What Is Covered During An Inspection

What is covered during an inspection? What is a home inspector in NJ looking for and what is not inspected during a standard home inspection? These are questions we get asked every day! See the below examples.  Need more than what is on this list?  See our Additional Services page. Our Additional Services include Wood Destroying Insect Inspections (Termite) (at no additional charge) and Radon Testing (at an additional charge).

Once the inspection is completed, pursuant to NJ Standards of practice, a home inspection report is then produced. Want to see sample JLC Home Inspections Reports? Click Here. Pricing? Click Here

*Structure: including but not limited to:

Foundation

Floors

Walls

Ceilings

Roof

*Exterior: including but not limited to:

Exterior doors

Windows

Decks, balconies, porches, steps, stoops and railings

Patios & driveways

Garage Doors

Vegetation

Exterior wall type surface

*Roofing: including but not limited to:

Roofing surface

Roof drainage systems

Flashing

Skylights

Chimney exterior

*Plumbing: including but not limited to:

Drain, waste and vent systems

Water Heating systems

Interior water supply & distribution systems

Drainage sumps

*Electrical: including but not limited to:

Service entrance system

Main disconnects, panel and sub panels

Service grounding

Wiring

Lighting fixtures, switches and receptacles

Ground fault circuit interrupters

*Heating: including but not limited to:

Heating equipment & distribution type

Energy Sources

*Cooling: including but not limited to: (weather permitted)

Cooling equipment & distribution type

Energy sources

*Interior Components: including but not limited to

Walls, ceilings & floors (excluding paint, wallpaper and other finish treaments)

Steps, stairways & railings

Kitchen cabinet securing

At least one interior passage door and operate one window per room

Household appliances limited to: range & oven, dishwasher, garbage disposer

*Insulation: including but not limited to:

Insulation in unfinished spaces adjacent to heated areas

Evidence of inadequate attic & crawlspace ventilation

*Fireplaces & Solid Fuel Burning Appliances

Describe types of fireplaces & solid fuel burning appliances

Energy source description

Visible evidence of draft characteristics

What are some examples of what is not covered and should not be expected in a home inspection?

*Pools

*Radon Testing (this is an additional service)

*Wood Destroying Insect Inspections aka Termite Inspections (this is an additional service that is bundled in)

*Fencing

*Sheds / Outbuildings

*Screenings, shutters, awnings and similar seasonal accessories

*Geological, geotechnical or hydrological conditions

*Recreational facilities

*Seawalls, break-walls and docks

*Erosion control and earth stabilization measures

*Enter any area or perform any procedure which is, in the opinion of the home inspector or associate home inspector, unsafe and likely to be dangerous to the inspector or other persons.

*Enter any area or perform any procedure which will, in the opinion of the home inspector or associate home inspector, likely damage the property or its systems or components.

*Enter any area which does not have at least 24 inches of unobstructed vertical clearance and at least 30 inches of unobstructed horizontal clearance.

*Identify concealed conditions and latent defects.

*Determine life expectancy of any system or components.

*Determine the cause of any condition or deficiency.

*Determine future conditions that may occur including the failure of systems and components including consequential damages.

*Determine the operating costs of systems or components.

*Determine the suitability of the property for any specialized use.

*Determine compliance with codes, regulations and/or ordinances.

*Determine market value of the property or its marketability.

*Determine advisability of purchase of the property.

*Determine the presence of any potentially hazardous plants, animals or diseases or the presence of any suspected hazardous substances or adverse conditions such as mold, fungus, toxins, carcinogens, noise, and contaminants in soil, water, and air.

*Determine the effectiveness of any system installed or method utilized to control or remove suspected hazardous substances.

*Operate any system or component which is shut down or otherwise inoperable.

*Operate any system or component which does not respond to normal operating controls.

*Operate shut-off valves.

*Determine whether water supply and waste disposal systems are public or private.

*Insert any tool, probe or testing device inside electrical panels.

*Dismantle any electrical device or control other than to remove the covers of main and sub panels

*Walk on unfloored sections of attics

*Light pilot flames or ignite or extinguish fires

Want to know more about what is covered during an inspection? Reach out!