Types of Home Inspections 

These services may be engaged prior to you making an offer or, more commonly, you may make your offer subject to you receiving and being satisfied with applicable inspections or reports. The cost of commissioning any inspection or report will vary and should be factored into your overall purchasing budget. 

Why do an inspection? It a wiser solution to knowing what you are purchasing and the cost that maybe incurred if the property were to have some unknown weaknesses. Otherwise, without, you could be purchasing a home with a heavier cost than anticipated. The types of inspections and reports you may wish to obtain will depend on the type of property, e.g. detached house, strata titled unit, recreational; the mechanical and service components, and geographic location of the property. 

Below is a list of the more common inspections and reports that are available to buyers. The list is organized alphabetically, not by order of importance, as the degree of importance of a particular inspection or report will depend on the specific nature of the property.

• Appraisal Report: provides guidance to the value of a property and may be required by mortgage companies or obtained by buyers who want an estimate of the value of a property.
• Depreciation Report: helps strata corporations plan for future repair and maintenance costs and helps prospective buyers to understand what repairs will be required and the future costs to a strata corporation to undertake the repairs.
• Electrical Inspection: an inspection of the electrical system and components of a property which will identify the deficiencies, if any.
• Engineers Report: provides information on the integrity of any buildings and other aspects of the property.
• Environmental Report: assists in determining if there are any environmental problems or considerations with a property, including but not limited to asbestos, radon gas, underground oil storage tanks or riparian areas.
• Furnace and Chimney Inspection: assists in determining if the furnace and the chimney meet current safety and insurance standards.
• Gas Line Inspection: undertaken by a natural gas utility, determines the integrity of gas lines and if any improvements to the property have been built over the gas service lines requiring their relocation.
• Home Inspection: provides information on the physical condition of a property.
• Municipal Compliance Report: from the municipality provides information relating to (non)compliance with municipal bylaws and regulations, or to waivers granted by the municipality.
• Plumbing Inspection: an inspection of the plumbing and drainage components of a property outlining any deficiencies.
• Property Disclosure Statement: a statement provided by a seller concerning the condition of a property, to the best of their knowledge.
• Surveyors Certificate: a report showing the property boundaries and the location of all improvements in relationship to those boundaries.
• Septic/Sewer Inspection: determines the condition of the sewer/septic system.
• Title Search: ascertains the ownership of land and whether there are any easements, restrictive covenants, leases, mortgages and encumbrances and charges registered against the land.
• Water Quality/Quantity Test: determines the recovery rate and quality of the water supply.
• Wood Stove/Fireplace Inspection: undertaken to determine if the wood stove or fireplace meets insurance requirements.

You may request other inspections or reports concerning specific components of a property, such as the roof, air conditioner, or any other component where the condition of that component would be material to your decision to buy a property.