The same area.
A clearer handover.

Start with an area, not a camera roll

Agree what the job includes and what the recipient wants to receive. A cleaning handover, a repair progress update and a formal inspection are different tasks. This worksheet is a communication aid for the first two; photographs alone do not certify quality or show concealed work.

1. Give each area a stable label. “Kitchen: sink and worktop” is more useful than an unnamed image. Use a job reference rather than a full customer address when the latter is unnecessary.
2. Before work, capture an overview and relevant details. Note visible pre-existing stains, damage or missing items. Describe what you can see, without guessing a cause.
3. After work, return to comparable views. Use similar framing and enough light to make the area recognisable. Do not rearrange unrelated items or edit an image to exaggerate the result.
4. Label missing views honestly. “Before photo not taken” is clearer than pairing a photograph from another room or another visit.

Keep the overview and detail references together in your private notes. In a report, arrange the pair beside its area label so the recipient does not have to reconstruct the order.

A checked box is not the whole story

In your working notes, distinguish completed, outstanding, not applicable and not checked. These are suggested worksheet labels, not a claim that an app automatically supplies four status options. A blank box does not explain which of them applies.

Scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen. The references are fictional worksheet labels, not promised app export fields.

Record the next step and the person who needs to respond, without inventing their agreement. “Question sent to the coordinator” is not “coordinator approved.” An after photograph also does not mean every task in that area was completed.

A timestamp needs an explanation

Keep the date of the visit separate from the time a photograph was attached to a job record. An older image imported today can have a new attachment time. A device clock can be incorrect, and a displayed time alone does not establish where or when the original scene was captured.

If you know a photograph came from an earlier visit, say so. If its original date is uncertain, record “original capture date unverified” rather than filling the gap with a guess. Retain the original images separately when needed under your own agreed retention arrangements; a PDF is a handover copy, not necessarily a backup of the originals.

Do not describe ordinary device timestamps as independently verified, tamper-proof or sufficient legal evidence. This checklist does not establish admissibility or replace an inspection, signed acceptance or a contractual requirement.

Open the actual file before you send it

• Check the work record: correct job and area labels, legible images, matching pairs, missing views and plainly described outstanding tasks.
• Check privacy: get appropriate permission to photograph and share the site. Avoid unnecessary faces, addresses, screens, paperwork, access codes and revealing reflections. Removing incidental metadata does not remove personal information visible in a photograph.
• Check the recipient and format: confirm who needs the report and their agreed channel. A PDF may not replace a required portal or template. Do not assume a work-report app includes image redaction.
• Check the version: give the export a clear job reference and revision. Open that file, not just the app preview, and retain the copy you sent.
• Check receipt separately: ask the recipient to acknowledge the report and outstanding questions. Exporting, sharing or sending does not prove receipt, acceptance or satisfaction.

For a later correction, state what changed and which version it replaces. Do not silently rewrite the earlier handover as though the new information had always been present.

A copyable job photo checklist

Use this on paper or in your own private document. No account, email address or app download is required.

Job reference / visit date:
Agreed tasks and access restrictions:
Intended recipient / required format:
Permission to photograph and share checked:

For EACH area:
  Area label:
  Before photo reference / missing view:
  After photo reference / missing view:
  Pre-existing observations:
  Completed tasks:
  Outstanding tasks:
  Not applicable / not checked, with reason:
  Question or next step / person to contact:
  Imported or earlier-visit photos identified:
  Date/time source and any uncertainty:

Personal information and image legibility checked:
Actual exported file opened and checked:
Filename / revision / copy retained:
Recipient / channel / sent at:
Receipt acknowledged by / at:
Unresolved questions / later correction: