AU2012100311B4

AU2012100311B4 - System and method for managing property inspection reports

Info

Publication number: AU2012100311B4
Application number: AU2012100311A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Philip James Oakes
Original assignee: PROPERTY INSPECTION BROKERS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: PROPERTY INSPECTION BROKERS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-10-06
Filing date: 2012-03-21
Publication date: 2013-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 2019-10-06
Also published as: AU2012100311A4; AU2017202073A1; AU2015202793A1

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for processing a customer property report request. The method 5 comprises receiving a report request from a customer user computing device. The report request includes a property identifier for a physical property to which the request pertains. The method further comprises accessing a database storing property reports to determine whether 10 there are any stored reports associated with the property identifier. The property reports are completed by third party report providers. The method also comprises enabling the customer to purchase an associated report for a fee. The fee is set based on a fee setting criterion. In 15 addition, the method comprises delivering the purchased report to the customer.

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Innovation Patent Applicant: Diamond Property Services Invention Title: SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING PROPERTY INSPECTION REPORTS The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method for performing it known to me/us: - 2 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING PROPERTY INSPECTION REPORTS Technical yield 5 The present invention relates generally to computing systems and more particularly to systems and methods for managing property inspection reports. Background 10 The purchase of a new family home or investment property is one of, if not the, most significant purchases a person is likely to make. Due to the substantial cost associated with buying a new property, prospective buyers 15 will often have various pre-purchase inspection reports carried out to ensure that the property is in the condition that it is purported to be in. Such pre-purchase inspection reports include pest reports, building reports, pool reports and the like. 20 It is not always easy to find a reputable and cost effective provider of such property inspection reports. For example, in Australia there is an overabundance of report providers, many of whom operate without the necessary insurance and qualifications. Further, 25 pre-inspection reports will often need to be obtained in a relatively short period of time in order to be in a position to make the purchase, making it difficult to suitably verify a particular provider's credentials. Thus, the decision as to which report provider to chose will 30 ultimately come down to cost and availability which is clearly not desirable.

-3 Summary of the invention In accordance with a first aspect there is provided a method for processing a customer property report request 5 comprising: receiving a report request from a customer user computing device, the report request including a property identifier for a physical property to which the request pertains; 10 accessing a database storing pre-existing property reports previously completed for other customers, to determine whether there are any stored pre-existing reports associated with the property identifier, the property reports having been completed by third party 15 report providers; enabling the customer to purchase an associated report for a fee, the fee being set based on a fee setting criterion; and delivering the purchased report to the customer. 20 In an embodiment the method further comprises, in response to determining that there are no associated stored reports or reports pending completion, enabling the customer to request a new property report by way of the user interface. 25 In an embodiment the method further comprises enabling the customer to select a provider, such as a third party report provider, from a list of selectable third party property providers to complete the report. In an embodiment the method further comprises 30 enabling each of the selectable third party providers to specify a fee for completing the report. in an embodiment the method further comprises enabling the customer to select an inspection time for the -4 new property report request, the time being selected from a list of available inspection times nominated by provider. In an embodiment the method further comprises 5 providing a job user interface which enables the third party report provider to provide the completed report, In an embodiment, the method further comprises storing the report, once provided, in the database. In an embodiment the method further comprises 10 enabling the third party report provider to upload the completed report via a provider user computing device. In an embodiment the method further comprises automatically setting the fee dependent on at least one of an age of the report and a status of the property. 15 The fee may be dependent on a price initially set by the property report provider. In an embodiment the status relates to the purchase of the property by the customer. In an embodiment the method further comprise 20 receiving notification as to whether a property transaction was completed subsequent to being provided the associated report and providing a rebate or refund to the customer in response to receiving notification that the property transaction was not completed. 25 In an embodiment the rebate is applied to a subsequent report purchased by the customer. In an embodiment, the method further comprises enabling the customer to determine whether a report they have scheduled and purchased should be made available to 30 other customers for purchase and, if the customer determines that the report should be made available for purchase, then the customer will receive the commission when the report is purchased by another customer.

