HOME BUYING
From Listings to Living
On the second showing you notice something the listing photos never showed: a square of fresh white paint on the basement ceiling, right under the renovated kitchen. It might be a touch-up. It might be a leak someone painted over last month. You have an inspection booked for Thursday, and you want to know whether the inspector will look at that square, what else they will look at, and what home inspectors are not allowed to do.
A home inspection checklist answers both questions. A standard inspection is a visual check of the readily accessible, installed parts of the house: structure, roof, exterior, grading and drainage, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, interior, attic and insulation and, under some standards, built-in appliances. It does not open walls, test for radon or mold, check code compliance or price repairs unless you add those services. The inspector reports what they could see on that day, and nothing more.
The checklist below covers the home inspection essentials as the two national standards define them, then lists the red flags that deserve a specialist, the extra steps for condos, and a version you can print. How long the visit runs is covered in how long a home inspection takes, and the questions to bring are in what to ask a home inspector.
Leevli Editorial Team
Most inspectors follow a written standard of practice, either from the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) or the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), or a state standard that borrows from them. The standard defines what you are paying for, so it is worth knowing which one yours uses.
The InterNACHI Standards of Practice define a home inspection as "a non-invasive, visual examination of the accessible areas of a residential property," and say an inspection "will not identify concealed or latent defects." The current ASHI Standard of Practice tells inspectors to "inspect readily accessible, visually observable, installed systems and components" and to report those that are "not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe, or are near the end of their service lives." Both standards apply to buildings with four or fewer dwelling units.
ASHI members approved a revised standard in a vote that closed January 8, 2026. According to ASHI's standard of practice page, the existing version stays in force until ASHI announces an implementation date.
Both standards list things an inspector is not required to do, and a good home inspection checklist starts with those gaps. The ones buyers most often assume are included:
An appraisal does not fill these gaps either. The FHA notice that borrowers receive, HUD-92564-CN, says plainly that "FHA does not perform home inspections" and that a home inspection will only happen if you arrange one. If you are financing with an FHA loan, the appraisal estimates value for the lender, and HUD's notice says it does not replace a home inspection. The same logic applies to conventional loans that skip the appraisal: our guide to the property inspection waiver explains why a lender waiver never waives your own inspection.
The table condenses the two standards into a home inspection checklist you can scan in a minute. "Usually outside scope" lists items the standards exclude; your inspector may still offer them for an added fee.
| System | What the inspector checks | Usually outside scope | Specialist if needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure and foundation | Foundation, basement, crawl space, framing; signs of water entry | Engineering analysis, inaccessible crawl spaces | Structural engineer |
| Roof | Covering, flashing, gutters, downspouts, vents, skylights, chimney | Walking the roof, water tests, a roof certification | Roofer |
| Exterior | Siding, trim, exterior doors, a representative number of windows, walkways, driveways | Fences, outbuildings, screens, storm windows | Contractor |
| Grading and drainage | Vegetation, grading, surface drainage and retaining walls that may affect the house | Seawalls and fences | Drainage contractor, geotechnical engineer |
| Plumbing | Main shutoff, supply and drains, fixtures, toilets, water heater, sump pump | Sewer line, wells, septic, water quality | Plumber with sewer camera |
| Electrical | Service, panel, breakers, grounding, a representative number of outlets and switches, GFCIs | Testing smoke and CO alarms, low-voltage and security systems | Licensed electrician |
| Heating and cooling | Installed systems run with normal controls; distribution, vents and flues | Heat exchangers, whether supply and balance are adequate | HVAC contractor |
| Interior | Walls, ceilings, floors, stairs, railings, a representative number of doors and windows | Floor coverings, moving furniture or stored items | Varies |
| Attic, insulation, ventilation | Insulation in unfinished spaces, attic ventilation, kitchen, bath and laundry exhaust | Insulation R-value, disturbing insulation | Energy auditor |
| Appliances | ASHI: installed range, oven, microwave, dishwasher, disposer, primary function only | InterNACHI does not require inspecting appliances | Appliance technician |
InterNACHI lets the inspector work "from ground level or the eaves" and does not require walking on the roof, while ASHI asks the inspector to describe the method used. If the report says the roof was viewed from a ladder or by drone, that can be within the standard. A steep or brittle roof with a stain on the ceiling below is a reason to bring in a roofer.
Under InterNACHI, the inspector runs water at the fixtures, flushes every toilet and checks functional flow by running two fixtures at once. The main sewer line to the street is a separate camera inspection, which ASHI's list of specializations and extra services describes as outside the scope of a home inspection. Say you are buying an older two-flat in Chicago's Lincoln Park with mature trees out front: in that illustrative case, a sewer scope is the first add-on to ask about, because the house inspection never sees the pipe.
