Building inspection templates and checklists

An inspection template is the blueprint for a type of inspection. Set it up once and every report of that kind follows it — the same sections, the same checks, the same photo and signature rules, the same declaration wording, and the same damage categories. This guide covers everything you need to build one: the sections shown on the report PDF, photo and signature rules, customer declarations, verdict rules for inbound inspections, vehicle-class checks, the damage taxonomy, and how to build and reuse checklists across templates.

Building, editing and previewing templates is completely free — it never touches your credit balance. A credit is only ever spent when you sign off a finished report or sign a rental agreement (1 credit each, about £1). So you can build, tweak and experiment with templates and checklists as much as you like at no cost.

#What an inspection template controls

A single inspection template decides, for every report that uses it:

• Sections — which headed blocks appear on the report and its PDF, and in what order.
• Photo rules — the minimum number of photos per damage marker, the suggested camera angles, and whether photos are watermarked on completion.
• Signature rules — which signatures must be captured before the report can be signed off, and whether remote sign-off via a shared link is allowed.
• Customer declarations — the wording the customer agrees to next to their signature, with separate text for inbound and outbound reports.
• Verdict rules — for inbound inspections, the thresholds that decide whether the finished report reads PASS or CONCERNS.
• Vehicle-class checks — extra pass / fail / N-A rows pre-filled onto inspections of a particular vehicle class.
• A default checklist — the reusable list of inspection items the report starts with.
• The damage taxonomy — the damage codes, severity bands and indicative repair-cost ranges your inspectors pick from.

You'll find your templates under Templates → Inspections. The list shows each template's name, the vehicle type and inspection type it matches (or "All"), whether it's the default fallback, how many extra checks it carries, and which checklist it links to. You can filter by vehicle type, inspection type, or "defaults only / bespoke only", and sort by name or sort order.

This article is about inspection templates. Rental agreements have their own template type — see building rental agreement templates.

#Before you start

A couple of things make template work smoother:

• Know how templates are matched. A report picks its template by vehicle type and inspection type, with higher sort orders winning and a default fallback catching everything else. The full matching logic is explained in how templates match — read it before you build several overlapping templates, so they don't fight each other.
• You don't have to start from scratch. New companies come with a sensible default template already in place. The fastest way to a tailored template is often to look at the defaults, then create a bespoke one for the specific vehicle class or inspection type that needs different treatment.
• Decide whether this is a fallback or a bespoke template. If it's meant to catch everything that doesn't match a more specific template, mark it as the default fallback. If it's for one class or one inspection type, leave the fallback toggle off and set the matching fields instead.

#Creating a template: identity and matching

Start a new template from Templates → Inspections → Create, then fill in the Identity section:

• Name — a clear, human label, e.g. "HGV inbound" or "Dealer pre-purchase". This is what you and your team see in lists.
• Description — an optional note about when this template applies, for your own reference.
• Vehicle type — choose Car / SUV, Van, MPV / 7-seat, HGV, Minibus or Classic, or leave it as All vehicle types to apply across the board.
• Inspection type — choose the type this template is for (general, inspection, inbound, outbound, mid-term, pickup, dropoff, pre-purchase, post-wash), or leave it as All inspection types. The types on offer here mirror the ones you've enabled in Company settings; inspection types are explained here.
• Sort order — a number (default 50). When more than one template could match a report, the one with the higher sort order wins. Give your most specific templates higher numbers so they take precedence.
• Use as the fallback — turn this on to make the template the safety net used when no specific template matches a report.

Leaving vehicle type or inspection type empty makes the template broader — it then matches any value for that field. This is how you build, say, one "All vans, all inspection types" template and then override just the van inbound case with a more specific, higher-sort-order template.

#Sections shown on the report PDF

The Sections block controls which headed parts of the report appear on the generated PDF, and the order they print in. Drag the rows to reorder them, and switch off any you don't need — disabled sections are simply skipped on the report, so inspectors aren't asked for things that don't apply to this kind of vehicle or job.

For example, a quick post-wash check might keep only the walkaround photos and a short checklist, while a pre-purchase inspection keeps the lot. Tidying the section list keeps the report focused and the PDF clean for the customer.

