The home inspection process in New York has one step the law pins to a deadline: the written report. The inspector owes it to the client within five business days of finishing, with the license number on it, a list of what was observed, and a confidentiality rule that keeps it from anyone the client does not choose (Real Property Law §444-g). The visit before it follows the State’s Standards of Practice, which say what to examine on each system. The route through the house is the inspector’s own.
We are Inspecwise, a New York State–licensed, InterNACHI-certified home inspection business based in South Ozone Park, Queens. This guide walks through the day in a typical order, says what the Standards require at each step, and then covers the report and what happens next. Inspectors work differently, so treat the sequence as common practice and the requirements as the rules.
Before the visit: the agreement, the license and the access call
Three things happen before anyone climbs a ladder. First, the inspector gives the client a written pre-inspection agreement that describes the scope of service and the cost, and the client authorizes what will be done (19 NYCRR 197-4.2). The agreement carries two mandatory clauses: one confines the inspector to readily accessible and observed conditions and says home inspectors are not permitted to provide engineering or architectural services, and one records the client’s consent to tell the owner or occupants about any immediate threat to health or safety.
Second, the inspector must disclose known or potential conflicts of interest to the client before accepting the job (19 NYCRR 197-4.7), and on request must give a client or any interested party proof of licensure. The license number and status have to appear on every report and in all advertising. Our guide to how to check a New York home inspector’s license shows the lookup.
Third, someone has to make the house ready. A visit can only report on what is readily accessible, so utilities, keys and clear paths decide how much the report can say. See how to prepare for a home inspection for the role-by-role list, and who pays for a home inspection for the roles behind the agreement.
The home inspection process on the day, in order
Inspectors choose their own route. The one below is common because each step sets up the next: the outside shows where water goes, the roof and attic confirm it, the rooms show its effects, and the basement and mechanical systems come last. The Standards sections are in the third column.
| Step | What a typical visit does | Standards | What the report must show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arrival and scope talk | The inspector reviews the agreement and what the client has authorized. The client may ask that systems be left out. | 197-4.2(b), 197-5.16(q) | The scope, and for a non-standard inspection the services and exclusions. |
| 2. Exterior and site | Grade and drainage at the foundation, vegetation that affects the building, walkways, steps, driveways, retaining walls, siding or masonry, trim, doors, porches and railings, and a representative number of windows. | 197-5.4, 197-5.6 | Conditions judged deficient, not functioning or unsafe. |
| 3. Roof and chimneys | Roof coverings, drainage, flashing, skylights, chimneys and penetrations where readily accessible. The inspector does not have to walk a roof that could be damaged or is unsafe. | 197-5.7 | The type and condition of the roofing and the method used to observe it. |
| 4. Attic | Any safe, readily accessible attic: framing, insulation, ventilation, signs of leaks. Not required where there is no walkable floor or entry is unsafe. | 197-5.15, 197-5.13 | The method of observation and the conditions seen. |
| 5. Interior rooms | Walls, ceilings, floors, stairs and railings, a representative number of windows and interior doors, garage doors and openers, kitchen and bath vent ducting, visible signs of water penetration, fireplace dampers. | 197-5.12, 197-5.14 | Visible signs of water penetration and any deficiency. |
| 6. Basement and structure | Foundation, floor and wall structure, deteriorated or damaged structural components, and ventilation of foundation areas. | 197-5.5, 197-5.13 | Deficient structural components. |
| 7. Plumbing | Fixtures and faucets, the water heater, waste lines from random sinks, tubs and showers, supply flow at random locations, sump and ejector pumps, active leaks. | 197-5.8 | Piping materials, the water heater’s capacity and energy source, main shut-off locations, and whether supply and waste are public, private or unknown. |
| 8. Electrical | Service entrance, main and branch conductors after removing readily accessible panel covers, grounding, a representative number of lights, switches, receptacles and GFCIs. | 197-5.9 | Service amperage and voltage, disconnect locations, aluminum branch wiring, and the presence or absence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. |
| 9. Heating and cooling | Heat and cooling run from the thermostat, homeowner access panels opened, controls, flue pipes, dampers, a representative number of heat sources. | 197-5.10, 197-5.11 | Fuel, equipment and distribution, and the condition of controls and components. |
| 10. Wrap-up | Many inspectors close by walking the client through the main findings. The written report follows. | 197-4.6, RPL 444-g(3) | Everything above, in writing, within five business days. |
Outside, then up: exterior, roof and attic
The outside tells the inspector where water goes before the inside shows it. The Standards ask for land grade and drainage “directly adjacent to the foundation,” trees and vegetation that adversely affect the building, and the condition of exterior walls and coverings, flashing and trim. On the roof, the report has to say how the roof was observed, not just what it looks like. A roof seen from a ladder, from a hatch or from the ground is described differently, and the Standards do not require walking a roof that could be damaged or endanger the inspector. In the attic the same logic applies: the report names the method and the conditions.