InterNACHI requires the inspector to report solid-conductor aluminum branch wiring if it is readily visible, and to check for the presence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Neither standard requires testing the alarms. Removing the panel cover is optional under InterNACHI, so ask whether your inspector does it.
The inspector runs the systems with normal controls. Under InterNACHI, cooling equipment is not operated when the outside temperature is below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, so a winter inspection may leave the air conditioning untested. The report should say so.
Most reports run long and most items are minor. A short list of findings deserves a specialist before your contingency expires:
Water and wiring problems also matter to your insurer. Our guide to what hazard insurance covers explains why a policy written for sudden losses treats long-running leaks differently. For older homes, some insurers also ask for a separate report, covered in what a 4-point inspection is.
A condo inspection is narrower than it looks. The current ASHI standard excludes "common elements and common areas in multiunit housing, such as condominium properties and cooperative housing." The roof, the facade, the garage structure and the main plumbing risers usually belong to the association, though your declaration decides, as explained in what a condo is and what you own.
So the building gets its own checklist, made of documents:
This page prints cleanly from your browser, which is the simplest home inspection checklist PDF you will find: print it or save it as a PDF and take it to the inspection. Leevli does not offer a separate download.
A buyer home inspection checklist is only as useful as the deadline behind it, so keep the contract date at the top of the page.
The inspection fee and who pays it are covered in our guide to the house inspection fee, and price ranges by home size are in average home inspection cost. If the report raises a question you cannot answer, an inspector, contractor or engineer is the right next call, and a real estate attorney or your agent can tell you what your contract lets you ask for.
An inspection shows one house on one day, and neighbors know what showed up in the years after their own inspections.
Listings show the property, but they rarely explain the lived reality around it. On Leevli, a mover can explore the city, review neighborhood and building information, and ask a verified resident the specific questions that remain unanswered. That human layer helps readers know what to investigate before signing a lease, making an offer, or choosing between two addresses.
Yes. This page is built to print: use your browser's print command and choose "Save as PDF" if you want a file. The printable section groups items by stage, from the documents to request before inspection day to the steps after the report. Leevli does not offer a separate download, so the page you print is the current version.
They look at the readily accessible, installed parts of the house: foundation and framing, roof covering and drainage, exterior walls and grading, plumbing, electrical service and panel, heating and cooling, interior surfaces, attic insulation and ventilation and, under ASHI, built-in kitchen appliances. They report what is not working, unsafe or near the end of its service life, and recommend further evaluation where needed.
Signs of active water, structural movement such as stair-step cracks or sloping floors, aluminum branch wiring in homes from the late 1960s and early 1970s, heating equipment with venting problems, and grading that sends water toward the foundation. None is automatically a deal breaker, but each one is worth a specialist's opinion and a written quote before your contingency period ends.
Not under the standard scope. InterNACHI excludes mold and radon, and ASHI excludes molds and wood-destroying organisms. Many inspectors offer these as paid add-ons or refer you to specialists. HUD's home inspection notice says the EPA and the Surgeon General recommend radon testing for all houses, so it is worth adding where your contract timeline allows.
No. Both national standards say the inspector is not required to determine code compliance, and many reports say so on the first page. A house can have work that was legal when built and unsafe by today's practice, or unpermitted work that looks fine. Ask the seller for permits and check with the local building department if a renovation matters to you.
Yes, but it covers less. The inspector looks at your unit's plumbing, electrical, HVAC, windows, appliances and finishes, not the roof, facade or shared systems. ASHI's standard excludes condominium common elements. Pair the inspection with the reserve study, engineering reports, board minutes and, in Florida, the milestone inspection summary for buildings three stories or taller.
No. HUD's notice to FHA borrowers says FHA does not perform home inspections and an inspection happens only if you arrange one. HUD's notice adds that the appraisal estimates value for the lender and does not replace a home inspection. Conventional buyers whose lender skips the appraisal still need their own inspection for the same reason. Your lender can confirm what its own conditions require.
As long as your contract's inspection contingency allows, and that deadline is a negotiated number of days that varies by contract and state form. Count back from it when you schedule the inspection and any specialists, since a radon test alone takes at least two days under EPA guidance. Missing the deadline usually means losing the right to cancel on inspection grounds.
Treating the report as a pass or fail grade. A standard inspection reports conditions rather than issuing a grade. Buyers also skip the walkthrough, ignore lines that say "further evaluation recommended," or wait too long to book specialists. Another frequent mistake in condos is assuming the inspection covered the building, when it covered only the unit.
Yes, at least for the final walkthrough. Seeing a finding in person makes the written report easier to read, and you can ask how serious it is and who should look at it next. Bring your printed checklist so you can tick off what was inspected, what was not accessible, and what you want a specialist to see.
This article is informational and does not constitute legal, financial, tax or insurance advice.
