Vacant Property Inspection Log
A dated record of every visit to an empty property is a record you can show an insurer, a city inspector or law enforcement. This free log turns the visit steps from the Vacant Property Checklist into one page you can print, keep in the car, and fill in on each visit.
Print this log Download the PDF
How to use it
- Print a few copies. One sheet covers five visits.
- Visit on a schedule. HUD’s 2016 guidance for vacant FHA properties called for an inspection every 25 to 35 days, and the Insurance Information Institute lists checks as often as weekly. Ask your insurer what it expects.
- Walk the same route every time. Outside first, then inside, so nothing gets skipped.
- Take photos. A few dated photos of each door, the meters and anything new back up what you write.
- Keep the sheets together with the property’s key and lockbox log.
What to check on each visit
- Outside: broken glass, pried or damaged doors, graffiti, trash or signs someone has been there.
- Doors and windows: every one closed and locked.
- Mail, flyers and packages: picked up.
- Yard: grass, leaves or snow kept up.
- Ceilings: no new stains from roof leaks.
- Plumbing: dry under sinks and around the water heater.
- Heat or air conditioning: holding the set temperature.
- Sump pump: runs, if there is one.
- Smoke alarms: tested with the test button.
Vacant Property Inspection Log · Property address: ________________________________
| Date and time | Inspected by | Outside, doors and windows | Inside: leaks, heat or AC, alarms | Photos taken | Problems and actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ Yes | |||
| ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ Yes | |||
| ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ Yes | |||
| ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ Yes | |||
| ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ OK ☐ Issue | ☐ Yes |
Before you leave the property
If the entry door has an InvinciBolt Lock, walk through the whole building and confirm no person or pet is inside before you lock it. See Safe Use and Property Access.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mortgagee Letter 2016-02 (February 2016)
- Insurance Information Institute, When no one’s home: understanding the role of vacancy insurance (June 3, 2025)
- Philadelphia Insurance, Unoccupied or vacant building checklist
- American Red Cross, Fire safety equipment