In an embodiment the database is configured to store a plurality of different reports in association with each property identifier, each of the different reports relating to a different report type or report date. 5 In an embodiment the report types comprise of one of the following: pool report, pest report, building report, strata inspection reports, company title reports, community title reports, completion report and ID survey. In an embodiment the property identifier is the 10 address of the physical property. In an embodiment the user interface additionally allows the customer to enter payment details for purchasing the report. In an embodiment the method further comprises 15 informing the customer, via the user interface, of any property reports scheduled to be completed for the property in association with the scheduled completion date. In an embodiment the customer user computing device 20 and provider user computing device communicate remotely with the database over a communications network. In an embodiment the communications network is the Internet. In accordance with a further embodiment, there is 25 provided a system for processing a customer property report request comprising: a receiving module for receiving a report request from a customer user computing device, the report request including a property identifier for a physical property to 30 which the request pertains; a data acquisition module arranged to determine whether there are any property reports associated with the property identifier, the property reports being stored in -6 one or more databases and being completed by at least one third party report provider; a transaction module arranged to receive transaction data from the user computing device allowing the customer 5 to purchase an associated report for a fee, the fee being set based on a fee setting criterion; a report delivery module arranged to deliver the purchased report to the user computing device; and the transaction module further arranged to remit a 10 portion of the fee to the third party report provider that completed the purchased report. In an embodiment the data acquisition module is arranged to access the one or more databases to determine whether there are any associated property reports. 15 In an embodiment the system further comprises a display module arranged to generate a user interface which is displayable on the customer's user computing device which allows the customer to input the report request. In an embodiment, in response to determining that 20 there are no associated stored reports or reports pending completion, the receiving module is further arranged to enable the customer to request a new property report by way of the user interface, In an embodiment the display module is arranged to 25 control the interface to display a list of third party report providers from which the customer makes their selection, in an embodiment, the display module is arranged to enable display of prices of property reports so that the 30 customer may use price as a selection criteria. In an embodiment the system further comprises an appointment module arranged to enable the customer to select an inspection time for the new property report -7 request, the time being selected from a list of available inspection times nominated by the selected third party report provider. In an embodiment the receiving module is further 5 arranged to receive the completed report provided by the third party report provider for uploading to the database. In an embodiment the report is uploaded via a user computing device operable by the nominated third party report provider. 10 In an embodiment, the fee is automatically set by the transaction module dependent upon at least one of an age of the report and the status of the property. In an embodiment, the status relates to the purchase of the property by the customer. 15 In an embodiment, the transaction module may set the fee dependent on the price initially set by the property report provider. In an embodiment the receiving module is further arranged to receive notification as to whether a property 20 transaction was completed subsequent to being provided the associated report and provide a rebate or refund to the customer in response to receiving notification that the property transaction was not completed. In an embodiment the rebate is applied to a 25 subsequent report purchased by the customer. In an embodiment the database is configured to store a plurality of different reports in association with each property identifier, each of the different reports relating to a different report type. 30 In an embodiment the report types comprise of one of the following: pool report, pest report, building report, strata inspection reports, company title reports, community title reports, completion report and ID survey.

