The report is the job. Everything else — the walk-through, the photos, the notes — exists to produce one thing: a written document your requester keeps, shares with their notary or broker, and sometimes pulls back out years later. In the worst case, it's also the document that proves you did the job the way you were supposed to.
With REIBH set to regulate certified inspectors starting October 1, 2027, the expectations for that document will be formally codified by BNQ 3009-500. In practice, a lot of those expectations are already the working norm in the industry. Here's what that means concretely.
The form the report has to take
Article 9.1 of the standard sets three basic principles for the form of the report:
- It has to be written as a descriptive text — not a list of checkboxes
- It has to use simple, explicit, unambiguous language
- It must not contain general or imprecise statements
And the sharpest line in the whole chapter: a list of items checked off on a form is not a valid inspection report. Translation: a checklist, no matter how detailed, isn't a compliant report.
The ten pieces of essential information
Article 9.2 lists ten items the report must include:
- The requester's name, address, and email (where applicable)
- The inspector's name, address, phone, and RBQ certificate number (where applicable)
- The date the service contract was signed
- The date of the inspection
- The date the report was completed
- The address of the private unit or building inspected
- The name of the co-ownership syndicate, where applicable
- The weather conditions at the time of inspection
- A statement that the report is prepared under the standard
- A statement that the report describes the situation observed at the time of inspection and that the future state of components cannot be predicted
Missing any one of these is publishing a report that doesn't meet article 9.2.
The three types of findings
The standard (articles 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3) draws a sharp line between three categories of findings — and the report has to handle them separately. For a deeper treatment, see our guide on the difference between apparent defects, deficiency indicators, and safety risks.
Apparent defect (vice apparent) — a problem the inspector confirmed at the time of inspection, from objective evidence. For each one, the report describes the defect, its impact on the building, and the risks of leaving it uncorrected.
Deficiency indicator (indice de déficience) — a detectable sign, or combination of signs, that doesn't let the inspector confirm a problem but suggests one. It's not a confirmed defect; it's a red flag. The report has to describe the signs and formulate a justified recommendation.
Risk to safety or physical integrity — a potential source of danger for occupants, the building, or the environment. The report has to describe the risk, establish its impact, and recommend how to eliminate it, leaning on a standard, code, or regulation where one applies.
Collapsing these three categories into one long list of "problems found" is one of the most common mistakes in reports that don't match what the standard asks for.
The eight systems to inspect
Chapter 12 of the standard breaks the inspection into eight major sections. The report has to cover each one:
- Structural components — foundations, framing, load-bearing walls, columns, beams, joists, structural slabs
- Exterior architectural components — cladding, masonry, roof, windows, doors, gutters, balconies, guardrails
- Plumbing installation — supply, distribution, drainage, fixtures, water heater, backflow preventers
- Electrical installation — service entrance, panel, branch circuits, grounding
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC)
- Interior architectural components
- Attics, crawl spaces, and thermal insulation
- Security systems
For each system, the standard defines a scope (what the inspector has to examine) and a non-exhaustive list of expected results — examples of defects, indicators, and risks a competent inspection should detect.
Photos as objective evidence
Photos are objective evidence under the standard (article 7.1). For every apparent defect, deficiency indicator, or risk, the inspector has to gather objective evidence — photographs, handwritten notes, recordings, results from a common instrument measurement, sketches.
Working habits that serve you well:
- An overall shot of the building at the start of the report
- Photos of every defect, indicator, and risk, with clear annotation
- Photos that demonstrate the absence of a problem when it's worth documenting (for example: photographing the base of finished basement walls to show that no trace of moisture was detectable at the time of the inspection)
The standard explicitly encourages that last habit — it's your best line of defence if something gets contested later.
Signs the standard wants you to flag
Article 7.2.3 requires the inspector to pay specific attention to:
- Rodents, insects, and other pests
- Ochre deposits
- Pyrite and pyrrhotite
- Mold and fungi
- Asbestos risks, particularly in buildings renovated before 1990
The report has to tell the requester you looked for these signs, and has to state clearly — where relevant — the absence of any detectable defect, indicator, or risk tied to each one.
Delivery timing
The report has to be delivered within the deadline set in the service contract. The standard doesn't pin a single number on that deadline — it leaves the detail to the contract between inspector and requester. In practice, the working professional standard is delivery within 24 hours of the inspection, sometimes the same evening.
For electronic delivery, the standard requires the requester's express authorization (to comply with the Loi concernant le cadre juridique des technologies de l'information). Without it, the inspector has to deliver a paper copy.
The file that sits behind the report
An important and frequently overlooked point: chapter 10 requires the inspector to keep an inspection file containing, among other things, every piece of objective evidence gathered at the time of inspection, whether or not it was used in the final report. Handwritten notes, photographs, recordings, sketches — all of it.
In concrete terms: the 200 photos you took on site have to be kept, even if only 30 made it into the delivered report. In a manual workflow, that's exactly the kind of requirement reality catches up with fast. In software that archives everything to the project file automatically, it's a non-issue. See our dedicated article on objective evidence and the inspection file for the full picture.
How good software raises the floor
Writing a compliant BNQ 3009-500 report by hand — even with a decent Word template — takes time and is the kind of task where details slip. Purpose-built software like Axiom³ helps you:
- Never skip a system — the report structure mirrors chapter 12's eight sections
- Separate the three types of findings cleanly — apparent defect, deficiency indicator, risk — with the required elements for each
- Tick off all ten essentials automatically — no more missing items from article 9.2
- Archive all objective evidence — photos, notes, and annotations stay linked to the project file, the way chapter 10 requires
- Deliver like a professional — your requester gets a polished PDF through a secure portal, with express authorization for electronic delivery
The payoff isn't just speed. It's a report that reflects the quality of the work, and holds up if something ever gets contested.