Facility inspections are brutal. You're covering HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire safety, building envelope - multiple trades in a single walkthrough. On a 200,000 square foot building, that's potentially hundreds of assets across dozens of systems.

I remember helping my dad's crew with a facility inspection at a strip mall. 14 RTUs on the roof, 8 electrical panels, 6 water heaters, fire suppression system, emergency lighting throughout. By noon we were exhausted. By 3pm we were making mistakes. The documentation was creating its own fatigue.

The checklist below covers what matters. I've also included some thoughts on making the data capture less miserable.

The Checklist

Building Information

  • Building name / ID
  • Address
  • Inspection date
  • Inspector name
  • Inspection type (routine / annual / pre-lease / complaint response)
  • Weather conditions
  • Building occupancy during inspection

Exterior and Grounds

Roof:

  • Roof surface condition (good / wear visible / damage / ponding)
  • Flashing and seals (intact / deteriorating / gaps)
  • Drains and scuppers (clear / blocked / slow)
  • HVAC equipment on roof (secured / vibration / damage)
  • Skylights (intact / cracked / leaking)

Check drains even in dry weather. A blocked drain doesn't announce itself until the first heavy rain - and then you've got ponding, membrane damage, and eventually leaks.

Building Envelope:

  • Exterior walls (good / cracks / staining / efflorescence)
  • Windows (intact / cracked / seal failure / hardware working)
  • Doors (operating properly / damaged / weatherstripping condition)
  • Caulking and sealants (intact / deteriorating / gaps)
  • Loading docks (doors operating / seals intact / levelers working)

Grounds:

  • Parking lot (good / cracks / potholes / striping faded)
  • Sidewalks (good / trip hazards / heaving)
  • Landscaping (maintained / overgrown / drainage issues)
  • Exterior lighting (working / outages / fixtures damaged)
  • Fencing and gates (secure / damaged / operating)

HVAC Systems

  • Unit ID / Location
  • Equipment nameplate data (manufacturer, model, serial, capacity)
  • Filter condition (new / clean / dirty / replace)
  • Belt condition (good / worn / replace)
  • Coil condition (clean / dirty)
  • Drain pan (clean / standing water)
  • Condensate drain (flowing / clogged)
  • Blower operation (normal / noise / vibration)
  • Thermostat operation (operating / calibration issues)
  • BMS/BAS (communicating / alarms present)

The nameplate data section is where most of the tedious typing happens. On a 14-unit facility, that's 14 sets of manufacturer, model, serial, tonnage, voltage, refrigerant type... you get the idea. I'll talk about automating this below.

Electrical Systems

  • Panel ID / Location
  • Panel nameplate data
  • Panel condition (good / issues)
  • Labeling current (yes / needs update)
  • Working clearance (clear / obstructed)
  • Signs of overheating (none / location)
  • Emergency lighting (tested / working / failures)
  • Exit signs (illuminated / battery backup working)
  • Generator (tested / run time / fuel level)
  • Transfer switch (tested / operational)

Plumbing Systems

  • Water heater condition (good / sediment / corrosion / age)
  • Water heater temperature setting
  • Backflow preventers (tested / certification current)
  • PRV condition (good / leaking / due for service)
  • Visible leaks (none / locations)
  • Water pressure (adequate / low / high)
  • Floor drains (clear / slow / clogged / dry traps)
  • Sump pumps (operational / tested)

Dry floor drain traps are more common than people realize. If there's a sewer smell in a mechanical room, check the floor drain first. Probably just needs water poured in.

Fire and Life Safety

  • Sprinkler system (valves open / inspection current)
  • Sprinkler heads (unobstructed / painted over / missing)
  • Fire pump (tested / operational)
  • Fire alarm panel (normal / trouble / supervisory)
  • Smoke detectors (tested / clean / obstructed)
  • Pull stations (accessible / tested)
  • Exit paths clear (yes / obstructions)
  • Exit doors (operational / hardware working / not blocked)
  • Stairwells (clear / storage present / lighting working)
  • Extinguishers (present / inspection tags current / accessible)

Storage in stairwells is depressingly common. Tenants treat them like closets. Document it, report it, understand it might not change.

Summary and Action Items

  • Critical issues requiring immediate attention
  • Items for next 30 days
  • Items for next 90 days
  • Capital planning items
  • Follow-up inspection needed (yes - date / no)

The Documentation Problem

A thorough facility inspection generates a lot of data. The problem is that capturing all that data is exhausting, and exhausted inspectors start cutting corners.

On that strip mall inspection I mentioned, by the afternoon we were taking shortcuts. Not on purpose - we were just tired. Serial numbers got abbreviated. Readings got estimated. Notes got vague. The inspection technically got done, but the data wasn't as useful as it should have been.

The equipment identification data is the worst part. You're typing "Trane XR15-060" and "2B4N7412M1000274" over and over, on different pieces of equipment, all day long. It's mind-numbing, and it pulls your attention away from actually assessing the equipment.

Automating the Tedious Parts

This is where I'll mention FormField, since this specific problem is why we built it.

The concept: point your phone camera at the equipment nameplate, AI reads it, form fields populate. You confirm and move on. The manufacturer, model, serial, voltage, capacity - it captures all of it in a few seconds instead of a few minutes of typing.

For facility inspections specifically, where you might have 50+ pieces of equipment across multiple systems, this adds up. Instead of spending half your mental energy on data entry, you can focus on actually inspecting the equipment.

Honest limitations: faded nameplates in poor lighting still cause trouble sometimes. Stamped metal plates are harder than printed labels. You'll occasionally need to correct a character. But even imperfect automation beats typing everything manually.

Integration Matters Too

Capturing the data is step one. Making the data useful is step two.

If your inspection findings sit in a form app and someone has to re-type them into work orders, you've just moved the data entry problem - you haven't solved it. The tool you use should connect to your maintenance management system, so issues become work orders automatically.

FormField has native integration with SAP and Maximo. If you use a different system, check what integration options exist before committing to any tool.

Use the Checklist

The checklist above is comprehensive and field-tested. Customize it for your specific building types and requirements.

If equipment data capture is your bottleneck, try FormField with a free trial. Test it on your actual nameplates and see if it helps.

Try camera-based equipment capture

Spend less time typing, more time actually inspecting. Test it with your facility's equipment.

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