in an embodiment the property identifier is the address of the physical property, In an embodiment the customer user interface additionally allows the customer to enter payment details 5 for purchasing the report. in an embodiment the customer user interface additionally displays any property reports scheduled to be completed for the property in association with the scheduled completion date. 10 In an embodiment the customer user computing device and provider user computing device communicate remotely with the database over a communications network. In an embodiment the communications network is the Internet. In accordance with a further embodiment there is 15 provided a system for processing a customer property report request comprising; a receiving module for receiving a report request from a customer user computing device, the report request including a property identifier for a physical property to 20 which the request pertains; a display module arranged to generate a list of third party report providers having a service availability for a geographical area in which the property is located for subsequent display on the customer user computing device; 25 an appointment module arranged to receive transaction data from the user computing device allowing the customer to select one of the third party report providers to complete a property report for the physical property for a fee, the fee being set based on a fee setting criterion; 30 a report delivery module arranged to deliver the completed report to the customer; and a transaction module further arranged to remit a portion of the fee to the third party report provider that completed the purchased report. In an embodiment the appointment module is further arranged to enable the customer to select an inspection time for the new property report request, the time being 5 selected from a list of available inspection times nominated by the selected third party report provider. In accordance with a further embodiment there is provided a method for processing a customer property report request comprising: 10 receiving a report request from a customer user computing device, the report request including a property identifier for a physical property to which the request pertains; accessing a database storing property reports to 15 determine whether there are any stored reports associated with the property identifier, the property reports being completed by third party report providers; enabling the customer to purchase an associated report for a fee, the fee being set based on a fee setting 20 criterion; and delivering the purchased report to the customer, In accordance with a further embodiment there is provided an electronic repository system for storing property inspection reports completed by report providers, 25 the system being arranged such that a customer can remotely access and search the repository system using a computing device to ascertain whether a report exists for a property of interest, the system further being arranged such that the customer has the opportunity to 30 - 10 purchase a report. Detailed Description of the Drawings 5 Notwithstanding any other embodiments that may fall within the scope of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: 10 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic of the server system of Figure 1, used to carry out an embodiment of the present invention; 15 Figure 3 is a process flow diagram of a method for processing a customer using the system of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a more detailed process flow of the customer processing method of Figure 3, in accordance with an embodiment; and 20 Figures 5 through 16 are screen shots of various user interfaces implemented by the server system, in accordance with an embodiment. Description of Preferred/Specific Embodiments 25 In its most basic form, an embodiment of the present invention provides a central electronic repository storing property inspection reports completed and uploaded to the system by a selection of trusted third party report 30 providers (hereafter "report providers"). Customers of the system can remotely access and readily search the repository using a network enabled computing device, to ascertain whether any reports exist for a property of - 11 interest (e.g. a property that they are interested in purchasing, leasing, etc.). The customer then has the opportunity to purchase any existing reports, reports in progress (i.e. reports that have been requested but have 5 not as yet been completed and uploaded to the database), or alternatively request that a new report be completed by one of the selected report providers. A number of distinct advantages arise through use of such a system. Firstly, the system may be available 24 hours each day of 10 the year, which provides significant flexibility for the customer. Further, from a customer perspective, the system provides ready access to pre-existing property reports which can be immediately delivered to the customer such as via the user computing device the customer used to access 15 the repository (in an embodiment the system is also configured to notify the customer of any reports in progress and the expected completion date). Secondly, customers can be confident that any purchased reports will be of a high standard since only trusted report providers 20 (i.e. providers who are qualified, insured and meet the relevant quality standards implemented by the system) are allowed to upload reports. Where a new report is required, customers using the system are instantly provided with quotes and available inspection times from 25 the selection of trusted report providers, from which they can conveniently make their selection. Further, in certain embodiments, customers may be provided with a rebate or refund for any report purchase where the customer was ultimately unsuccessful in completing a 30 transaction (e.g. a purchase) associated with the property of interest. From a report provider perspective, the system provides a convenient portal to upload and sell completed property reports to the market, irrespective of - 12 the age of the report. It also allows the providers to manage inspection times and nominate fees without having to have any direct interaction with the customer. In other words, the system advantageously allows report 5 providers to concentrate on what they do well (i.e. provide inspection reports) and leave the marketing and accounting to the system. Basic System Configuration 10 With reference to Figure 1, there is shown a schematic illustration of a system 100 arranged to implement an embodiment of the present invention, The system 100 includes a web server 102 which provides a 15 report management web portal. The web portal is operable to provide customers 106 and report providers 108 access to a database 104 arranged to store property reports. In the illustrated embodiment the database 104 is maintained by the web server 102, although it will be understood that 20 each report provider 108 could maintain its own database and the web server 102 configured to communicate with the various report provider databases to obtain requested reports. The property inspection reports are stored in association with a property identifier, in the form of a 25 physical address for the property to which the report pertains. In the illustrated embodiment, the reports stored by the database 104 include building reports, pest reports, pool reports, strata reports, plumbing reports and title reports (although it will be understood by 30 persons skilled in the art that any property related inspection report could equally be stored, searched and delivered)- Property report! stored in the database 104 can be searched and retrieved (for a fee), via the - 13 website/portal hosted by the web server 102. In addition, the customers 106 will be provided with information on any reports in progress (i.e. reports that have been requested but have not as yet been uploaded) and Customers 106 and 5 report providers 108 access the portal, via a network enabled user computing device over communications network 112. In the illustrated embodiment, the communications network 112 is in the form of the Internet. 10 Further Detail of System Elements With reference to Figure 2 there is shown a schematic diagram of the web server 102 of Figure 1, which is maintained by a report facilitator 101. The report 15 facilitator 101 takes a commission for each downloaded property report, as will be described in more detail in subsequent paragraphs. The web server 102 maintained by the report facilitator is in the form of a server computing system which is configured to execute 20 applications and/or system services associated with the management of property inspection reports; in particular storing, searching, retrieving and creating new work orders for completing property inspection reports. The server 102 preferably comprises a processor 202, Read only 25 Memory (ROM) 204, Random Access Memory (RANM) 206 and input/output devices such as disc drives 208 (or alternatively or additionally solid state memory could equally be utilized), keyboard 210, mouse 212, display 214, printer 216 and communications device 218. 30 The communications device 218 connects to the communication network 112, as illustrated in Figure 1. It will be understood that, depending on the communication network, the communications device 218 may connect the web - 14 server 102 to a computer network, telephone line, an antenna, a gateway or any other type of communications network. Disc drives 208 may include any suitable storage media such as, for example, floppy disc drives, hard 5 drives, CD ROM drives or magnetic tape drives. The web server 102 may use a single disc drive 208 or multiple disc drives. In addition to the hardware, the server 102 also comprises an operating system such Windows T" or Unix TM. The operating system provides an environment for 10 executing software applications. In this regard, the processor 202 of the server 102 is arranged to implement a server application 222 comprising a receiving module 224 arranged to receive request data from the customer 106 and report data from 15 the report provider 108 via their respective user computing devices; a data acquisition module 226 arranged to access and search the database 104 based on data contained in a customer report request (i.e. received via the receiving module 224); a transaction module 228 for 20 processing customer payments for existing or new property reports; a report delivery module 230 arranged to deliver purchased reports to the customers 106 via their user computing device; and an appointment module 232 which creates new work orders for property reports based on 25 customer requests and selected property provider availability data. The server 102 also implements a display module 234 programmed to control a graphical user interface implemented by the portal which allows customers and property providers to interface with the various 30 modules described above. An example screen shot of a graphic user interface 400 provided by the display module 234 is shown in Figure 5.

