Read the list of things a New York home inspector is not required to do and you have read many of the reasons an inspection falls short: moving a seller’s belongings, running a system that is shut down, turning a main valve, entering a space that looks unsafe. Each of those limits sits in the state’s Standards of Practice, and most can be removed by a seller, a buyer or an agent before the day. This guide explains how to prepare for a home inspection in New York, role by role, and ties every step to the rule behind it.
We are Inspecwise, a New York State–licensed, InterNACHI-certified home inspection business based in South Ozone Park, Queens. What we describe below is what the Standards say and what is common practice; where it is practice, we say so. Your inspector may ask for more, so ask before the day.
What the Standards leave to you: the access rules
The Standards of Practice (19 NYCRR 197-5.16 and the system-by-system sections around it) set a minimum. The inspector must observe and report on what is readily accessible and visually observable, and “readily accessible” means available for visual inspection without requiring the inspector to remove or dismantle personal property or to use destructive measures. Everything the inspector is not required to do becomes your preparation list:
| What the inspector is not required to do | Where the rule sits | What to do before the visit |
|---|---|---|
| Move furniture, personal or stored items; lift floor coverings; move plants, snow, ice or debris | 197-5.16(a) and (p) | Clear a path to the electric panel, water heater, boiler, attic hatch and basement stairs. |
| Move any object, furniture or appliance to reach an electrical component; panel covers must be readily accessible | 197-5.9(a) and (c) | Leave the panel unblocked and the door or cover free to open. Know where any sub-panel is. |
| Operate a system that is shut down or inoperable, or activate circuits that are not energized | 197-5.16(m), 197-5.9(c) | Turn on electricity, gas and water. Have the utility or a licensed contractor restore any service that is off. |
| Operate a heating system that does not respond to the thermostat or has been shut down | 197-5.10(b) | Leave the boiler or furnace running, or have it serviced and started. Set the thermostat so the system can be tested. |
| Operate main, branch or fixture valves other than faucets, or shut-off and stop valves | 197-5.8(c), 197-5.16(m) | Show where the main water and fuel shut-offs are. The report must say where they are, but the inspector need not turn them. |
| Report on a plumbing system that is shut down or secured | 197-5.8(c) | Keep water service on until the inspection is done. |
| Enter an attic with no walkable floor, or one that is unsafe | 197-5.15 | Make the hatch reachable and put a ladder where the inspector can use it. Clear whatever blocks it. |
| Walk on or access a roof where that could damage it or endanger the inspector | 197-5.7(g) | Open the roof hatch or bulkhead, and leave a key and ladder where the inspector can find them. |
| Enter an area judged dangerous or likely to be damaged | 197-5.16(g) and (h) | Secure pets, fix a rotted stair tread or a missing rail, and warn of any hazard in the space. |
| Run heating or other equipment when the weather makes that unsafe or may damage it | 197-5.10(b) | Know the season: heat in winter, and air conditioning only when the outdoor temperature allows it. |
There is also a consequence on paper. If an inspector has not observed a particular system or major component, the report must list it as not observed and give the reasons. A blocked panel, a locked basement door or a dark attic becomes a line in the report that the other side’s attorney will read. It does not mean anything is wrong in that space. It means no one saw it.
Prepare for a home inspection as the seller
The seller controls access. These steps are simple, and each one removes a reason for the report to say “not observed.”
- Utilities on. Electricity, water, and gas where the house has it. A boiler or water heater with its pilot out or its fuel valve closed is the kind of shut-down system the Standards do not require the inspector to operate. Ask a licensed heating or plumbing contractor or the utility to restore it before the visit.
- Clear the places the inspector must reach. The electric panel and any sub-panels, the water heater, the heating equipment, the attic hatch, the basement stairs and the area around any sump pump. The inspector need not move stored items to reach them.
- Open the doors. Basement and cellar doors, boiler-room doors, roof hatches, garage and any meter closets that belong to the house. Detached structures other than garages and carports are outside what the Standards require, so a shed or a rear cottage is not on the critical path.
- Test the alarms. The report must state whether smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are present, and on a sale of a one- or two-family house the seller delivers an affidavit about smoke alarm compliance at closing. Our guide to smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in New York homes has the rule.
- Gather the paper. The state’s disclosure form asks whether certificates of occupancy exist, whether there are or were fuel tanks, whether a radon test, a mold test or a pest test was done, and how old the roof is. Pull those records now. They answer the buyer’s questions and help you complete the form. See the New York property condition disclosure and our guide to checking the certificate of occupancy and permits.
- Plan around a radon test. A radon test is not part of a home inspection, but it is often scheduled for the same days. The Department of Health asks that doors and windows to the outside be closed for 24 hours before and during the test, and the EPA’s guide asks for at least 12 hours before a test lasting two or three days. Follow the tester’s instructions and tell the inspector so doors are not propped open. See radon levels by county in New York.
