Should I hire an inspector for my new build PDI in Riverside South?

Tarion requires your builder to do a Pre-Delivery Inspection with you before handing over the keys, and you are entitled to bring someone along or send a designate in your place. Hiring a home inspector to attend is one way to use that right.

Tarion's rules on this are straightforward. The PDI is a floor-by-floor walk-through whose purpose is to record items that are incomplete, damaged, missing, inaccessible or not operating properly, all noted on the builder's PDI Form. Tarion places no restriction on who you bring or send, so a home inspector you hire can attend. If you send someone in your place rather than attending yourself, Tarion says you should give your builder written authority for that person to sign the PDI Form.

One thing worth understanding about the PDI Form: Tarion says it does not represent a request for warranty service, so missing an item on the form does not automatically end your warranty coverage. The form is described as useful evidence if you later need a conciliation inspection. Your warranty runs in three periods: one year, two years and seven years from the date of possession. After possession you can begin adding items to the Initial Form from day one, and it is automatically submitted on day 41. The Mid-Year Form runs from day 42 and is submitted on day 183. The Year-End Form, submitted on day 365 with a 10-day grace period, is your final opportunity to report items covered by the one-year warranty. So the PDI is the start of a longer process, not the only moment you have to document concerns.

A home inspector attending your PDI is not a Tarion requirement, and Tarion does not mention private inspectors in its PDI guidance. What a private inspector brings is a systematic, visual examination of the home's major elements and systems, as described by ontario.ca, applied to a brand-new home where finishes are fresh and some items may still be incomplete. The inspector's report is separate from the builder's PDI Form; you would use both.

Published Ottawa-area inspector pricing for a single new-home PDI visit runs roughly $450 to $600. Ask for a written quote and confirm exactly what the inspector will examine and what the report will cover before you book.

The most useful question to put to an inspector before booking: ask them to describe, specifically, how they document items on a new build where some work may not yet be finished, and how their report relates to the builder's PDI Form.