- 15 It will be understood that the term "module" used herein can relate to either software or hardware modules that can operate either in independence or in combination with other modules to provide the aforementioned 5 functionality. Customers 106 and report providers 108 can access the web server 102 using any form of network connected user computing device. The user computing device may, for example, be in the form of a personal computer comprising 10 typical hardware and software for communicating over the network 112. A browser application residing on the personal computer is operable to allow a user to access the web portal and interact with the graphic user interface, as will be described in more detail below. It 15 will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the user computing device may take the form of any computing device including a personal digital assistant (PDA), blackberry phone, wireless computing system or any other suitable computing device. 20 While the arrangement described above is in the form of a client-server architecture, it will be appreciated that the system could equally be implemented using cloud computing architecture, as is well understood by persons skilled in the art, and which is accessible to customers 25 and report providers via a user interface such as a web browser. Basic Process Flow 30 in an embodiment, and with additional reference to Figure 3, a basic process flow for processing a customer property report request will now be described. The process involves an initial step of the customer accessing - 16 the web portal maintained by server 102 and inputting login details followed by a property report request, which includes a property identifier for a physical property to which the request pertains (step 302). The request is 5 received and processed by the receiving module 224. Subsequent to processing the request, the receiving module 224 passes on the property identifier to the data acquisition module 226 which subsequently accesses and queries the database 104 to determine whether there are 10 any stored reports associated with the property identifier (steps 304, 306). At step 308, the customer 106 is given the opportunity to purchase any associated reports for a fee, which is set based on a fee setting criterion determined by the transaction module 228. The transaction 15 module 228 may, for example, adjust a value of the fee over time or in response to some predefined event being determined by the transaction module 228 (e.g. that the property has been bought by the customer, that a particular number of customers have purchased the 20 associated report, etc). The necessary transaction details are requested and subsequently processed by the transaction module 228. Subsequent to payment being completed, the report delivery module 230 retrieves the purchased report and delivers it to the customer user 25 computing device (Step 310). At Step 312, the transaction module 228 determines a portion of the fee to be remitted to the report provider that completed the purchased report. If, at step 306 no associated records were located, the customer 106 is given the opportunity to book 30 a new report from one of the selected report providers 108 (step 314), which is facilitated by the appointment module 232, as will be described in more detail in subsequent paragraphs.

