI property inspection?
An inspection with AI is prepared like any visit, with two extra requirements: usable photos and a shared vocabulary. AI is only as good as what you show it and tell it.
- The AI features of homePad App are included from the Pro plan. Update the app.
- For a move-out, start from the move-in: in homePad Reports, a duplicated visit carries over contacts, keys, meters, comments and photos.
- A written photo instruction: lights on, shutters open, an overall view taken from the door, a close-up of each defect.
- A short condition scale (for example new, good, worn, damaged), defined for the whole team, which you apply to the AI's suggestions.
How does an AI property inspection work, step by step?
A visit assisted by AI follows the same order as a standard visit; what changes is who writes the first draft. Example: the move-out inspection of a one-bedroom flat, prepared from the move-in.
- Overall photo of the room. The AI suggests the elements it recognises: floor, walls, window, radiator, door, sockets. You add what was left out of frame and delete duplicates.
- Close-up of each defect. The AI suggests a type of defect: scratch, stain, chip, hole, crack. You confirm, then specify the location and extent, which the photo alone does not give. Place a tape measure or a card in the frame when size matters.
- Dictation. You describe while looking at the element: "Left wall, white paint, two unfilled wall-plug holes near the window." Reread the figures and technical terms.
- Voice commands. They help when your hands are full: torch, tape measure, meter reading.
- Testing the equipment. The AI tests nothing: you still operate the taps, toilet flush, shutters, hob and intercom yourself.
- Works report generated by the AI. From the approved defects, the AI lists the works room by room. You check each line, the quantities and the surface areas.
- Cost estimate. The AI suggests an order of magnitude for each item. It is a decision aid; only a quote binds a contractor.
- Summary. It condenses the report for the owner or the landlord. Check that it says nothing the report does not say.
- Review with the tenant and signature. The inspection report is still drawn up in the presence of both parties: the tenant reads the approved findings, adds their reservations and signs.
- After the visit, the comparison. In homePad Reports, the AI comparison report places move-in and move-out side by side and highlights the differences. You decide which of them amount to damage.
Wear and tear is the normal wear caused by time and by use in line with the lease; the repairs it gives rise to are not chargeable to the tenant. The AI sees a difference between two photos. It does not know whether that difference is wear and tear. What the law says about inspection reports, wear and tear and the deposit:
The inspection report is drawn up jointly at move-in and move-out and attached to the lease (art. 3-2 of law no. 89-462 of 6 July 1989); decree no. 2016-382 of 30 March 2016 sets out what it must contain and allows the electronic form. Wear and tear is the state of wear or deterioration resulting from time or normal use (same decree). Any deduction from the deposit must be justified; the deposit is returned within one month if the move-out matches the move-in, two months otherwise (art. 22 of the 1989 law).
The Swiss Code of Obligations does not require an inspection report, but when the property is returned the landlord checks its condition and notifies the tenant of defects immediately (art. 267a CO). The tenant returns the home in the condition resulting from use in line with the contract (art. 267 para. 1 CO); normal wear is often assessed with the joint depreciation table (tableau paritaire des amortissements), a private schedule of lifespans with no force of law; ask your landlords' or tenants' association for the current edition. The deposit, at most 3 months' rent, is released only with the agreement of the parties, on a payment order that has not been opposed, or on a court judgment (art. 257e CO).
A detailed, jointly drawn-up inspection report is mandatory: art. 220 of the Brussels Housing Code, art. 27 of the Walloon decree of 15 March 2018, art. 9 of the Vlaams Woninghuurdecreet. Wear and tear and force majeure remain the landlord's responsibility: art. 223 (Brussels), art. 8 and 28 §2 (Wallonia), art. 26 and 39 §3 (Flanders). The deposit is released by written agreement of the parties or by a decision of the justice of the peace.
If a deposit is provided for, a written inspection report drawn up jointly is signed no later than the day of moving in (art. 5(2) of the amended law of 21 September 2006). The tenant is not liable for damage resulting from wear and tear or force majeure (art. 1730 and 1755 of the Civil Code). For new leases subject to the rules in force since 1 August 2024, the deposit may not exceed two months' rent, and any sums withheld must be justified. Where the move-out inspection report matches the move-in one, subject to normal wear and tear, and the landlord makes no claim for unpaid rent or rental damage, half of the deposit is returned within one month of the handover of the keys; the balance, after deduction of duly justified sums, no later than one month after receipt of the service charge statements or the final approval of the co-ownership's annual accounts (art. 5, paragraph 2bis, of the amended law of 21 September 2006).
What should you check before approving the AI's suggestions?
Each type of suggestion has its own checkpoint and its typical mistake; this table serves as a review grid.
| AI suggestion | What you check | Typical mistake |
|---|---|---|
| List of elements | complete, no duplicates, correctly named | element out of frame forgotten, convector heater named a radiator |
| Defect detected | real, correctly described, located, measured | reflection read as a scratch, tile joint read as a crack |
| Condition given | matches your condition scale | "worn" suggested where the element is "damaged" |
| Dictated text | figures, units, technical terms | "fifteen" heard as "fifty", material name garbled |
| Works report | cause, quantities, surface areas | whole room repainted for a single mark |
| Cost estimate | consistent with your local prices | order of magnitude taken as an amount to withhold |
| Summary | faithful and neutral | sentence that blames the tenant for damage with no approved finding |
| Move-in / move-out comparison | same element, same defect | different angle or lighting read as a change |
A deduction from the deposit must be justified, within time limits specific to each country (see the box above). An estimate produced by the AI prepares the discussion; the deduction rests on quotes or invoices.
