How the inspection cost ranges are set
Reviewed 2026-10-01.
Three kinds of line
- A government range. ontario.ca's “Buying a home” page (updated July 28, 2026) says home inspection fees range from $350 to $600 and may be higher, depending on the size and condition of the home. Ottawa Public Health gives $29 to $170 for a do-it-yourself radon test kit. These are shown with the government body named.
- A band from published price lists. A home-type line shows a range only when at least two independent Ottawa-area inspection businesses publish prices that support it. The band is drawn from the figures those price lists publish and is labelled “about”, because each business prices a little differently.
- Ask for a quote. Everything else. Larger homes, multi-visit new-home packages, sewer camera scopes, professional radon tests and mould or air sampling have no number, because fewer than two independent price lists support one.
What counts as independent
Two price pages that publish word-for-word the same figures for the same extras are counted as one source, as are two pages that share the same sentences. A price page we could not read in full was not used. Prices from outside Ottawa, or in US dollars, were not used for a band.
What these pages never do
- Add lines together. Each line comes from different price lists, so a sum would look like a quote and would not be one.
- Name the businesses whose price lists were read. They are evidence for a range, not recommendations.
- Put a price on fixing what an inspection finds. The federal Office of Consumer Affairs says a home inspector should not give you estimates of repair or renovation costs, and these pages do not either.
- Price a WETT inspection. Wood stove and fireplace inspection costs are covered on Ottawa Fireplaces (ottawafireplaces.com).
Tax
The condo band carries “+ HST” because the price list behind it that mentions tax adds HST on top of the fee. The other bands show no tax because their price lists do not say. Ask whether a quote includes it.