BldgHelm
Request a demo

Punch lists

Punch list software for facilities

Walk a building, capture each issue with a photo from your phone, assign it and close it out with a manager's verification. Built for summer turnover, move-in, renovations and handovers.

Request a demoThe whole platform
A summer turnover punch list for a residence hall: 3 of 12 items completed, with PDF and Excel export buttons and items such as a loose dryer vent and a dripping faucet, each with status, priority, assignee and due date.

Sample data. Northfield University is a fictional campus.

The problem

Turnover season on clipboards and camera rolls

Every summer a housing and facilities team has a few weeks to inspect hundreds of rooms. The issues go onto paper lists, the photos stay in someone's camera roll and the summary arrives as an emailed spreadsheet that is out of date by lunch.

Renovation closeouts are similar. The owner walks the space and lists what is wrong, the contractor disagrees about what was fixed, and nobody can show a clear before and after.

Items slip because nothing forces a second pair of eyes. Work is marked done, the next student finds the same loose dryer vent, and the department cannot send a contractor a clean list with photos.

How BldgHelm handles it

Capture, assign, verify, export

BldgHelm punch lists are designed for the person standing in the room with a phone, and for the manager who needs to know what is left.

Adding a punch item on a phone: choose the building, floor and room, then take a photo.

  • Capture in under a minute

    Pick the building, floor and room, or scan the room's QR code. Take photos, choose a scope category, type a short description and set a priority of Low, Medium, High or Urgent. Assigning and a due date are optional.

  • Scope categories you can edit

    Paint, Ceiling Tile, Flooring, Drywall, Doors and Hardware, Electrical, Lighting, Plumbing, HVAC, Millwork/Casework, Windows, Signage, Cleaning and Other. Each organization can edit the list.

  • Named lists with progress

    Group items into lists such as "Summer turnover, Residence Hall A" or "Renovation closeout, Room 204". Each list shows how many items are completed out of the total.

  • A clear status path

    Open, Assigned, In Progress, Completed and Verified. The person finishing an item adds an "after" photo.

  • Verified by a manager

    An item is not done until a facilities manager confirms it. That one extra step is what keeps closeouts honest.

  • Escalate or add to the backlog

    Turn an item into a work order with one click, or add it to the deferred maintenance backlog.

  • Filters and room views

    Filter by building, floor, room, scope, status, priority and assignee. A room's page shows its open items.

  • PDF and Excel export

    Export a list to PDF with photos, or to Excel, to send to a contractor.

How it works

From setup to a working routine

  1. Step 1: Create a named list

    Start a list for the residence hall, the renovation or the handover, with an optional due date.

  2. Step 2: Walk the building and capture items

    Add each issue from a phone with a photo, a scope category and a priority.

  3. Step 3: Assign the work

    Send items to technicians or to a contractor company, each with a due date.

  4. Step 4: Fix it and add an after photo

    The assignee marks the item completed with a photo of the result.

  5. Step 5: Verify and close out

    A manager verifies each item, watches the list's progress and exports the final record.

Punch items that turn out to be bigger jobs move into the work order queue without retyping. Request a demo to see a turnover list with sample data.

A staff member with a tablet walks down a residence hall corridor.

Illustrative photo.

Who uses it

Built for everyone who touches a building

  • Facilities directors and managers

    Facilities and housing managers create lists, assign items, verify completed work and export the results.

  • Technicians

    Technicians add items on a phone, see what is assigned to them and attach after photos when they finish.

  • Contractors

    Contractors see only the punch items assigned to their company, update them and add photos, or receive the PDF or Excel export.

  • Finance and leadership

    Viewers can follow progress on lists and items, and the backlog link keeps larger fixes visible for budgeting.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is punch list software?
It is software for recording the small items left to fix in a room or building, usually before turnover or at the end of a project, and tracking each one from discovery to a confirmed fix.
Does it work for summer turnover and for renovations?
Yes. Lists are named and grouped, so you can run "Summer turnover, Residence Hall A" alongside "Renovation closeout, Room 204", each with its own progress.
Can technicians create items from their phones?
Yes. Owner Admins, Facilities Managers and Technicians can create items, with photos taken directly from the phone camera. Technicians and contractors can close only the items assigned to them.
How do we share a list with a contractor?
Export it to PDF with photos or to Excel, or assign the items to the contractor company so its employees update them in BldgHelm themselves.
Does it work without a signal?
No. A connection is needed to save items and photos, and there is no offline mode yet.

Keep reading

Related solutions

See your campus in BldgHelm.

A walkthrough of the three workflows with sample data, and a plan for bringing over your buildings, equipment and schedules.

Request a demoSign in

Already a pilot campus? Create your account.

A brick college quad on a clear day, with lawns, crossing paths and a few students in the distance.