Where does AI most often get a property inspection wrong?
AI gets it wrong above all when the photo would also mislead the human eye: poor light, reflections, textures, defects out of frame.
- Light. A dark room, backlighting from the window or a yellow bulb distort colours: a shadow becomes a stain. Switch everything on and take photos with your back to the window.
- Reflections. Shiny tiles, varnished parquet, stainless steel, glass and mirrors create phantom scratches. Change the angle before approving.
- Textures. Roughcast, patterned wallpaper, wood grain and joints can be read as cracks.
- Hidden defects. Under a rug, behind a piece of furniture, under fresh paint that masks damp: the AI only sees what is in the frame. A smell or a fault also escapes it.
- Scale. Without a reference, a photo cannot tell a 2 mm chip from a 2 cm one.
- Noise. A stairwell, mechanical ventilation or the street degrade dictation. Speak close to the device and reread.
Remember one rule: when the AI flags nothing, that does not prove there is nothing. The method of description remains the one in our guide to digital inspection reports.
Which data protection rules apply?
GDPR: at the time of collection, inform occupants of the purpose, the legal basis, the recipients, the retention period and their rights (art. 13). The regulation does not require you to name the tool; it requires you to disclose any decision based solely on automated processing (art. 13(2)(f) and art. 22), which an AI suggestion that you approve is not. Mentioning the AI feature remains good practice. Authority: the CNIL.
Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP, LPD in French), in force since 1 September 2023: inform people at the very least of the identity of the controller, the purpose and the recipients (art. 19); a decision taken solely by a machine must be disclosed (art. 21). The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) points out that the FADP applies directly to AI.
GDPR, as in France (art. 13), under the supervision of the Data Protection Authority (APD).
GDPR, as in France (art. 13), under the supervision of the National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD).
How do you roll out AI across a field team?
The rollout succeeds when the team shares the same rules for taking photos, for vocabulary and for approval before using AI at volume.
- Run a pilot with two or three inspectors, on real and varied visits: an empty home, a furnished one, a dark ground-floor flat.
- Write down the rules: photo instruction, condition scale, list of terms to use.
- Have reports double-checked during the pilot: a supervisor rereads each report and notes the corrections by type.
- Measure the time per report, the number of corrections and the disputes, before and after.
- Decide who approves and who signs: the person who carried out the visit, never the tool.
- Extend to the whole team, with a lead person who shares the AI mistakes encountered each week.
For an inspection report contractor, what is at stake is consistency between inspectors; for an agency, it is the volume of busy periods.
What homePad does for you
homePad applies a simple principle: the AI suggests, the professional approves. Its tools serve real estate agents as well as subcontractors who carry out inspection reports for their clients.
- homePad App, AI from the Pro plan: photo detection of elements and defects, voice dictation, voice commands, works report generated by the AI, report summaries, cost estimates, on the device.
- homePad App in the field: full offline mode, time-stamped and geolocated photos, certified electronic signature, automatic PDF.
- homePad Reports, from the Pro plan: AI move-in / move-out comparison report, move-out created from the move-in, signed reports sent to the parties when the visit is closed.
- Three plans, Starter, Pro and Entreprise, with a clear principle: 1 credit = 1 report.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI do a property inspection instead of a professional?
No. AI prepares a draft from the photos and the voice, but the visit, the equipment tests and the approval remain human. The inspection report is drawn up by the parties or by an appointed third party, who take responsibility for its content by signing it.
Is an inspection report made with AI legally valid?
Its value lies in its content and in the parties' signatures; the tool that helped draft it does not change that. The electronic form is accepted in all four countries, under the conditions set out in the box on inspection reports. A precise, illustrated and reread finding can be defended; a text generated and signed without being reread is hard to defend.
Can an AI repair estimate justify a deduction from the deposit?
No. The estimate gives an order of magnitude so you can decide quickly. Any deduction must be justified, in practice by quotes or invoices, and must take account of wear and tear, which is not chargeable to the tenant.
Can AI tell the difference between wear and tear and damage?
No. It detects a defect or a difference between move-in and move-out, but assessing wear and tear requires knowing the age of the element, the length of the tenancy and, where applicable, the wear-and-tear grid provided for in the lease. That is the professional's role.
Do you have to tell the tenant you are using AI?
The GDPR, like the Swiss data protection act, requires people to be informed of the processing of their data, whatever the tool. If the photos and the report go through an AI feature, mention it in the information you give occupants (details by country in the box on data). Explaining to the tenant during the visit that the AI suggests and you approve also avoids misunderstandings.
- AI property inspection
- defect detection
- voice dictation
- works estimate