Local housing changes what the visit finds. Of the one- to three-family residential lots with a recorded year built, 71% in Brooklyn and 50% in Queens were built before 1940. Year-built values for older buildings are often rounded estimates, so read that as a picture of the stock, not of any one house. A house of that age may still have original masonry or older systems, and then the report’s notes on age and condition matter more. See our guide to pre-war home inspection in New York City and roof inspection in New York homes.
Rooms, basement and the stains in between
Inside, an inspector who sees a stain reports a stain. The Standards require the inspector to report visible signs of water penetration, but they do not require determining the cause of a condition or the cost of correcting it. So a ceiling stain on the top floor may send you to a roofer, a plumber or both. The basement is where structure, plumbing, heating and electrical service often meet, and where past water entry shows. Our guides to basement inspection in New York and basement water after heavy rain explain what is looked for.
When the house has more than one unit
On a two- or three-family house each unit’s visible systems are part of the visit, so the sequence repeats: kitchens, baths, heat sources, windows and doors in every unit, plus the shared roof, foundation, heating and electrical service. Each unit has to be entered, and a unit that cannot be entered goes in the report as not observed. In a co-op or condominium the visit covers the unit and what can be seen of the shared areas around it, and the building’s staff or managing agent decide who can reach the roof, basement and mechanical rooms. See our page on two- and three-family houses and our co-op and condo inspection page.
Systems: what is operated and what is not
| System | What the inspector operates or opens | What is not required |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | Fixtures and faucets, hot water systems, drain and ejector pumps; supply flow at random locations; waste lines from random sinks, tubs and showers. | Main, branch or fixture valves other than faucets; water potability; wells, septic systems and cesspools; gas supply leak checks; fire sprinklers. |
| Electrical | Readily accessible main and sub-panel covers are removed so the interiors can be seen; a representative number of fixtures, switches, receptacles and GFCIs. | Probing the panels, testing every switch and outlet, removing cover plates, measuring amperage or voltage, energizing dead circuits. |
| Heating | The system is run from the thermostat; homeowner-maintenance access panels are opened. | Heat exchangers, chimney flue interiors, clearance to combustibles, tests for gas leaks or carbon monoxide. |
| Cooling | The system is run from the thermostat; a representative number of access panels are opened. | Window and wall units, efficiency or capacity, running the system below an outdoor temperature of 65 degrees. |
These lists come from the system sections of the Standards, such as 19 NYCRR 197-5.8 for plumbing and 197-5.9 for electrical. They also set three limits worth knowing before you read a report: the inspection is visual, it is not technically exhaustive, and it is not required to find concealed conditions or latent defects. Our guide to what a New York home inspection includes covers the same boundaries from the buyer’s side.
What if the inspector finds something dangerous during the visit?
The agreement answers it. By the mandatory clause, if immediate threats to health or safety are observed during the inspection, the client consents to the inspector disclosing them to the property owner or occupants. So a seller or tenant who is present may hear about something the inspector judges an immediate threat, say an exposed live wire, before the buyer gets the report. The consent covers immediate threats only; the other findings go to the client in the report. Whether the seller should be present at all is a question of its own: see should the seller be at the home inspection.
What New York requires in the written report
For a buyer’s attorney, the report is the working document. These are the items the rules require, with the rule behind each. The deadline and the confidentiality rule come from the statute; the contents come from the Standards.
| What the report must do | Rule |
|---|---|
| Reach the client in writing no later than five business days after the inspection is completed | RPL 444-g(3) |
| Show the inspector’s license number and status as a licensed home inspector | RPL 444-g(2) |
| Clearly identify the systems and components that were observed; a non-standard inspection must state its scope, services and exclusions | 19 NYCRR 197-4.6(c) |
| Report conditions the inspector judges deficient, not functioning properly or unsafe | 19 NYCRR 197-5.3(b) |
| List any particular system or major component not observed, and the reasons | 19 NYCRR 197-5.3(c) |
| Describe the observed condition and type of roofing materials and the methods used to observe them | 19 NYCRR 197-5.7(c) |
| Describe plumbing piping materials, the water heater’s capacity and energy source, main water and fuel shut-off locations, and whether supply and waste are public, private or unknown | 19 NYCRR 197-5.8(d) |
| Describe service amperage and voltage, disconnect and sub-panel locations, aluminum branch wiring, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and visible wiring that may be hazardous | 19 NYCRR 197-5.9(b) |
| Describe the method used to observe the attic and the conditions seen | 19 NYCRR 197-5.15(a) |
| Contain no willful false report or false or misleading statement | 19 NYCRR 197-4.6(b) |
| Stay confidential: no disclosure without the client’s express consent (Department of State investigators may see it) | RPL 444-g(3); 19 NYCRR 197-4.3 |
Two points are easy to miss. First, the report records smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as present or absent; it does not certify that they work or comply with any code. Second, the Standards say an inspector is not required to report past or present code violations, and an inspector may not determine code compliance. A report is not a certificate of occupancy review. See checking the certificate of occupancy and permits. For a look at what a finished report is like, see our home inspection report guide.
