What Does a Home Inspection Cover in Ontario?
A home inspection covers the visible, accessible parts of a house, including the foundation, roof, exterior walls, attic, plumbing, electrical system, heating and cooling, insulation and interior surfaces. It is a visual check of condition on the day of the visit, and it does not look inside walls or predict what will fail next.
Ontario's consumer guidance for homebuyers describes the visit as a look at major systems rather than a pass or fail test. Most inspectors follow a published standard of practice, such as the ones kept by the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors or the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors. On site, the inspector studies how water drains away from the foundation and watches for cracks that suggest movement. The attic gets a visit when it is safe to enter. The electrical panel is opened, the furnace is run through a cycle and fixtures are tested for leaks. Anything worn, unsafe or near the end of its life goes into a written report, often with photos.
The limits matter as much as the scope. An inspection is not a building code review, and it cannot reach what is hidden, such as wiring inside walls, drain pipes under a slab or the inside of a chimney flue. The province notes that an inspector may miss mould or be unable to see a roof buried in snow, and that inspectors do not warrant a home's condition. Mould testing, radon testing, asbestos sampling and sewer camera scopes are separate services with their own fees, and the guide to home inspection costs in Toronto breaks those out. Older houses raise extra questions about knob and tube wiring and asbestos that a general inspector can flag but usually will not test.
Ontario does not require inspectors to hold a licence or any set qualifications. The province passed the Home Inspection Act in 2017, but it was never proclaimed into force, so anyone can use the title. Credentials such as the Registered Home Inspector designation are voluntary. Asking about training, a sample report and insurance before you book is a sensible way to compare inspectors.
Most buyers arrange the inspection after an offer is accepted, as a condition written into the agreement. Being there in person lets you ask questions and see problems firsthand.
Related reading: What Is a Conditional Offer in Ontario Real Estate?, Do You Need a Home Inspection for a Toronto Condo?, What Is a Pre-Listing Home Inspection in Ontario? and How Do You Know If a House Is in a Flood Plain in Toronto?.
