Free home inspection checklist template

What a home inspection covers, and what it leaves out

A standard home inspection is a visual, non-invasive look at the readily accessible systems of a house. The inspector works through the home on a single visit, operates the normal controls, and reports what they can see and safely reach. They do not take anything apart, move stored belongings, or open finished walls. That boundary is not the inspector being lazy; it is the defined scope of the job, written into the Standards of Practice that InterNACHI and ASHI publish and that many state laws adopt by reference. The InterNACHI Standards require the inspector to examine 10 areas, and this checklist is built around them: the roof; the exterior; the basement, foundation, crawl space and structure; heating; cooling; plumbing; electrical; the fireplace; the attic, insulation and ventilation; and the doors, windows and interior. The Standards apply to dwellings of 1 to 4 units. Within each area, the inspector describes the material condition of what is observable and flags defects that matter. Just as important is what the inspection is not. Under the same Standards, an inspector is not required to report on code compliance, predict how long a component will last, estimate market value, or find concealed or latent defects hidden behind finishes. It is not a warranty or a guarantee that nothing will break. And 8 common concerns sit outside a standard inspection entirely and are ordered as separate specialist tests: radon, mold, wood-destroying insects, lead paint, asbestos, septic systems, private wells, and swimming pools. If you want any of those, ask for them specifically; they are not assumed.

How to work through the checklist

This checklist breaks the house into 15 sections. Fill the header first, then move system by system. The checklist is only useful if each line records a real observation rather than a blanket "ok."

• Complete the header: property address, client, your name and license or certification number, the date, the weather, the home's type and age, and whether water, gas, and electric were on.
• Rate every system with the key at the top: Satisfactory, Marginal, Defective, or Not inspected. Use Not inspected honestly when something was inaccessible, and say why.
• Write specifics, not adjectives. "Marginal, 20-year roof near end of life, two cracked tabs at the south slope" is useful; "roof looks old" is not.
• Note approximate ages for the 4 big-ticket systems: roof, water heater, furnace, and air conditioner. A buyer plans around what is near the end of its life.
• Flag anything Defective for a specialist by trade, so the reader knows who to call: a licensed electrician, a roofer, a structural engineer, an HVAC contractor.
• Finish with the summary section. Pull the Marginal and Defective items into one list so the most important findings are not buried in the detail.

Home inspection checklist vs seller's disclosure vs move-in checklist

Three real estate documents get mixed up here, and they do different jobs. Keeping them straight saves a lot of confusion during a purchase. A home inspection checklist is the buyer's independent survey of condition. A neutral third party, the inspector, looks at the house and writes down what they find. It is about the physical state of the systems, and the buyer is the one who pays for it and relies on it. A seller's disclosure is different. That is the seller's own written statement of the problems they already know about, such as a past roof leak, a flooded basement, or a dispute over a boundary. Most states require it, but it is limited to the seller's actual knowledge; it is not an inspection, and a seller can honestly disclose nothing and still have a house with hidden issues. The two documents are complementary: the disclosure tells you what the seller knows, the inspection tells you what a trained observer can see. Read both. A move-in / move-out checklist is a third thing again, and it belongs to renting, not buying. A landlord and tenant use it to record the condition of a unit at the start and end of a tenancy so the security deposit can be settled fairly. If you are documenting a rental's condition for a deposit, that is the move-in / move-out checklist, not this one.

The areas that fail inspections most often

Some findings show up again and again. Knowing where to look hard helps whether you are the inspector or the buyer reading the report.

• Grading and drainage: soil that slopes toward the house, short or disconnected downspouts, and standing water near the foundation. Water management is behind a large share of basement and structural problems.
• Roof: worn or curling shingles, failed flashing at valleys and penetrations, and a covering near the end of its 20- to 30-year service life. Note the material and the age.
• Electrical: missing GFCI protection at kitchens, baths, and exteriors, double-tapped breakers, open grounds, and older panel brands with a poor reliability record, such as Federal Pacific and Zinsco.
• Plumbing: slow drains, visible leaks and corrosion, an aging water heater, and a missing discharge pipe on the temperature-and-pressure relief valve.
• Heating and cooling: equipment past its typical service life, dirty filters, and no response at some registers. Age alone is worth flagging even when the unit still runs.
• Foundation and structure: stair-step cracks in masonry, horizontal cracks, moisture staining, and floors that are out of level. These are the findings most likely to need an engineer rather than a handyman.

How long a home's big systems last

A home inspection reports condition, not a guarantee of lifespan, but knowing the rough service life of the expensive systems helps a buyer plan. InterNACHI publishes an estimated life-expectancy chart, and these are its ballpark figures for the big-ticket items, meant as guidelines rather than promises: a conventional water heater lasts about 6 to 12 years, a gas furnace about 15 to 25 years, a central air conditioner about 7 to 15 years, and a 3-tab asphalt-shingle roof around 20 years, with heavier architectural shingles closer to 30. Age by itself is not a defect. A 14-year-old furnace that still runs is not broken, but if the inspection flags it as near the end of that range, you can budget for a replacement instead of being surprised by one. Pair the age the inspector records with these ranges to see what is likely to need money soon.

• Conventional water heater: about 6 to 12 years.
• Gas furnace: about 15 to 25 years.
• Central air conditioner: about 7 to 15 years.
• 3-tab asphalt-shingle roof: around 20 years; architectural shingles closer to 30 years.

Do you need a licensed home inspector?

It depends where you are, because home inspection is regulated state by state, not federally. Many states license and regulate inspectors, typically requiring approved training, a passing score on the National Home Inspector Examination, and insurance. A number of states have no license at all. California is the clearest example: its Business and Professions Code section 7195 defines a home inspection of a 1 to 4 unit dwelling and sets a standard of care, but the state issues no home-inspector license and runs no board, so inspectors there practice under that trade-practice law and their association credentials instead. That is where InterNACHI, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, and ASHI come in. In both licensed and unlicensed states, membership in one of those associations, with its own training, exam, and Standards of Practice, is the credential most buyers actually look for. When you are hiring, check for the state license where one exists, the association membership, errors-and-omissions insurance, and a sample report you can read. For an actual purchase, hire a professional. This checklist is a strong tool for a pre-offer walk-through or for a seller getting ahead of problems, but a trained inspector carries the experience, the tools, and the insurance that a serious transaction calls for. Use the template to prepare and to understand the report; use a pro to produce the one you rely on at closing.

After the inspection: the report, repairs, and what to renegotiate

A finished inspection is the start of a conversation, not a pass-fail grade. Expect findings on every house, including new ones. The job is to sort them by what matters. Read the summary first, then the detail behind each Marginal and Defective item. Separate the safety and big-ticket issues, such as a failing roof, an unsafe panel, or a cracked heat exchanger, from the cosmetic and the routine-maintenance notes. Where a finding says "recommend evaluation by a specialist," that is a genuine next step, not boilerplate; an engineer or a licensed trade can tell you whether a crack is settlement or a structural problem, and roughly what a fix costs. Most purchase contracts give you an inspection contingency, a defined window to inspect and to respond, often about 7 to 10 days, though your contract sets the exact number. Within it you can typically ask the seller to repair items, offer a credit, adjust the price, or, for a serious problem, walk away. Use the report to focus on the findings that change the value or the safety of the home, and let the small stuff go. This template and the notes here are general information, not legal advice; your contract and your state set the exact deadlines and rights, so check them and, for anything significant, talk to your agent or a real estate attorney.