Duplicate inspections — two or more inspections showing up for the same unit in the Inspection list — are something Due Diligence teams occasionally run into. It's not a common issue, but when it does happen, duplicates can cause confusion for the walk team and skew the final reports if they're not resolved before reports are generated. This article explains why duplicates happen, how to spot them, how to decide which one to keep, and how to safely remove the extras.
What This Article Covers
- Why duplicate inspections happen
- Preventing duplicates during the walk
- Finding duplicate inspections in Manage
- Deciding which duplicate to remove
- How to remove a duplicate inspection (mobile app and web)
- Downloading Dashboard data
Why Duplicate Inspections Happen
Duplicate inspections almost always occur when inspectors on the walk team start their own inspection rather than opening the Scheduled inspection already set up by HappyCo. Every unit in your Due Diligence order has an inspection pre-scheduled in the mobile app — inspectors should always open the existing one rather than creating a new one from scratch.
The one exception is Common Area inspections, which are added on demand during the walk (see Unit Walk: Performing Common Area Inspections for that workflow).
Preventing Duplicates During the Walk
The single most effective way to prevent duplicates is team communication before the walk kicks off:
- Brief the walk team that they should always open the existing Scheduled inspection for each unit, never start a new one.
- Remind them that Common Area inspections are the only exception — those get added on demand.
- Have someone monitor the Dashboard during the walk to catch duplicates early. The sooner duplicates are caught, the easier they are to resolve.
Finding Duplicate Inspections
To see a list of any existing duplicate inspections:
- Log into Manage at manage.happyco.com.
- Select the property in question.
- Open the Property Dashboard for your property.
- Look for the Duplicate Inspections table.
If any duplicates exist, they'll be listed there with the affected unit numbers so you can review and resolve them.
Deciding Which Duplicate to Remove
Before deleting anything, take a moment to compare the duplicate inspections and decide which one to keep. A few common scenarios:
Scenario 1 — One inspection is Complete, the other is Incomplete
Example: Unit 1001 has two inspections — one marked Complete with actual ratings and photos, and one that's still Incomplete (started by mistake). In this case, the Complete inspection is the one to keep — the Incomplete duplicate can be safely deleted.
Scenario 2 — Both inspections are Scheduled
Example: Unit 1063 has two inspections both in Scheduled status. Someone may have accidentally scheduled an extra one after the original was set up (e.g., a second Scheduled inspection created on 12/22 when the original start date was earlier). In this case, delete the later one and keep the original.
Scenario 3 — Both inspections have data
If both duplicates have ratings, photos, or comments recorded, take extra care to review each one and decide which represents the actual walk. Do not delete either until you're certain — deletion is permanent. If it's unclear which inspection is the correct one, reach out to the Due Diligence team for help before deleting.
⚠️ Deleting an inspection is permanent. Once you delete an inspection, its data (ratings, photos, comments) cannot be recovered. Always double-check that you're deleting the correct duplicate before proceeding.
How to Remove a Duplicate Inspection
Removing a duplicate requires Account Admin access. If you don't have that role, reach out to your Account Admin to make the deletion on your behalf.
On the Web (Manage)
- Log into Manage at manage.happyco.com.
- Click the Inspector icon on the left navigation panel.
- Open the Inspections tab.
- Check the box next to the inspection you want to delete.
- Click the Delete button.
Downloading Dashboard Data
If you'd like to work with your Dashboard tables in Excel — for reviewing duplicates or any other data — you can download them directly.
See How to Download Dashboard Tables in our Knowledge Base for the step-by-step.
Related Articles
- Due Diligence: Performing a Unit Walk Inspection — the primary walk-team guide, including the "Three Keys to a Successful Unit Walk" (one of which is never starting a new inspection).
- Unit Walk: Performing Common Area Inspections — how to properly add Common Area inspections (the one time inspectors should add new inspections).
- FAQ: Due Diligence Unit Walks — common questions about DD unit walks.
Need Help?
The Due Diligence team is happy to assist:
- Submit a Service Request
- Email us at dd@happy.co
- For emergency, day-of support, give us a call at 447-427-7926 x2
Hours of operation: M–F, 7 AM – 5 PM PST