Do not paint over a problem. The disclosure form asks about rot or water damage, and about water penetration from seepage or a flood event, and it warns that a knowingly false or incomplete statement “may subject the seller to claims by the buyer prior to or after the transfer of title” (Department of State form DOS-1614-f, Rev. 01/24). Fresh paint over a stain does not remove it from what you know. If you are unsure how the form applies to your house, ask your attorney.
Whether you should be at home on the day is a separate decision, with reasons on both sides: see should the seller be at the home inspection.
Prepare for a home inspection as the buyer
- Read the agreement before the day. New York requires a written agreement stating the scope and the cost before the inspection. Check what is included, what is excluded and which add-on tests are separate. See who pays for a home inspection.
- Confirm the deadline with your attorney. Your contract’s inspection period sets the calendar. Our guide to the home inspection contingency explains the usual structure.
- Get the seller’s disclosure statement, if there is one, and read it first. For a one- to four-family house, the seller completes it before you sign a binding contract. Circle the “yes” and “unknown” answers and bring them to the inspector. A co-op or condo seller does not complete the state form.
- Come ready to attend. Wear shoes you can use in a basement, bring a phone for photos and a short list of questions, and budget your time. We do not restate durations here; see how long a home inspection takes.
- Decide on add-on tests. Radon and pests are outside a licensed home inspection by statute. Sewer lines, oil tanks and water quality are separate checks too. Our guide to add-on tests sorts them by house type.
- Block time for the report. The written report is due within five business days of the inspection. Set the attorney review before you leave the site.
If you are buying a co-op or condo unit, add one step: ask your attorney who at the building will give the inspector access to the basement, roof and mechanical rooms, because the unit inspection depends on it. Our guide to co-op inspections in Queens and Brooklyn covers the rest, and the general home inspection checklist for buyers covers what to look at yourself.
Prepare for a home inspection as the agent
Agents usually carry the logistics. This is practice, not law:
- Confirm access for every unit. On a two- or three-family house the inspector needs to see each unit’s visible systems. Confirm in advance who will open each door and when.
- Tell occupants in writing. Who must give a tenant notice, and how much, depends on the lease and the law. Ask the seller’s attorney, and make sure the notice has gone out before the day.
- Name the building contact. For a co-op or condo, get the superintendent’s or managing agent’s name, the hours they allow, and who holds the roof and basement keys.
- Confirm the client has the agreement. The state requires the inspector to provide a written agreement before the visit, so ask the client whether it has arrived.
- Sequence the add-on tests. A radon test with closed-house conditions and an inspection that opens doors all day do not mix. Settle the order with the tester and inspector.
- Keep the inspector working for the client. The inspector’s duty runs to the client. Answer access questions; do not ask for findings to be softened.
Our page for real estate agents says how we work with them.
Access problems that are specific to New York buildings
Co-ops and condos
The Standards say an inspector is not required to inspect any condominium common component or system, or to evaluate condominium reserve accounts. So the inspection centers on the unit. Even so, the unit depends on the building: a water shut-off or an electric riser may be in a basement or a hall closet that the superintendent controls. Some buildings set hours or ask for notice before outside visitors enter. Find out early. See our co-op and condo inspection page.
A house with two or three apartments
About 51% of the city’s one- to three-family lots are two- or three-family houses, so a house with more than one dwelling unit is the ordinary case, not the exception. The table counts tax lots by building class: class A is one-family, class B is two-family, and class C0 is three-family walk-up.
| Borough | One-family lots | Two-family lots | Three-family lots | Two- and three-family share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn | 61,349 | 94,710 | 34,174 | 68% |
| Queens | 150,637 | 96,302 | 23,991 | 44% |
| The Bronx | 21,413 | 29,465 | 11,092 | 65% |
| Staten Island | 76,985 | 31,349 | 872 | 30% |
| Manhattan | 2,336 | 1,867 | 1,396 | 58% |
| All five boroughs | 312,720 | 253,693 | 71,525 | 51% |
Source: NYC Department of City Planning, PLUTO, version 26v2 (2026), via NYC Open Data, retrieved October 2026; our count of tax lots by building class. City records can contain errors. The data show how many lots are classed as two- or three-family, not how many units are tenant-occupied or whether units have their own meters and panels.
For these houses, three access questions come up. Who will let the inspector into each unit, and are the tenants aware? Where is each unit’s electric panel and meter, since separately metered units may have panels in different places? And are there locked storage areas, basement apartments or shared closets that hold the heating or plumbing? If a unit cannot be entered, the report lists it as not observed, and the buyer’s attorney decides what that means for the contract. See our page on two- and three-family houses in New York City.