#Photo and signature rules

These rules drive what an inspector is asked for, and what the "before sign-off" panel checks before a report can be completed.

#Photo rules

• Minimum photos per damage marker — set how many photos an inspector must attach to each piece of damage they record (the standard is 2, and you can require up to 10). This keeps damage evidence consistent and defensible.
• Suggested photo angles — a list of prompts the inspector sees per damage marker, such as "Wide", "Close-up" and "Detail". These are guidance only — they nudge the inspector toward useful shots but aren't strictly enforced. Press Enter after each angle to add it. (Separately, the walkaround step suggests its own standard angles — front, rear, both sides, interior, dashboard, fuel gauge and plates.)
• Watermark photos on completion — when on (the default), completed photos are stamped with the vehicle registration, the inspector and a timestamp, so every image is tied to the job and to who took it.

#Signature rules

• Required signatures — tick which signatures the report must capture before sign-off: the driver (customer / hirer), the inspector, and/or the lessor (your team). The standard is driver plus inspector. Whatever you tick here is exactly what the "before sign-off" panel insists on.
• Allow remote sign-off — off by default. Turn it on to let the customer sign via the public report link rather than in person on the device. Leave it off if you always capture signatures face-to-face at the vehicle.

#Customer declarations

The declaration is the statement shown next to the customer's signature on the condition report — your wording, on your terms. You can set separate text for inbound and outbound reports, because what the customer is agreeing to at handover differs from what they confirm on return.

Edit each in its own tab using the rich-text editor. If you leave a declaration blank, the report falls back to the standard wording, so it's safe to set only the one you care about. Keep the language clear and in your own trading terms — this is the bit the customer actually signs against, so it's worth getting right.

#Verdict rules (inbound inspections)

For inbound inspections — vehicles coming back to you — a template can decide automatically whether the finished report reads PASS or CONCERNS, with a short rationale. Two rules drive this:

• Flag CONCERNS if new damage exceeds (£) — set a money threshold (the standard is £200). If the new damage recorded on this return adds up to more than that, the report is flagged with concerns.
• Flag CONCERNS if refuelling required — on by default. If the vehicle comes back needing a refuel (or recharge), the report is flagged.

When either rule trips, the completed report shows the verdict and the reason, so whoever reviews it can see at a glance which returns need follow-up. If you'd rather not have automatic verdicts, set the money threshold very high and turn the refuel rule off. Verdict rules only apply to inbound reports; other inspection types don't carry a verdict.

#Vehicle-class checks

Vehicle-class checks are extra pass / fail / N-A rows that get pre-filled onto every inspection of this template's vehicle class — for example sliding-door checks for vans, or a tachograph check for HGVs that wouldn't make sense on a car. Add each as a row with a label and a default status (Pass, Fail or N/A) that the inspector starts from and can override on the day.

The right extra checks then appear automatically on inspections for that class. Importantly, these checks live only on this inspection template — they're separate from the reusable default checklist described below, which can be shared across many templates. Use class checks for the handful of items unique to one vehicle type, and the default checklist for the standard run-through.

#Checklists: building and reusing them

A checklist is the structured run of items an inspector works through around the vehicle. In the builder, each item is set up as a pass / fail / N-A row; during an inspection the inspector can also mark an item advisory, with room for a per-item note. Building checklists as reusable lists keeps every inspection consistent across your team.

#Building a checklist

Create and edit checklists under Templates → Checklists. Add the items you want, and reorder them so they read naturally as the inspector moves around the vehicle — exterior, then interior, then under the bonnet, for instance. Because a checklist isn't tied to a single inspection, you build it once and reuse it everywhere. A checklist can also carry its own vehicle type and inspection type, so a more specific one can take precedence when an inspection starts.

#Reusing a checklist on a template

In the Default checklist section of an inspection template, pick the checklist this template should start each report with. The dropdown shows each checklist's name and how many items it has, and a preview lists those items so you can confirm you've picked the right one. Every report using the template then begins with those items pre-filled, ready for the inspector to mark off.

