Start an inspection with a quote

This is the recommended path to add an inspection to a project. It secures the contractual relationship with your client before the visit: you send them a quote (that they accept and sign online) accompanied by your association’s service agreement (that they sign on their side), all in a single email.

When the quote is sent, the inspection is created in the project and appears with its status.

Start the flow

From the project detail, the Quick Actions panel on the right shows the + New Inspection button with a dropdown arrow. Click the arrow to open the menu, then select Prepare a quote.

The option is described in the menu as “Create an inspection with a quote and agreement.”

Step 1 — Choose a template

A first modal Choose a template asks which inspection model to use. Lumos shows all available templates, classified into two categories:

• System — templates provided by Lumos, for example Residential Inspection - BNQ 3009-500 (17 sections).
• Personal — templates you have created for specific needs (adapted residential, commercial, etc.).

Each card shows the name, a short description, and the number of sections in the report.

If no existing template matches your need, the “Create your own” link takes you to the template editor (see Customizing report templates).

Click Use this template to move to the next step.

Step 2 — Configure the quote

The Prepare a quote modal opens, divided into several sections.

Date and time

• Inspection date — pre-filled with the project’s desired date; confirm or correct.
• Inspection time — to enter.

These two pieces of information are required to move to the next step.

Items

Where you set the inspection price:

• Inspection type — dropdown that pulls from your configured services.
• Price ($).
• Add an item — for multi-service inspections (for example main inspection + optional thermographic inspection).

Lumos calculates the subtotal and total automatically.

Service agreement

The Include service agreement checkbox is on by default. Below it, a dropdown lets you choose the agreement among your available templates. Options depend on your profile and configured templates:

• APCHQ Service Agreement — available if you entered your APCHQ member number in Business Configuration > Service Agreements.
• AIBQ Service Agreement — available if you have AIBQ affiliation in your profile.
• Inspection Service Agreement (BNQ-compatible) — Lumos’s default template, usable by all.
• Your custom templates also appear in the list.

Agreement options

Three checkboxes to adjust the agreement to context:

• Divided co-ownership (condo) — check if the property is in divided co-ownership. Annex B (specific to co-ownerships) is added automatically to the agreement.
• Include performance attestation — to add to the agreement the page “Performance attestation of an inspection of a primarily residential building”, signed on the day of the inspection.
• Attach Practice Standard — to add the PDF of the Professional Practice Standard to the email.

Quote options

Three additional checkboxes, on by default:

• Include BNQ standard link — a direct link to the BNQ 3009-500 standard in the email body.
• Include quote document — a PDF of the quote with prices. A radio option below lets you choose the format: Quote (default) or Invoice.
• Send by email — uncheck only if you want to prepare the quote without sending it immediately (rare).

Attach project documents

If the project already has uploaded documents (seller’s declaration, location certificate, prior reports, etc.), they appear as checkboxes to attach to the email. The + Add a document button lets you upload a new one immediately.

Click Next to move to the email composition.

Step 3 — Email composition and send

The email sent to your client uses the template you configured in Business Configuration > Quote & Invoice, with variables auto-filled from the project, the client, and the inspection. You can edit it before sending.

The client receives an email that contains:

• The accompanying text from your email template.
• The quote (PDF) to approve and sign online.
• The service agreement from your association as an attachment, to review and sign outside Lumos.

The client approves and signs the quote directly online. For the agreement, they sign it on their side with Acrobat or by printing, then return it by email or in person. For tracking details, see Quote tracking.

What happens at send

The inspection is created in the project immediately when the email is sent, with:

• Its inspection number derived from the project number (for example INS-2026-0504-111-1).
• Its initial status In progress.
• The attached agreement, with its send date.
• The quote pending approval and online signature.
• The details entered (date, time, items, services).

You can open the inspection to prepare for field capture (general information, descriptions, report sections).

Step-by-step

See also

• Start an inspection without a quote — the quick alternative
• Quote tracking — what happens after the send
• Business Configuration > Service Agreements — where your agreement templates are configured
• Business Configuration > Quote & Invoice — where your email templates are configured
• Using variables in text editors — details on available variables