Your first inspection in 8 minutes

8 min read
Hero image for Your first inspection in 8 minutes

Your first inspection should take about 8 minutes from "+ New inspection" to a signed-off report.

1. Start a new inspection

From /dashboard/inspections, click + New inspection.

The New inspection button on the inspections list page
Click + New inspection from /dashboard/inspections.

2. Pick the claim type

The picker shows four options: WATER (S500:2021), MOULD (S520:2024), TRAUMA (S540:2023), FIRE (S700:2025). The standard you pick determines which fields RestoreAssist gates as required before sign-off.

3. Capture photos with chain-of-custody

Tap the camera button at the bottom-right of the inspection screen. Every photo carries a SHA-256 hash, UTC timestamp, GPS coordinates, and your tagged user ID — see Photo chain-of-custody.

4. Add readings + scope items

Add moisture readings, affected-area measurements, and scope line items. Each becomes input to the AI report.

5. Generate the AI report draft

When you have ≥4 photos + measurements, tap Generate report. The draft takes 10-30 seconds. Review and edit before signing off.

How an inspection becomes a report

The report is not a separate thing you fill in from scratch — it is generated from the inspection you just captured. The photos, moisture readings, and scope items you logged in steps 3–4 are the inputs the AI reads to write the draft. That is why Generate report stays disabled until you have enough evidence attached.

There are two ways to reach the report:

  1. From the inspection (recommended for your first job) — tap Generate report on the inspection detail page, as above. The new inspection is pre-linked, so every reading and photo flows straight in.
  2. From /dashboard/reports/new — start a report and pick the inspection to pull from. Use this when you want to regenerate or draft a second report for the same job.

Either way the bridge is the same: inspection (evidence) → AI draft → review → sign-off. See Generate your first AI-drafted S500 report for what the draft contains and how to edit it.

6. Sign off → invoice → handover

Click Close inspection, generate the invoice, and hand over to the client via the portal.

Done

You should now have a CLOSED inspection with all evidence captured, AI report drafted, invoice issued, and client portal link sent. Average time: 8 minutes for a standard Cat-1 job.