Organizing aid—not a finding: this template does not verify evidence, does not diagnose a condition, and does not provide legal advice. A completed row does not prove current conditions, notice, receipt, authorship, or an official conclusion.

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Building condition survey template

The file has field names but no example household, address, or condition row. Opening and editing it happens in the spreadsheet tool and storage location your organization chooses.

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No collection on this page: there is no form, upload, account, address lookup, analytics, or tracking script. The static site does not receive the information entered after download.

Spreadsheet formula safety: many spreadsheet apps interpret cells beginning with =, +, -, or @ as formulas. Import or paste copied or untrusted values as plain text, confirm the cells remain text before saving or sharing, and never enable external links or macros from an unknown source.

Set the privacy rules before adding a row

  1. Choose pseudonymous references. Give each survey row a random or otherwise non-identifying unit_or_member_reference. Do not use a name, street address, apartment number, phone number, or a code that publicly reveals one.
  2. Keep the lookup key elsewhere. If organizers need to reconnect a reference to a member, store that mapping separately with tighter access. A pseudonym can still identify someone when combined with other details.
  3. Agree on access and retention. Name who can open the private sheet, where protected supporting records live, when copies are reviewed, and when they are removed.
  4. Test with synthetic rows. Before real use, rehearse the workflow with fictional references and conditions. Confirm that exports, shared drives, backups, and printouts follow the union’s rules.

Separate private-unit and common-area scope

Use the scope field consistently. The scope describes where the reported observation belongs in the organizing sheet; it does not establish ownership, responsibility, or the condition’s cause.

private_unit

Use for a report tied to the inside of one household’s space. Pair it with a pseudonymous member or unit reference and keep any identifying lookup outside this CSV.

common_area

Use for a shared location such as a corridor, entry, stairwell, or laundry area. Describe the area without adding a household identity.

Free-text caution: descriptions, area labels, response summaries, and notes can reveal identity even when names are absent. Record the minimum useful factual detail and keep medical, immigration, financial, family, access-code, and retaliation-sensitive information out of an aggregate sheet.

What the fields are designed to track

Reported condition and timing

reported_occurrence_date
The date a member reports that something happened or was observed—not a verified timestamp.
survey_recorded_date
When the organizer added the row. Keep this separate from the reported occurrence date.
recurrence_status
Use a locally agreed value such as first_report, recurring, or unclear.

Request, response, and access

repair_request_reference
A pointer to a separately retained request or confirmation—not the private content itself.
response_summary
A short factual summary with a separate response date.
access_status
An organizer-defined status such as offered, scheduled, completed, declined, or unclear.

Official and supporting records

official_record_reference
A reference to an inspection, complaint, citation, or other official record kept separately. Its existence does not show the current condition.
supporting_record_reference
An internal pointer to protected photos, messages, or documents. Do not paste a public link or the underlying record into the aggregate.

Permission and organizer status

permission_to_aggregate
Record yes, no, unclear, or withdrawn under the organization’s consent process.
aggregation_limits
Record any permission boundary, such as category-only or no quotations.
organizer_campaign_status
An internal workflow marker such as intake, follow_up, held_private, aggregate_eligible, or archived—not a legal case status.
follow_up_owner_reference
A role or pseudonymous organizer reference for routing follow-up. Do not enter a person’s name or contact details.

Keep private source records separate from the aggregate

  1. Private working layerOne access-controlled row per reported condition, using pseudonymous references and pointers to separately protected underlying private records.
  2. Permission checkBefore counting or describing a row in campaign material, confirm that permission_to_aggregate is yes and apply every recorded limit. Treat unclear, no, and withdrawn as not permitted.
  3. Aggregate layerCreate a different sheet or document containing only the minimum authorized categories or counts. Exclude names, addresses, pseudonymous row keys, free-text narratives, and record references.

Aggregation is not anonymization by default: a rare condition, location, date, quotation, or small count can identify a household. Review small groups and distinctive details before sharing, and keep the underlying private records out of the aggregate file.

Read every status as a working note

  • A reported occurrence is attributed information. It records what was reported and when, not whether the event happened exactly as described.
  • A repair-request reference is not delivery proof. Keep the original request and any receipt or confirmation separately, then let a qualified reviewer assess them.
  • An access status is not fault or compliance. It is a bounded organizing label that needs context from the people and records involved.
  • An official-record reference is not a current-condition finding. Agencies can use different terms, processes, and update schedules; consult the issuing source for meaning and current status.
  • A campaign status is not a legal deadline or remedy. Local tenant organizations, legal aid, agencies, and counsel can advise on the rules and urgent steps that apply in a particular place.

Organizing references

The template’s shared-process and repair-follow-up framing was informed by these tenant-organizing resources. They do not endorse Habitable Evidence, and the template does not reproduce or replace their local guidance.