A good defects list makes the handover smooth. This free Excel template logs each defect with its location, trade, photo, severity and the person responsible, and counts what is still open, so nothing slips past the handover date.
A defects list is a working document. Your site team, your subcons and the client all read it, so every row has to make sense on its own:
A landscape Defects list sheet with numbered rows for a hundred defects, and a How to use sheet. Trade, severity and status are drop-down lists, and open items are highlighted.
| Column | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Location | Room and position, such as master bathroom, wall behind the basin |
| Trade | Carpentry, tiling, painting, electrical, plumbing, ceiling, glass and aluminium, doors and windows, or others |
| Description of defect | What is wrong, in a few words |
| Photo ref. | The photo number or file name |
| Severity | Minor, Major or Safety |
| Responsible | Your team or the subcon who will fix it |
| Date raised and target date | When it was found and when it should be fixed |
| Status | Open, In progress, Fixed or Verified |
| Date closed and remarks | When the fix was verified, and anything else |
At the top, the sheet counts the defects that are open, in progress, fixed and verified, and the total logged.
Five steps. Log each defect once, then move it along until someone has checked the fix.
Walk the unit with the client or their representative, one room at a time, and log each defect as you find it.
Take a photo and write its number or file name in the row, so the subcon knows exactly what to fix.
Set the severity, the person or subcon responsible, and a target date. Safety issues go first.
Move each defect from Open to In progress to Fixed as the work is done.
Your supervisor or the client checks each fix before it is marked Verified. Send the client the open items before handover.
An Excel file with a defects list for up to a hundred items, status counts, and instructions. Fill in the form and the download appears straight away.
An Excel file you can fill in straight away. It also opens in Google Sheets and Numbers.
Download the defects list templateMore free templates
Most defects lists start as photos in a WhatsApp group. Lynqra builds systems that turn those photos and notes into a defects list, assign each item to the right subcon and remind them before the target date. Your supervisor still checks and closes each item, and anything sent to the client waits for approval.
See project admin and site update automation, or everything we automate for ID and renovation firms.
Before the client's inspection. Walking the unit yourself first and fixing what you find means a shorter list on the day.
Keep using the same list during the defects liability period in your contract. Log the date raised, so you can show when each item was reported and fixed.
Yes, if you share it in Google Sheets or OneDrive. Ask them to update the status and remarks, and keep the final Verified step with your own team.
Yes. Fill in the short form and the download appears straight away. You can use and change the file for your own firm's jobs.
Yes. Upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets, or open it in Numbers. The formulas and drop-down lists work in both.
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