Oil tanks, boiler rooms and basements
The Standards require the inspector to observe fuel storage and distribution systems that are visible and readily accessible, but not underground storage tanks or other underground indications of their presence. The state’s disclosure form asks whether there are or have ever been fuel storage tanks above or below the ground, whether they are in use and whether they leak or have leaked. If your house has or had a tank, find the removal or abandonment paperwork and tell the inspector what you know. See oil tank inspection in New York. The boiler room needs to be open and the equipment running; our guide to steam, oil and gas heating inspection explains what is looked at. Clear the basement as far as you can: basement inspection in New York and basement water after heavy rain explain what stored items hide.
Roofs, hatches and older houses
The report has to describe how the roof was observed, and the inspector need not walk a roof that could be damaged or that is unsafe. A hatch painted shut or a bulkhead door without a key can leave the roof observed only from the ground. See roof inspection in New York homes. In a pre-war house, attic scuttles and cellar doors can be small or painted shut, and our guide to pre-war home inspection in New York City goes through them.
A dated checklist: from one week out to inspection day
These intervals are suggestions, not rules. Your contract’s inspection period sets the real calendar, and your inspector may ask for more.
| When | Who | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days before | Agent | Confirm the date, who attends, access to every unit, and notice to tenants. Name the building contact for a co-op or condo. | Leaves time to fix a refusal or a missing key. |
| 7 days before | Buyer | Sign the inspection agreement. Read what is included and excluded. Decide on add-on tests. | The state requires a written agreement before the visit. |
| 5 days before | Seller | Gather certificates of occupancy, permits, tank paperwork, radon, mold and pest reports, and service records. | The disclosure form asks about each. |
| 3 days before | Seller or agent | Confirm utilities are on. Restore any shut-down boiler, water heater or circuit through the utility or a licensed contractor. | The inspector need not operate a shut-down system. |
| 2 days before | Seller | Clear the panel, the heating equipment, the attic hatch and the basement. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. | A blocked area is reported as not observed. |
| The day before | Seller | Set heat or air conditioning to the season. Secure pets. Leave a note with the shut-off locations, keys and codes. | Removes the common small delays. |
| Morning of | Agent | Open the house, turn on lights, open hatches and roof access, and confirm the building contact is on site. | Avoids a late start. |
| During the visit | Buyer | Attend, ask questions, photograph findings. Stay out of the way while the inspector works. | Questions are easiest to ask while you look at the item. |
| Within 5 business days after | Buyer | Receive the written report, send it to your attorney, and decide on any specialist. | The statute sets the deadline. |
| Before closing | Buyer | Do the final walk-through. See our guide on the final walk-through before closing. | Confirms repairs and condition. |
Weather and season
Season changes what can be tested. The Standards say the inspector need not run heating or any other system when temperatures or other circumstances are not conducive to safe operation or may damage the equipment, and the air-conditioning section says the same about running cooling when the outdoor temperature is below 65 degrees. A roof under snow may be reported as not observed, and the inspector is not required to move snow or ice. Our guide to the winter home inspection explains what changes, and what the buyer should ask for in its place.
Do I need to clean the house before a home inspection?
Clean helps, but access matters more. The Standards do not require the inspector to move furniture or stored items, so what blocks the panel, the attic hatch or the basement stairs is what causes “not observed” lines in the report.
Will the inspector light a pilot light or turn on the gas?
Do not count on it. The Standards do not require an inspector to operate a system that is shut down or inoperable. Whether a given inspector will relight a pilot is that inspector’s decision, so ask before the day, and arrange service for any appliance that is off.
Does the heat have to be on during a winter inspection?
Yes, if you want the heating system tested. The inspector operates the heating system using the thermostat, and is not required to operate one that has been shut down. Set the thermostat so the system can run.
What happens if a tenant will not let the inspector into a unit?
The report lists what was not observed and why. The buyer’s attorney then decides what that means under the contract. Arrange access through the seller’s side and put the notice in writing early.
What documents should the seller have ready?
The certificate of occupancy, permits for any alteration, the paperwork for any fuel tank, radon, mold and pest reports if they exist, and service records for the roof, boiler and water heater. The state disclosure form asks about most of these.
How do I prepare for an inspection of a co-op or condo unit?
Ask your attorney who at the building will give access to the basement, roof and mechanical rooms. The Standards do not require an inspector to inspect condominium common components, so the visit centers on the unit, and the building’s own records answer the building-level questions.
Booking an inspection with Inspecwise
If you are preparing for a visit with us, tell us the type of house, who holds the keys and whether tenants or a building staff are involved. We will tell you what to have ready for that house.
We inspect in the five boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester, and elsewhere on request, and we can answer your questions in English, Urdu, Punjabi or Hindi.
Questions before you book? Call 718-925-7071.