Home Fall Hazard Check
Find the trip and slip hazards in a home before someone finds them the hard way. Each Fix ticked becomes a line at the foot with a name and a date, so it actually gets done.
SC-22 1 page
Safety checks · SC-24
Deck and Balcony Safety Check
A free printable deck and balcony safety check: ledger, posts, joists, boards, guards and stairs marked OK, watch or repair, with findings for the builder.
Download Free · no sign-up
One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Spot rot, rust and loose guards on a deck or balcony before they give way. Every Watch or Repair goes on one list with its photo, ready to hand to a builder.
Who it is for
Homeowners, landlords and anyone responsible for a timber, composite or metal deck or balcony.
How to use it
- Fill in the deck's details once: when it was built, by whom and what from.
- Work through every line, probing timber with a screwdriver and pushing on every guard post.
- Tick OK, Watch or Repair, and photograph anything that is not OK.
- Copy each Watch or Repair to the findings table and pass the Repair items to a builder or inspector.
- Repeat the check every year, and after a storm or heavy snow.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: A yearly owner's look over a deck or balcony, from where it meets the house to the top rail. It is not a survey: anything marked Repair, and anything you are unsure of, goes to a builder or inspector.
Write-on lines: Deck or balcony · Built · Builder · Material · Height · Date checked
Also printed: Check · Watch · Repair · LEDGER (ATTACHED DECKS) · Ledger sound, no rot at the wall · Flashing whole, no damp inside · Ledger bolts tight, not rusted · POSTS AND FOOTINGS · Posts sound at the base · Footings level, none sunk · Bracing firm, where fitted · BEAMS AND JOISTS · Probed: no soft or spongy wood · No cracks, splits or sagging · Hangers fixed, no rust · BOARDS · Boards firm, none cracked · No screw or nail heads raised · GUARDS AND BALUSTERS · Guard posts firm when pushed · Balusters all present and fixed · Top rail secure along its length · No climbable furniture by the rail · STAIRS AND HANDRAILS · Treads firm, level, not cracked · Stringers sound top and bottom · Handrail firm, easy to grip · SURFACE, LIGHT AND DRAINAGE · Surface not slippery with algae · Lights at stairs and door work · Underneath clear of debris · Balcony outlets clear, no ponding
Findings for the builder — every Watch and Repair, by its number, with a photo
Table, 6 rows: No. · What was found · Photo · Passed to · On · Fixed on
Questions
Can this sheet tell me whether my deck is safe?
No. It is an owner's look-over that records what you can see and feel. Whether a ledger, post or guard is strong enough is a question for a qualified builder or inspector, and anything marked Repair should go to one before the deck is used again.
Why are no spans, heights or spacings printed?
Because they depend on the deck's design, its materials and the building rules where you live, which differ by country and region. Your builder, the original drawings or the local building authority can give the figures that apply.
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