- 17 More Detail of Process Flows Processing Customer Property Report Requests 5 A more detailed eXplanation of the process flow will now be described with reference to flow diagram of Figure 4 and the various screen shots shown in Figures 5 through 14. Figure 5 shows an example embodiment of a 10 graphic user interface 400 generated by the display module 232, which allows a customer to input a property report request (step 320). The user interface 400 includes a number of input fields 402 which allow the customer 106 to enter a property identifier (in the example embodiment 15 being a combination of the street number and address) for a property that they are interested in purchasing. The user interface 400 also includes fields 404 which allow the customer 106 to specify the type of property inspection report(s) that they wish to purchase 2D (e.g. building report, pest report, etc.). The user interface 400 also provides general information on the type of reports that can be purchased and information about the report facilitator 101 and other service offerings (e.g. details in relation to rebates if the 25 customer is unsuccessful in purchasing the property, information in relation to qualifications and insurance required by each of the report providers that are affiliated with the system 100, etc). Once the customer 106 has entered the relevant report request 30 details, the resultant data is processed by the receiving module 224 and the identifier (i.e, in this case the property address) is sent to the data acquisition module 226 which subsequently queries the database 104 to - 18 ascertain whether there are any reports stored by the database 104 which are associated with the property address (step 322, 324). Figure 6 shows an example screen shot of a results 5 screen interface 500 which lists any records stored in the database 104 which match the property identified in the report request. As shown, the interface 500 displays a listing of the returned results in association with the purchase price (which may vary depending-on the price 10 initially set by the report provider that completed the report and the fee setting criterion). The interface 500 also lists any additional reports that are not of the type initially selected in the report request, in case such reports are of interest to the customer 106 (step 326). 15 In an embodiment, the interface 500 may also be configured to show any scheduled reports (i.e. reports requested by other customers for completion by one of the report providers) and the expected completion time. In the example screen shot shown in Figure 6, the 20 customer report request returned two existing building reports 502, 504 and one scheduled building report 506. Once completed, the scheduled building report 506 will be available for purchase by any customers 106 for $111 (i.e. as set by the nominated report provider). The 25 pre-existing building reports 502, 504, on the other hand, can be immediately purchased, however they are not considered by the transaction module 228 to be "current" and therefore have an adjusted purchase price which is significantly less than the scheduled report price. In the 30 illustrated embodiment, the transaction module 228 is programmed to automatically adjust (e.g. by some predefined proportion or amount) the initial purchase price set by the report provider either in response to the - 19 age of the report being greater than six months (which is true for the building reports 502, 504), or in response to the property being bought by the customer. The purchasing step is shown as step 328 of Figure 4. 5 However, it will be understood that the transaction module 228 could be programmed to implement any desired fee reduction (or increase) in response to any identifiable event or schedule and should not in any way be seen as being limited to the example embodiment 10 described above. For example, the transaction module 228 could automatically reduce the initial price by %5 for every month it has been available for purchase. In another example embodiment, the transaction module 228 may be configured to adjust the fee depending on the number of 15 purchases identified for the particular report. Once purchased, the report is shown in a purchased reports page (see Figure 13) accessible by the customer for subsequent downloading to their user computing device. Alternatively, the system may be configured to email, courier or 20 otherwise deliver the report to the customer once purchased. If there are no reports available or scheduled for the property identified in the customer report request, or the available reports are not of the type required, then 25 the customer 106 is presented with a screen which allows them to order a new property inspection report. An example screen shot of such an interface 600 is shown in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 7, the interface 600 has been 30 pre-populated with customer and report type details already provided by the customer 106 when generating the initial customer report request (see screen shot 400). Once the customer 106 has confirmed the pre-populated - 20 details (or made the necessary changes), they are taken to a further screen interface which allows them to schedule a new report (steps 330 and 332). An example scheduling interface 700 is shown in 5 Figure 8. As illustrated, the interface 700 presents the customer 106 with a listing 702 for each report type of available report inspection times and associated costs for each of the report providers 108 that are affiliated with the system 100 (and more specifically the report 10 facilitator 101) . The data used to generate the listing is provided and managed by the appointment module 232 implemented by the server 102, as will be described in more detail under the heading "Managing Work Orders". In the illustrated embodiment, the third party report 15 providers 108 are required to specify each geographical area in which they can provide a service. The list is then generated by the appointment module 232 to include only those providers that have indicated that they can service the area in which the physical property identified 20 in the report request is located. In other words, the system 100 is arranged to generate an on-line directory whereby for any given geographical area a list of third party report providers can be produced. In this regard it will be understood that, in an alternative embodiment to 25 that described above, the initial screen seen by the customer when accessing the site may be the interface 700 (i.e. the system may not additionally provide customers with the ability to initially search for previously completed reports, but instead only allow for new reports 30 to be ordered). In yet a further alternative embodiment, the system may be configured to allow any third party report provider to register with the system 100 provided they meet certain selection criteria (e.g. insurance and - 21 qualifications, etc.) with the appointment module 232 being configured to generate a listing which shows all registered providers able to provide a service for the particular geographical area/region. 5 Once the customer 106 has decided on a report type, provider and inspection date, they click on the corresponding field which then take them to a confirmation screen, an example of which is shown in Figure 9, which allows the customer 106 to confirm their 10 order or to go back and modify as required (step 334). Once the order has been confirmed, the customer 106 is presented with the screen 900 shown in Figure 10 which captures the customer's payment details and which are subsequently transferred to the transaction module 228 15 (step 336). The transaction module 228 packages the payment details and presents them in a payment screen 920, an example of which is shown in Figure 11. Prior to the payment being processed, the customer is reminded about the rebate/refund and cancellation policies and also must 20 agree to the site business terms. Further, if the customer 106 is ordering a pest and/or building report they will be required to agree with set pre-purchase terms required by the relevant jurisdictional standards for these report types. After the order is processed they 25 will receive an email or other suitable notification confirming the order and the chosen provider will also be sent the order (as discussed in more detail in subsequent paragraphs). At step 338, the transaction module 228 remits a predefined portion of the fee to the relevant 30 report provider 108. It no further reports are required for the property identified in the report request, the process ends at step 342, otherwise the customer is returned to step 324.

