How to Write a Property Inspection Report Without Losing Your Day to Typing
The inspection itself is quick: you walk the property, test the faucets, open the cabinets, check the ceilings. Forty minutes, an hour at most. The problem starts afterward — turning the notebook you scribbled in a hurry into a formal report, room by room, item by item. That’s the part that eats your afternoon.
There’s a more rational path: dictate your observations as you walk the property and convert that audio into organized text instead of typing it by hand. This guide covers what an inspection report needs to contain, what the law considers relevant, and how to assemble the final document without losing your day.
What the Law Requires — and What It Doesn’t
Brazil’s Tenancy Law (Lei 8.245/1991) doesn’t require anyone to produce a formal inspection report. What it requires is the outcome the report proves:
- Art. 22, V — the landlord must deliver the property “in a condition fit for use”;
- Art. 23, III — the tenant must return the property in the condition it was received, except for deteriorations resulting from normal use;
- Art. 23, IX — the tenant must allow the landlord’s inspection, at a previously agreed date and time.
Without a move-in report, proving what “the condition it was received in” was comes down to one word against another. And the courts take a firm position on rushed reports: for the Court of Justice of the Federal District, a report produced unilaterally, without the other party, carries no probative value on its own — what counts is the comparison between the move-in and move-out reports, both made with everyone present.
In short: the report must exist, must be specific, and must be bilateral. An “everything in order” signed in a rush protects no one.
What the Inspection Report Must Contain
| Section | What to record |
|---|---|
| Identification | Address, property type, approximate square footage, date, time, and who was present |
| Rooms | Each room: walls and paint, flooring, ceiling, doors and windows |
| Systems | Electrical (outlets, switches, light fixtures) and plumbing (faucets, traps, toilets, showers) |
| Fixed items | Cabinets, sanitary ware, metal fixtures, countertops, glass |
| Condition per item | Good, fair, or poor — with a specific note on what’s wrong |
| Meters and keys | Water, electricity, and gas readings; how many keys and remotes were handed over |
| Photos | Referenced with the observations (“photo 7 shows the scratch on the bedroom door”) |
| Signatures | From both parties, with the date |
There’s one practical rule: a specific description beats a generic adjective. “Laminate floor in the bedroom with a 30 cm scratch near the door” works as evidence; “bedroom with damage” doesn’t.
Why the Traditional Method Takes So Long
The classic inspection workflow has three breaking points:
- Writing in a rush. You inspect with one hand and write with the other. The result is abbreviations even you can’t decode later.
- Relying on memory. Back at the office, you try to remember whether that stain was in the bedroom or the living room. Memory fills in the gaps — and makes things up.
- Typing at night. The report becomes an end-of-day task, while the next inspection is already on the calendar. It delays the signature, delays the contract, delays the handover.
The bottleneck isn’t the inspection — it’s converting observations into a document.
Step by Step: An Inspection with a Dictated Report
1. Prepare your checklist before you leave
Use the table above as your checklist: rooms, systems, fixed items, meters. Set the order of your walkthrough (entry, living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, outdoor areas) so nothing gets left behind.
2. Record room by room, on the spot
Instead of writing, speak your observations into your phone’s voice recorder: “Living room: paint in good condition, porcelain tile floor with no damage, sliding window with a stiff track.” One audio per room makes the organization easier afterward. Photos complete the record: mention the photo in the audio (“scratch on the door, photo 7”).
3. Turn the audio into organized text
Here’s the part that used to cost the entire afternoon. Send the audio files to a transcription tool with summarization — in Sintesy, you can upload the file through the dashboard or record directly; and with the WhatsApp integration, you can send each audio mid-inspection, straight from your phone, and get the finished material in the dashboard.
4. Review against the move-in report
If it’s a move-out inspection, the core of the work is the comparison: what changed from the move-in report? Separate normal wear (faded paint, signs of use) from damage (a hole in the wall, a burned floor) — that distinction determines who pays for what.
5. Assemble the document, attach photos, and collect signatures
With the text already structured, assembly is fast: paste the sections into your template, insert the photos, generate the PDF, and collect signatures — from both parties, on the same date.
How Audio Becomes a Report in Sintesy
Sintesy processes the inspection audio and returns three things: the full transcript, an organized summary, and a checklist of the items covered. The free plan includes 60 minutes of audio per day and up to 10 summaries per day — enough for several inspections. If you run inspections every day, you can export the report directly as DOCX on the Pro plan.
Two points of honesty:
- Sintesy organizes the content; the legal validity comes from the final document, reviewed, signed by both parties, and attached to the contract.
- Record with the knowledge of everyone present — besides being the right thing to do, a bilateral report is exactly what the courts value.
Mistakes That Weaken (or Void) the Report
- Inspecting without the tenant. A unilateral report loses probative value — agree on the date and time in writing, as provided by Art. 23, IX.
- Accepting “everything in order.” A generic document proves nothing about condition; describe it room by room, item by item.
- Confusing normal wear with damage. The law exempts “deteriorations resulting from normal use” — worn paint is not the same as a hole in the wall.
- Leaving out the date, attendees, and photos. Without these elements, the description loses context and the document loses value.
- Putting off the report for days. The longer the gap between the inspection and the document, the more memory — and the other party — will dispute it.
Start with Your Next Inspection
You don’t need to overhaul your entire process to win back your day. Change one thing: swap the notepad for a voice recorder. Speak your observations on the spot, turn them into text with AI, review, and send for signature.
Professionals who handle meetings and assemblies in the same market already use the same logic — like the guide on recording in-person meetings on your phone and the one on creating condominium assembly minutes from a recording. An inspection is just one more case where speaking is faster than typing — and the document comes out better.
