# How does photo-verified cleaning work?

Source: https://lemon.cy/learn/photo-verified-cleaning-how-it-works/  
Publisher: Lemon.cy (Red Tribe Media Ltd, Limassol, Cyprus)  
Updated: 2026-09-10 · Verified against production: 2026-09-10

**Short answer:** Each property defines photo areas (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, balcony). Before the cleaner can finish the job, the link asks for one photo per area, taken in the browser; the host sees them arrive, can compare against a reference photo, comment, and approve or reject from their phone. Cleaners have submitted 916 photos since photo capture went live in August 2026.

## What the cleaner does

The job link on the cleaner's phone lists the property's photo areas. Tapping an area opens the camera inside the page (no app), the cleaner takes the photo, sees it next to the property's reference photo for that area if the host uploaded one, and either uses it or retakes. If the phone blocks the camera — common on iOS when permission was once denied — the page explains the fix and offers the photo gallery as a fallback; a blank capture is detected and rejected rather than uploaded.

Photos are required before the job can be marked finished when the host has switched "require photos" on for that cleaner. A host can also require the checklist and require photo approval before the job counts as done.

## What the host sees

- A `photos_submitted` notification, on whichever channels the host chose.
- A photo review page per job with each area, its status (pending, approved, rejected), and a comment thread per photo. Co-hosts and property managers can review too; comments record who wrote them.
- Approve all in one tap, or reject a specific area with a note. Rejection reaches the cleaner while they are still at the property.

## Why per-area rather than "a few photos"

A free-form photo requirement produces three pictures of the same clean sofa. Naming the areas makes the omission visible: no bathroom photo means the bathroom is unverified. It also makes the photos comparable week to week, which is what a reference photo is for.

## Numbers

916 photos across jobs since 2026-08-11, when in-page camera capture replaced the native capture flow; 152 checklist reports submitted since February. Source: [feed integrity report](/data/ical-feed-integrity/).

## Related

- [How do per-property cleaning checklists work?](https://lemon.cy/learn/cleaning-checklists-per-property/)
- [Do cleaners need to install an app or create an account?](https://lemon.cy/learn/do-cleaners-need-an-app-or-account/)
- [Who is Lemon.cy for?](https://lemon.cy/learn/who-is-lemon-cy-for/)