- 22 Figures 12 and 13 are example screen shots which are accessible to customers who have registered with the system and which allow the customer to review and download any purchased and scheduled reports, together with the 5 associated payment and completion details. In an embodiment, the system 100 may be configured to automatically notify the customer once a scheduled report has been completed (e.g. by email notification, etc.). Also, customers 106 can cancel any scheduled jobs using 10 the interface shown in Figure 12 provided that the request is received within a predefined time period (e.g. 24 hours). As previously mentioned, in an embodiment, the report facilitator 101 is arranged to provide a rebate/refund to 15 customers 106 who have purchased a property report but were ultimately unsuccessful in buying the property. According to such an embodiment, customers 106 who have registered with the system 100 can access their homepage and confirm that they did not complete the property 20 transaction (e.g. they did not purchase the property, lease the property, etc.). In response, the transaction module 228 updates the customer's account with a predefined credit towards a future report purchase. In an embodiment, the predefined credit amount may be a 25 percentage of the original purchase prices, or some other value. The rebate offer may expire after some predefined time period (e.g. six months). In an embodiment, in order to receive the rebate/refund, the customer 106 must first confirm that they relinquish any reliance on the 30 associated report and, once confirmed, access to the report is withdrawn and the report removed from their purchased reports screen (Fig 13). An example screen shot - 23 of a rebate screen for a particular customer is shown in Figure 14. Managing Work Orders 5 Figure 15 shows an example screen shot of an interface 940 which is provided to the report providers 108 as a home page for managing report inspections and payments (referred to as the "Inspector Dashboard"). Mere 10 specifically, one function of the interface 940 is to allow providers to update their availability on a regular basis, which data is then utilised by the appointment module 232 to generate the listing 702 as previously described. An example screen shot which is accessible via 15 the home page for updating availability and nominating fees is shown in Figure 16. The interface 940 also presents providers 108 with any new work orders which have been requested by customers 106 of the system 100. The customer is contacted by email 20 or SMS or the like and informed that a status has been changed. For example, status changes may relate to accepted orders, arranged inspection times, completed inspections, and completed and uploaded reports. The interface 940 is arranged to show the current status of 25 any requested jobs. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, all new jobs will be marked as such, with the status changing to pending once the job has been viewed and accepted by the provider 108. The status will change to scheduled when an inspection time is established. Once 30 the report has been completed and provided to the report facilitator 101 (which in the example embodiment is readily performed by electronically uploading the report using the interface 940, although other delivery - 24 techniques such as by courier, etc are envisaged) the status changes to uploaded and only once the report has been delivered, reviewed and deemed correct by the customer does the status change to completed and removed 5 from the work in progress list 942 shown on the interface 940. In terms of the operation of the transaction module 228, an accounting program will list all completed jobs and make the necessary adjustments to allow for commissions, transaction fees, rebates or refunds (as 10 specified by the system) and cancellations. The provider is allowed to check this information against their records using the interface 940 and, once confirmed, an invoice to the system can be automatically generated for payment. The system will retain all previous accounting history for 15 the provider. In variation on the above embodiment, the system is arranged to enable customers to earn revenue on reports that they may have already ordered and paid for. In this embodiment, the system may present the customer with the 20 choice of whether they wish to allow that report to be purchased by other customers. They may reply "no" and then the report is then kept exclusively to them. However, if they reply "yes" then the system enables the report to be obtained by other users. In this embodiment, 25 the customer who originally ordered the report and then allowed it to be purchased by other user may receive a portion of the fee that the other user pays for obtaining the report. This embodiment has the advantage that the customer can earn revenue from their report orders. This 30 also attracts customers to use the system. It may be possible that their report could be paid for, or they could end up being cash positive, particularly where the property that the report is associated with is popular.

