Pre-Purchase Home Inspection

Ontario.ca describes a home inspection as "an on-site, in-person examination of a home's condition and structure. It is a visual inspection of major elements and systems." Its list: the foundation, doors and windows, the roof (if the inspector is able and it is safe to do so), exterior walls, attics, plumbing and electrical where visible, heating and air conditioning, ceilings, walls and floors, insulation where visible, ventilation, drainage away from buildings and structural integrity.

Ontario.ca is plain about the limits: "A home inspection is not a pass or fail test. It doesn't assess if a home meets zoning or building codes." An inspector cannot see or find everything (it gives mould and a snow-covered roof as examples) and does not provide warranties or guarantees on a home's condition. The federal Office of Consumer Affairs adds that a home inspector should not give you estimates of repair or renovation costs.

RECO, which regulates real estate agents and not home inspectors, calls a home inspection "one of the most common conditions in an offer to purchase a property". On competing offers it warns: "Foregoing a home inspection is a significant risk that a buyer needs to carefully consider." How a condition is worded is a question for your agent or lawyer. Ontario.ca's advice to buyers: be there for the inspection.

Ontario passed a Home Inspection Act in 2017, but it has not been brought into force, so there is no provincial licence today. Ontario.ca says: "At this time, Ontario does not have mandatory requirements for home inspectors." Ontario.ca suggests asking for a copy of the report the inspector uses, whether they have experience with the type of home, whether they choose to have insurance, what training and experience they can show, and for references; it also says to get a written contract and quotes from more than one inspector.

Ontario.ca puts home inspection fees at $350 to $600, and says they may be higher depending on the size and condition of the home.