AI Report Summaries and Report Layouts

    Mike
    6 min read

    Published on: October 13, 2026

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    AI Report Summaries and Report Layouts

    AI report summaries put a one-page executive summary at the front of your visit reports. AI drafts the summary paragraph and up to four recommended follow-ups from your checklist answers and notes, seconds after you complete the visit, and you can edit every word.

    Some homeowners want reassurance without reading pages of inspection detail. The Summary + Details layout gives them a cleaner, client-friendly report: a summary they can read in a minute, with the full checklist behind it. AI report summaries are included in your plan at no extra cost.


    The Two Layouts

    • Standard: the full report, exactly as it has always been.
    • Summary + Details: the complete report in our newer design (US Letter). Page one is a summary; the pages after it are the checklist, area by area.

    Choosing a Layout

    • For all your clients: go to Settings > Communications > Report layout. Only the business owner can change this.
    • For one client: open the client, choose Edit, and set Report layout. "Use business default" follows the setting above.
    • For one download: on a report, use Download in another layout under Download PDF. This changes that download only. It never changes what the client receives.

    Choosing the report layout in Settings > Communications

    The PDF, the client portal page and the page behind a texted or emailed report link all follow the same choice and share the same design, laid out for phones as well as computers.


    What the Summary + Details Report Looks Like

    The report page with the one-page summary and the Edit summary button

    Page one (the summary)

    1. Your logo (or business name) and the report title, under a thin navy band.
    2. A strip with the property, the visit date, who did the visit, the check-in time and location, and the weather.
    3. A Visit summary box with a headline: Attention required, Minor items noted or No concerns. The headline is worked out from the checklist, never guessed: any flagged item or open issue on the property means Attention required. An answer marked as a problem that you did not flag means Minor items noted. Otherwise, No concerns. Under it is the short written summary.
    4. Flagged findings: numbered, with flagged items from this visit first, then issues still open from earlier visits (marked as such). Up to six lines, then "and N more, see the checklist details".
    5. A photo card for the first flagged item that has a photo, and, when the findings list is short, a row of more photos from the visit.

    The pages after it

    • Each area of your checklist as a table, with green PASS, red FAIL and gray N/A badges (or your own outcome names, such as GOOD or POOR), your notes, and up to three photo thumbnails per item. If an item has more photos, the row says how many more are online.
    • A short follow-up line under any area with flagged items.
    • Concierge tasks, if the visit had any, with the fee for each task and whether it was done, not done (with the reason) or not billable.
    • Recommended follow-up: up to four short suggestions, on page one when there is room, otherwise near the end.
    • Final notes, your signature, and a link to the full report online.

    Every page has your logo and the report number at the top and your business name and the page number at the bottom.


    The AI-Drafted Summary

    When you complete a visit, AI drafts a short summary for you from your checklist answers and notes, usually within a few seconds. It does not look at your photos, so it can only say what you wrote down. The AI never sees notes on items you did not flag, so if a note belongs in the summary, put it in your final notes (or flag the item if it needs attention). The headline, the counts and the flagged findings come straight from your checklist, so the AI cannot change them.

    • The summary appears at the top of the report page, where you can read it.
    • Edit summary lets you change the wording and the recommendations. Your edits are never replaced unless you choose Draft a new summary and confirm.
    • If you never touch it, it goes out as drafted. Read it before you send the report.
    • If a draft could not be written, the report is unaffected. Page one still shows the headline, a plain one-line summary, the findings and the photos. You can write your own summary at any time.

    Choosing the Photos

    The summary uses the cover photo of each item: the first photo in that item's order. Photos of flagged items come first, then photos from the rest of the checklist.

    To change a cover, tap Make cover on any other photo of that item. You can do this on the report page at any time, and during a visit for photos that have finished uploading (this needs a connection). One photo per item can appear on page one, so an item with forty photos still takes one slot; the checklist pages show up to three thumbnails per item.


    Good to Know


    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is it included in my plan? Yes. AI report summaries are included in your plan at no extra cost.

    What is sent to the AI? The overall status and counts, the items you flagged with their notes, your final notes, and any issues still open on the property. Client names, addresses and photos are not sent. See our Privacy Policy for details.

    Can I use Standard for some clients and Summary + Details for others? Yes. Set your business default, then open a client, choose Edit and set Report layout for that client.

    M

    Written by

    Mike

    Mike is the founder of HomeWatchTools.com, dedicated to building simple, powerful software for the home watch industry.