- 25 In an embodiment, the commission could start out at a relatively high value and then decrease for subsequent re-sales. For example, a commission of 70% of the original price could be paid for the first sale, 40% for 5 the second, 25W for third and 10% for all others until the report is determined to be too old. Other commission values than this could be applied, as will be appreciated. The foregoing describes only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and modifications, obvious to 10 those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments 15 without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. A method for processing a customer property report request comprising: 5 receiving a report request from a customer user computing device, the report request including a property identifier for a physical property to which the request pertains; accessing a database storing pre-existing property 10 reports previously completed for other customers, to determine whether there are any stored pre-existing reports associated with the property identifier, the property reports having been completed by third party report providers; 15 enabling the customer to purchase an associated report for a fee, the fee being set based on a fee setting criterion; and delivering the purchased report to the customer. 20

2. The method of Claim 1, further comprising remitting at least a portion of the fee to the third party report provider that completed the purchased report.

3. The method of Claim 1 or 2, further comprising 25 enabling a customer to select a property report provider from a plurality of property report providers and schedule the provision of a report.

4. The method of Claims 1, 2 or 3, further comprising 30 the step of generating an interface which enables a customer to view a progress status of property reports that have been scheduled for provision by the property report providers. - 27

5. The method in accordance with Claim 3 or Claim 4, comprising the further step of providing a rebate to a customer that has obtained a scheduled report where an 5 associated property transaction was not completed.