In advance, not at the last minute
The month and agenda views show what falls due in a few weeks, so orders to contractors do not go out at the last moment.
Plan inspections across residential buildings
Each building has its own installations and inspection dates. Follow a sample workflow for a housing association, from listing properties to recording results.
By ProbeList · Illustrative workflow with sample data.
Estates, buildings and installations: organize your properties
The board of a housing cooperative or community is responsible for buildings that differ in age, equipment, and number of installations. As long as the inspections can be remembered, an office calendar is enough. As the number of properties grows you need one map showing what needs checking and when.
In ProbeList a building is a location, and the installations and equipment that need inspection are its inspection items. You can model the hierarchy of estate, building, and staircase in the location name and in notes, for example “Eastern Estate, building 4A”. That keeps the list readable even when it holds a dozen or so entries.
Annual, five-year, and irregular inspections in one building
A single residential building brings together several kinds of checks, and their dates rarely coincide. Example items an administrator often tracks:
- the gas installation and chimney flues
- the electrical and lightning protection installation
- lifts and technical equipment in common areas
- ventilation and underground garages with fire protection
- the periodic inspection of the building’s technical condition
The exact scope and frequency depend on the type of building and the regulations in force, so agree them with a qualified specialist. ProbeList does not judge what is mandatory. It records dates at the intervals you specify, in days, weeks, months, or years, so a yearly check and a five-year check can sit side by side without mix-ups.
Rollout plan
From the inventory to the first quarter of work
Six stages that an administrator can spread over several weeks.
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Settle on naming
Before you create the first location, choose a naming scheme, for example street and number, or estate and building. Consistent names make filtering and searching easier later.
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Start with one estate
Enter the buildings of one estate or a few neighbouring properties. After a month you will see what to improve in the layout before you move the remaining buildings.
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Take an inventory of installations
In each building list the installations, equipment, and lifts that have due dates. Add the serial number and brand where they are known, and fill in the rest after the next inspection.
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Enter the last date and the cycle
For each inspection set the date of the nearest check and the interval at which it repeats. If you have a template, use it in the next buildings instead of typing the tasks again.
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Invite the team
A technical employee can get the inspector role, and a board member the administrator or observer role. You assign each inspection to a specific person so it is clear who is watching it.
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Close the loop after the inspection
After the contractor's visit you record the result and the date. The next due date follows from the cycle, so next year or in five years the reminder arrives on its own.
A plan of orders and expenses spread across the whole year
Inspections cost money, and the funds often come from the renovation fund or service charges. If a dozen checks fall in a single month, the board receives invoice after invoice. The month or agenda view lets you move orders to contractors into quieter weeks, as long as regulations and recommendations allow it.
The status filter shows overdue inspections, and the dashboard shows the nearest ones. Each quarter you can therefore prepare a summary for the board based on what the app shows, instead of collecting dates from employees.
The residents' council, residents, and audits
Questions come at the least convenient moment: at a meeting, after a lift breakdown, during a supervisory audit. In ProbeList, a building shows its inspection history, meaning the date, the result, and the person who did it. The answer is ready in a few moments, not after leafing through binders.
Only the people you invite to the workspace have access to the data. Reports and documents stay in your archive, and ProbeList indicates when a given inspection took place and who carried it out.
Benefits
What changes for the board and the administrator
A shared list shows due dates, assigned tasks and the results of previous checks.
A history you can show
Dates, results, and the people who performed inspections sit with each building when the council or supervisors ask about them.
One list instead of many binders
The cooperative's buildings is in one place, and location names arrange it into a readable order.
A clear division of responsibility
Inspections have assigned people, so the board knows who is watching over a given building and its inspections.
A calmer dialogue with contractors
Knowing the dates in advance makes it easier to commission a contractor and compare several quotes.
Continuity despite changes on the board
A change of people on the board or in the technical department does not interrupt the cycles or erase the history.
What the rollout might look like in the first three months
The sequence below is an organizational proposal, not the story of a particular cooperative. Adjust the pace to the number of buildings and the people available.
Month one: a single estate in the app
A naming scheme takes shape, and the buildings of the chosen estate and their installations are entered. The board decides who is responsible for which buildings and assigns inspections to them.
Month two: the remaining buildings and the team
More estates are added, and technical staff receive inspector roles. The dashboard and filters begin to replace hand-kept summaries.
Month three: the first closed cycles
The results of the first inspections are recorded, and the board receives a summary of the nearest dates. It is a good moment to check that the data is complete and fill the gaps.
For your own calculation
Choosing a plan for a sample housing association
These are example assumptions for your own calculation, not data from any cooperative.
| Assumption | Example value | Your value |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings (locations) | 15 | … |
| Installations and equipment in one building (inspection items) | 5 | … |
| Recurring inspections in one building (inspections) | 7 | … |
The calculation: 15 locations, 15 × 5 = 75 inspection items, and 15 × 7 = 105 active inspections. The number of locations fits the Basic limit (20), but the inspection items (50) and inspections (100) do not, so this example qualifies for the Premium plan.
Why the number of buildings is not the only limit
With a larger property portfolio the first conclusion is simple: check the number of buildings. The second requires counting installations and inspections, because they use up the limits fastest, as the table above shows.
If the portfolio exceeds 50 buildings, a dedicated plan with no limits is available. We have gathered all plans and their limits on the pricing page, and if in doubt you can write to us and describe your properties.
Common mistakes when scheduling building inspections
Splitting into locations too finely
A separate location for every staircase quickly uses up the plan limit and multiplies entries. One location per building with notes for individual parts is usually enough.
Mixing annual and multi-year inspections in one entry
Each inspection with a different interval needs its own inspection. Then the five-year check does not get lost among the annual ones and has its own visible date.
Leaving out the responsible person
With a dozen or so buildings, inspections without an assigned inspector drop out of view. Assign every inspection to someone, and overdue statuses become a concrete task.
Treating the app as an archive of reports
ProbeList shows dates and results, but reports and documents still belong in your archive. It helps to note where the original is kept.
FAQ
Questions from boards and building administrators
Will ProbeList tell me which inspections are mandatory in a given building?
No. Obligations depend on the type of building, its equipment, and regulations, so you settle them with a qualified specialist. In the app you record the agreed dates and intervals, and use reminders to track upcoming checks.
Can I run each staircase as a separate location?
Yes, if you want separate dates and notes for staircases. Remember that every location uses up the plan limit, so with many buildings it is more sensible to run a building as one location and describe the staircases in notes.
How do I set up an inspection that returns every five years?
In the inspection you choose a frequency in years and enter the date of the nearest check. After you record the result, the next one falls five years later, and the annual checks of the same building run independently.
How do I divide duties between the board and technical staff?
You invite users to the workspace with the administrator, inspector, or observer role. You assign each inspection to a responsible person, so it is clear who is watching over a given building.
How do I take over a building with partly overdue inspections?
You create the location, add the installations, and for each inspection set a date that matches reality. Inspections past their date have the overdue status and show up in filters, and after completion you record the result and the cycle starts again.
Will residents see the inspection data?
The data is available only to people invited to the workspace. If the residents' council or residents ask about a date, you pass on the information from the location's history, and the board decides whether to share it.
Will a cooperative with several dozen buildings fit in one plan?
Premium covers up to 50 locations, up to 1000 inspection items, and up to 10000 active inspections. If the portfolio is larger or has more items, a dedicated plan is available, which is worth discussing at the planning stage.
A map of buildings in one place
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