If you pick — No checklist —, reports using this template start with an empty checklist (handy where the class checks alone are enough). At inspection time the report keys on the vehicle's body type and inspection type, so a more specific checklist can take precedence over this default if one applies.

#One-off items on a single report

Inspectors can still add a one-off item to a specific report when something unusual turns up on the day — without changing the underlying checklist for everyone. Use that for genuine exceptions; if the same extra item keeps coming up, add it to the checklist properly so the whole team gets it. More on the inspector's side of this in creating and completing an inspection report.

#The damage taxonomy

The damage taxonomy is the set of options inspectors choose from when they mark damage on the diagram: the damage codes (the categories of damage), the severity bands, and the cost bands that map a repair estimate to an indicative range. Standardising these keeps damage recorded the same way across every inspector and every job — which matters when you're comparing handover and return condition, or settling a charge with a customer.

The taxonomy is organised into three tabs:

• Codes — each code has a short code (up to four characters, e.g. a scuff or dent abbreviation) and a readable label. Reorder them so the most common sit at the top.
• Severities — named severity levels (for example light / moderate / heavy). Add or rename as your scheme needs; the short key for each is generated from its name automatically.
• Cost bands — each band has a minimum and maximum amount and a label, so an estimate lands in a named range rather than a raw number.

Leave the taxonomy as supplied unless your insurer or a scheme such as BVRLA uses a different set — the standard codes, severities and cost bands work for most operators out of the box.

#Resetting the taxonomy to standard

If you've customised the taxonomy and want to start again, use Reset to standard at the top of the Damage taxonomy section. It replaces the codes, severities and cost bands with the standard set after a confirmation prompt. Any customisations are lost, so it's a clean slate — which makes experimenting safe, because you can always get back to the defaults.

#Previewing, saving and editing

Everything above is set on the template's create or edit screen, organised into collapsible sections so you can work through them one at a time. Saving a template is free and instant, and your existing reports aren't affected — a template applies to new reports created after the change, not to ones already signed off. (Signed-off reports are locked and permanent; you never edit those, you create a new report instead.)

To change a template later, open it from Templates → Inspections and use Edit. To remove one, use Delete — but make sure another template (ideally your default fallback) will still match the reports that one used to cover, or new reports could fall back to the standard.

#Tips and common pitfalls

• Always keep one default fallback. It's the safety net that catches any report no specific template matches. Without it, reports rely on the standard rather than your wording and rules.
• Use sort order to break ties. When two templates could match, the higher sort order wins. Give specific templates higher numbers than broad ones so the right one is chosen.
• Don't over-build. Start with your default, then add bespoke templates only for the classes or inspection types that genuinely need different sections, checks or declarations.
• Class checks vs. the checklist. Put a handful of class-specific items (tachograph, sliding doors) in the template's vehicle-class checks; put the standard walk-round in a reusable checklist you can share across templates.
• Set the inbound declaration and verdict rules together. They're the two things that make return inspections defensible — the wording the customer signs, and the threshold that flags concerns.

#What if…

…I leave both vehicle type and inspection type empty? The template matches every report (subject to sort order and the default fallback). That's fine for a broad catch-all, but give it a sensible sort order so more specific templates can still take over.

…two templates match the same report? The one with the higher sort order wins. For the full matching detail, see how templates match.

…I edit a template after reports already exist? Existing reports are unchanged — especially signed-off ones, which are locked and permanent. The new settings apply only to reports created from then on.

…I don't link a checklist? Reports using the template start with an empty checklist, relying on any vehicle-class checks and walkaround photos. Inspectors can still add items on the day.

…I delete a template that reports were using? Those existing reports keep their content. New reports for the same vehicle/inspection type then match the next-best template, so make sure your default fallback (or another template) will cover them.

…I want different damage codes for one insurer? Customise the taxonomy on the template that serves that work. If it goes wrong, Reset to standard puts the supplied set back.

…building all this costs credits? It doesn't. Building, editing and previewing templates and checklists is free and unlimited — see understanding credits. A credit is only spent when a report is signed off.