Answer Hub · Process & timing
Does the builder need to be present for a draw inspection?
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Short answer
Usually not. A builder or authorized contact needs to be there only when the site is locked, gated or unsafe to enter alone, or when the inspector needs questions about the work answered on the spot. What every inspection needs is safe, legal access, a contact who answers the phone and a current draw request.
When someone should be on site.
Most residential draw inspections happen without the builder. An inspector can walk an open site, photograph the work and complete the report alone. Someone needs to be there, or at least reachable, when:
- the site is locked, gated or behind a lockbox the inspector has no code for;
- conditions make it unsafe to enter without someone who knows the site, such as open excavations, active crane work or an occupied renovation;
- the work in the draw request isn't obvious from what is visible, for example materials stored off the main structure or work in a detached building;
- the lender's scope requires a walk-through with the builder.
On commercial projects a superintendent often joins the visit, because the site is larger and access is controlled.
How to prepare the site.
Access problems are the most common reason an inspection takes longer than it should. Before the inspection is ordered:
- Send a working contact name and number, plus gate codes or lockbox details.
- Make sure the requested work is visible, safe to reach and lit.
- Have the current draw request and budget on file with the lender.
- Photograph or schedule an inspection of work that is about to be covered, such as plumbing before a slab pour or framing before drywall.
- Keep stored materials together and identifiable.
See how long a draw inspection takes for the rest of the timeline.
What the builder shouldn't do.
Being present is fine. Directing the inspection is not. The builder shouldn't choose which areas get photographed, suggest completion percentages or ask to see the report before the lender does. The inspection is the lender's independent evidence, which is the same reason a borrower generally can't perform their own draw inspection.
Why it matters for lenders.
A clear access requirement in the loan documents saves wasted trips and repeat fees. The NCUA's examiner guide expects disbursements to follow real progress, and that depends on inspectors who can reach the work.
How RAZE handles it.
Assignments reach the inspector's RAZE Mobile App with the lender's requirements attached, and real-time notifications and messaging keep the inspector and the lender's team in touch when access needs sorting out. Offline mode lets the inspector keep capturing where there is no signal, and the data syncs once the device reconnects.
Sources
Primary sources only. Where a figure appears on this page, it comes from one of these.
See the workflow behind the answer.
RAZE standardizes how draw inspections are ordered, dispatched, captured and delivered, inside the loan administration workflow a lender already runs.
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