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Photo checks for construction draws

Bottom line: Ask for photos straight from the phone, not screenshots. Each photo's Exif data carries the date it was taken (DateTimeOriginal) and, when location is on, its GPS position. Check that the date is after the last draw, the position is at the property, the photo shows the work being billed, and that it was not used in an earlier draw.

Free beta checked October 22, 2026 · next check by January 22, 2027

Guide

What a photo can prove and what it cannot

A photo shows that something looked a certain way at some moment. Its Exif data says when and where the camera thinks it was. Both can be edited, so photos support a draw review; they do not replace an inspector's visit on larger draws.

Guide

Ask for the original files

  • JPEG or HEIC straight from the phone keeps the Exif fields. Screenshots, many messaging apps and some cloud shares strip them.
  • Ask the borrower to send the files by email or a shared folder as originals.
  • Ask for a wide shot that places the room or elevation, then close-ups of the work billed.

Guide

Check the date and the place

  • Date taken (Exif DateTimeOriginal): after the last draw's date. A photo older than the last draw cannot show progress since then.
  • GPS position (Exif GPSLatitude and GPSLongitude): within a short distance of the property. A photo with no position is not proof of place.
  • Missing fields are not fraud by themselves, but ask why.

Guide

Catch reused photos

A photo sent for an earlier draw, or for another property, can be sent again. Keep a fingerprint of every photo from each draw and compare the next draw's photos against it. Look also for the same shot re-cropped or re-saved, which changes the file but not the picture.

Guide

Match photos to budget lines

Each budget line being drawn should have a photo that shows it: framing, rough-in, drywall, cabinets, roof. A line with no photo, or photos that show a different stage than the percent requested, is a question before release. Draw Desk reads the date and place from each photo in your browser, flags photos from before the last draw or away from the property, and catches photos reused from your saved last review. See the draw inspection checklist.

Questions

Questions people ask

How can a lender tell when a site photo was taken?

From the photo's Exif data: DateTimeOriginal is the date and time the camera recorded the picture. It survives in original JPEG or HEIC files from the phone but is often stripped from screenshots and messaging apps.

How do you check a construction photo was taken at the property?

Read the Exif GPSLatitude and GPSLongitude fields and compare them with the property's location. A photo without a position is not proof of place.

How do you catch a photo reused from an earlier draw?

Keep a fingerprint of every photo from each draw and compare the next draw's photos with it. Re-cropped or re-saved copies need a picture-level comparison, not only a file comparison.

Sources

Where each fact comes from