What does a home inspection cover

Major systems overview

A licensed home inspection is a visual review of the systems that keep a house standing, dry, powered, and habitable. The inspector reports what is visible and safely reachable on the day of the visit. The written agreement and the standards of practice they follow set the minimum list. Most single-family reports still cover the same groups.

Two inspectors can use different section titles and still cover these systems. State licensing and association standards decide the details. The report is an opinion of conditions on that date—not a pass/fail score.

• Roof and exterior: covering, flashings, cladding, grading, and how water leaves the house.
• Structure and foundation: visible foundation, framing, and signs of movement or moisture.
• Electrical: service equipment, the panel when it is safe to open, and a sample of outlets and switches.
• Plumbing: fixtures operated, visible supply and drain lines, and the water heater.
• HVAC: heating and cooling operated when the weather makes a test safe.
• Interiors: walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, kitchen, and baths.
• Safety devices: smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and other life-safety items in the agreed scope.

Exterior and roof

The outside of the visit is the shell of the house and the roof. Many roofs are seen from the ground, the eaves, or a camera—not walked—when pitch, weather, or the covering makes walking unsafe. An attic is included when there is a safe opening.

• Roof covering condition from a safe vantage: missing or worn shingles, damaged tiles, or granules in the gutters.
• Flashings at chimneys, walls, skylights, and pipe penetrations.
• Gutters, downspouts, and where water ends up at the ground.
• Siding, trim, windows, and exterior doors.
• Grading and drainage away from the foundation.
• Decks, porches, stairs, and railings, including attachment to the house where it is visible.
• Attic insulation, ventilation, and stains or daylight under the roof when the hatch is reachable.

Structure and foundation

Structure means the parts that hold the house up, as far as the inspector can see them. Finished basements, stored belongings, and snow limit that view. The report describes cracks, movement, and moisture. It does not include soil borings or an engineering calculation.

• Visible foundation walls, piers, and crawl-space or basement openings.
• Obvious cracks, bulges, or displacement.
• Moisture, standing water, and a sump pump that is present and accessible.
• Visible beams, joists, and columns for sagging, cuts, or prior patches.
• Floors and stairs that look or feel out of level, recorded as an observation—not a survey.
• Retaining walls that support the house, when they are in the agreed scope.

Electrical and plumbing

These are two systems on one visit. The inspector does not open walls and does not rewrite the house to current code. Electrical work on the visit is the panel when it is safe, a sample of devices, and conditions that can shock or overheat. Plumbing is fixtures run, plus the piping, drains, and water heater the inspector can see.

A sewer camera, well test, or septic evaluation is usually a separate appointment.

• Service panel: breakers seated, no scorching or open knockouts, opened only when it is safe.
• Visible wiring concerns, including double-tapped breakers and exposed splices.
• A sample of outlets, switches, and light fixtures, plus GFCI protection where water is nearby.
• Main water shutoff, if it can be found.
• Water heater: data-plate age, venting, drip pan, and the temperature-and-pressure valve discharge line.
• Sinks, tubs, showers, and toilets operated for flow, hot water, and leaks.
• Visible supply and drain lines, and drains that empty during the visit without backing up.

HVAC

Heating and cooling are operated when the outdoor temperature makes a test safe. A mild day can mean the air conditioner or the furnace is reported as not tested. That is a limit of the visit, not a statement that the unit is fine. A combustion analysis or a duct-leakage test is outside a general inspection.

• Heating responds to the thermostat and delivers heat at registers or radiators.
• Cooling runs when the weather allows a safe test.
• Filter condition and the condensate drain on cooling equipment.
• Flue or vent on fuel-burning equipment, where it is visible.
• Age from the data plate when it can be read.
• Unusual noise, short cycling, or a system that does not respond.

Interiors and safety

Inside, the inspector looks for function and for water, not a punch list of paint and dated finishes. Kitchens and baths get attention because that is where leaks show up. Safety items are the ones to read first. Alarm placement rules vary by state and by the year the house was built. The report should say what was present relative to the inspector’s standards of practice.

• Walls, ceilings, and floors for stains, damage, and obvious trip hazards.
• Doors and windows that open, latch, and show failed seals or flashing.
• Kitchen and bath fixtures, exhaust fans, and GFCI outlets near water.
• Installed appliances run briefly when they are in the agreed scope—not a warranty they last the year.
• Smoke alarms on each level and near sleeping rooms.
• Carbon monoxide alarms where there is fuel-burning equipment or an attached garage.
• Stair handrails, guardrails, and garage vehicle-door auto-reverse.

What’s usually out of scope

A general inspection stays non-invasive. If a test needs a lab, a camera in a pipe, or a different license, it is usually a separate service with its own report. Radon is a common example: often offered as its own test, not as a chapter of the general inspection.

• Concealed or inaccessible areas, including inside finished walls and under the slab.
• Detached buildings, pools, and outbuildings unless the agreement includes them.
• Specialty tests: radon, sewer scope, mold, wood-destroying pests, wells, and septic systems.
• Cosmetic preferences: paint, decor, and ordinary wear.
• A code-compliance certificate, an appraisal of market value, or a warranty against defects that appear later.
• Engineering, environmental sampling, or a repair bid. The report describes conditions; it does not price the work.

How to use the report

Read the summary, then the safety items, then the system sections. Separate what is unsafe or likely to be expensive from ordinary maintenance. Buyers usually do this inside the inspection contingency. Sellers who order a look before they list are often getting the same kind of general inspection, on a different deadline. Either way, the written report—not a memory of the walk—is what you rely on.

Confirm the written scope, including any add-ons, before the appointment. A room-by-room planning list is a different page.

• Home inspection checklist for buyers