Leeway Inspections: Get Paid to Take Photos

If you are a realtor, real estate or construction enthusiast with a little extra time on your hands, you might want to consider doing construction progress gigs for Leeway Inspections.

What is Leeway Inspections?

Leeway works with lenders to provide progress reports on homes and offices that are being financed with construction loans. The company’s inspections help lenders determine whether progress is being made in accordance with schedule and the architectural plans. And that determines when the lenders distribute their next payments.

How it works for freelance inspectors

Leeway has few requirements for freelance inspectors. You just need a car, access to a smart phone and an internet connection. You also need to be willing to drive 20 – 30 miles to take pictures of the assigned property within two days of the request.

You don’t need special training or certifications. The site often enlists realtors and amateur photographers to handle their inspections, says Cora Auckland, Leeway’s Hiring Manager.

The best way to apply is to go to the site’s Careers page and see if any of the listed job opportunities are near you. If they’re not, Auckland suggests you just check back rather than filling out a generic application. (More on this under “irregular work.”) That’s simply because it could be a while before they have work in your area.

Leeway Inspections review

The inspections that Leeway assigns to freelancers are pretty simple and straightforward. Indeed, the bulk of the time you spend doing them is likely to be spent in the car getting to and from the construction site. After that, you’ll simply need to snap somewhere between 20 and 40 photos and send them to Leeway.

A Leeway staffer will write up the inspection report and send it to the lender.

Freelancers who work with this site say the staff is friendly, accessible and delightful to work with. Leeway currently enlists about 900 freelance inspectors. But the site is growing geographically and is constantly on the hunt for inspectors in new areas.

As of September 2026, the site was seeking new inspectors in several cities in California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Nevada, Georgia and Illinois.

Flip side

On the other hand, you don’t make a lot of money doing inspections.

The typical gig is assigned on a flat fee basis, with fees ranging from $45 to $60. There’s no pay for mileage, so not all of that is profit.

Indeed, even if the inspection takes just 20 minutes, you’ll probably earn around $15 – $20 an hour, after accounting for your driving time and expenses.

Irregular work

Then, too, construction loan inspections are intermittent. While Leeway works with more than 80 lenders nationwide, they might only need a few dozen inspections at any given time. Auckland says that in busy areas, inspectors might get a few jobs a week. In less busy areas, you might not get an assignment for months.

“It’s just a side hustle,” Auckland says. “It’s not close to a full-time job.”

For this reason, she suggests that freelancers only sign up when they see a job listing in their area. Otherwise, it could take months before the site has jobs in your area. And, by then, you might have found another side hustle and be less interested in Leeway.

Pay

Independent contractors are paid by direct deposit once a week.

Environment

That said, the people who freelance with Leeway are highly complimentary of the company and the staff. And unlike many side gig providers, you can reach Leeway executives on the phone.

Recommendations

There’s not enough money in construction loan inspections here to make this a viable source of regular income. However, if you’re a realtor, who wants to keep up to date on inventory — or a photographer, who is regularly trolling for good stock photo opportunities, Leeway gigs are easy and could pay for your gas. You can sign up with Leeway here.

Other sites that pay you to take photographs include Ivueit, ProxyPics and WeGoLook.

What their freelance inspectors say (from Indeed)

This is a great company to work for. The pay isn’t great and raises are non existent but it’s super flexible and you can work when you want for extra money.

If you have a little free time it’s quick easy lunch money and the staff at leeway are absolutely on top of their game willing to assist you