How to attend, and what to ask during the visit
If you are the buyer, attend if you can. The inspector’s duty runs to you, and the end-of-visit walk-through is the one time you can ask a question and see the thing in question. Stay out of the way while the inspector works, take photos, and write your questions down as they come. A few that tend to be worth asking in the house:
- Which findings are active problems today, and which are age or maintenance items?
- What did you not see, and why? Is there a way to get it seen before the contract deadline?
- Who would you call for this: a roofer, a plumber, an electrician, a structural engineer?
- Which of these can be checked by an add-on test, such as a sewer scope, a radon test or a tank search? Our guide to which add-on tests you need helps you choose.
- Where are the main water shut-off, the main gas or fuel shut-off and the electric disconnect?
Our list of questions to ask a home inspector covers what to ask before you hire. For how long the visit takes, we keep one answer in one place: how long does a home inspection take.
After the report: attorney, contingency and next calls
The report is due within five business days. Read the summary and then the detail, and call the inspector with questions about it. Then three people take over. The first is your attorney. The Attorney General’s tips say to negotiate a contract provision giving “the right to get an inspection by someone of your choosing and to cancel the contract if you are not satisfied with the inspection” (New York Attorney General, Tips for first-time home buyers), and your attorney knows the deadline and the options in your contract. Our guide to the home inspection contingency explains the common structure, and the post on which fixes are mandatory after a home inspection covers the repair question.
The second is the specialist the report points to. The Standards do not require the inspector to price repairs, estimate remaining life or determine the cause of a condition, so a contractor, a licensed trade or a structural engineer answers those questions. If the report points to a structural concern, read home inspector vs structural engineer. The third is whoever handles the money. Your lender may have views on the property; see whether a home inspection is required for a mortgage.
One more rule applies after the report. An inspector, or the inspector’s partner, may not offer to repair or replace anything covered by the Standards, for an additional fee, in a building the inspector reported on before the close of escrow. Hire the repair separately. The last step before closing is the walk-through; see the final walk-through before closing.
Is there a passing grade on a New York inspection?
No. The report describes conditions; it does not grade the house. The Standards say an inspector is not required to determine the advisability of purchase, so the decision stays with you and your attorney.
How long is the whole home inspection process, from booking to report?
It has three points on the calendar: the written agreement before the visit, the visit itself, and the written report, which the statute makes due within five business days of the visit. The length of the visit depends on the house, and we keep that answer in one place, in our guide on how long a home inspection takes.
Do I need to be at the house while the inspector works?
Attend if you can, since the inspector’s duty runs to you and the walk-through is when you can ask about a finding while looking at it. If you cannot, ask the inspector for a call after the visit and read the written report before the contract deadline.
What does the inspector test during a New York home inspection?
The inspector operates what the Standards say to operate: fixtures and faucets, hot water, the heating and cooling systems from the thermostat, a representative number of windows, doors, outlets and GFCIs, garage doors and openers, and fireplace dampers. Items not required include valves, panel probes and shut-down systems.
What if part of the house cannot be reached?
The report must list any system or major component not observed and give the reasons. A locked room or a blocked panel appears as a line in the report, and your attorney decides what it means for the contract.
Who can see the inspection report?
The client, and anyone the client chooses. The statute makes the report and its contents confidential without the client’s express consent, apart from Department of State staff enforcing the law. Check how the agreement lets you authorize your attorney or agent to receive it.
What happens if the inspector sees an immediate danger?
The mandatory clause in the agreement lets the inspector tell the property owner or occupants about immediate threats to health or safety. The rest of the findings go in the report, to the client.
About the figures: the year-built shares come from the NYC Department of City Planning’s PLUTO tax-lot file, version 26v2 (2026), counting residential lots in building classes A, B and C0 with a recorded year built. City records can contain errors.
Booking an inspection with Inspecwise
When you book with us, ask for the written agreement first, and tell us the house type, the number of units and who holds the keys.
We inspect in the five boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester, and elsewhere on request, and we can explain the report in English, Urdu, Punjabi or Hindi.
Prefer to talk first? Call 718-925-7071.