WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A HOME INSPECTION

  • Structural components
  • Exterior features
  • Roof system
  • Insulation & ventilation
  • Electrical system
  • Plumbing system
  • Heating & cooling system
  • Interior features
  • Built-in Kitchen Appliances

 

  1. The home inspector shall inspect:
    1. Wall cladding, flashings, and trim;
    2. Entryway doors and a representative number of windows;
    3. Garage door operators;
    4. Decks, balconies, stoops, steps, areaways, porches and applicable railings;
    5. Eaves, soffits, and fascias;
    6. Driveways, patios, walkways, and retaining walls; and
    7. Vegetation, grading, and drainage with respect only to their effect on the condition of the building.
  2. The home inspector shall:
    1. Describe wall cladding materials;
    2. Operate all entryway doors;
    3. Operate garage doors manually or by using permanently installed controls for any garage door operator;
    4. Report whether or not any garage door operator will automatically reverse or stop when meeting reasonable
    5. resistance during closing; and
    6. Probe exterior wood components where deterioration is suspected.
  3. The home inspector is not required to inspect:
    1. Storm windows, storm doors, screening, shutters, awnings, and similar seasonal accessories;
    2. Fences;
    3. For the presence of safety glazing in doors and windows;
    4. Garage door operator remote control transmitters;
    5. Geological conditions;
    6. Soil conditions;
    7. Recreational facilities (including spas, saunas, steam baths, swimming pools, tennis courts, playground equipment, and other exercise, entertainment, or athletic facilities); except as otherwise provided in 11 NCAC 8.1109(d)(5)(F);
    8. Detached buildings or structures; or
    9. For the presence or condition of buried fuel storage tanks.
  1. The home inspector shall inspect:
    1. Insulation and vapor retarders in unfinished spaces;
    2. Ventilation of attics and foundation areas;
    3. Kitchen, bathroom, and laundry venting systems; and
    4. The operation of any readily accessible attic ventilation fan, and, when temperature permits, the operation of any readily accessible thermostatic control.
  2. The home inspector shall describe:
    1. Insulation in unfinished spaces; and
    2. The absence of insulation in unfinished space at conditioned surfaces.
  3. The home inspector is not required to report on:
    1. Concealed insulation and vapor retarders; or
    2. Venting equipment that is integral with household appliances.
  4. The home inspector shall:
    1. Move insulation where readily visible evidence indicates the possibility of a problem; and
    2. Move floor insulation where plumbing drain/waste pipes penetrate floors, adjacent to earth-filled stoops or porches, and at exterior doors.
  1. The home inspector shall inspect:
    1. Service entrance conductors;
    2. Service equipment, grounding equipment, main overcurrent device, and main and distribution panels;
    3. Amperage and voltage ratings of the service;
    4. Branch circuit conductors, their overcurrent devices, and the compatibility of their ampacities;
    5. The operation of a representative number of installed ceiling fans, lighting fixtures, switches and receptacles
    6. located inside the house, garage, and on the dwelling’s exterior walls;
    7. The polarity and grounding of all receptacles within six feet of interior plumbing fixtures, and all receptacles in the garage or carport, and on the exterior of inspected structures;
    8. The operation of ground fault circuit interrupters; and
    9. Smoke detectors.
  2. The home inspector shall describe:
    1. Service amperage and voltage;
    2. Service entry conductor materials;
    3. The service type as being overhead or underground; and
    4. The location of main and distribution panels.
  3. The home inspector shall report the presence of any readily accessible single strand aluminum branch circuit wiring.
  4. The home inspector shall report on the presence or absence of smoke detectors, and operate their test function, if accessible, except when detectors are part of a central system.
  5. The home inspector is not required to:
    1. Insert any tool, probe, or testing device inside the panels;
    2. Test or operate any overcurrent device except ground fault circuit interrupters;
    3. Dismantle any electrical device or control other than to remove the covers of the main and auxiliary distribution panels; or
    4. Inspect:
      1. Low voltage systems;
      2. Security system devices, heat detectors, or carbon monoxide detectors;
      3. Telephone, security, cable TV, intercoms, or other ancillary wiring that is not a part of the primary electrical distribution system; or
      4. Built-in vacuum equipment.
  1. The home inspector shall inspect:
    1. Interior water supply and distribution system, including: piping materials, supports, and insulation; fixtures and faucets; functional flow; leaks; and cross connections; NC Home Inspector Licensure Board NC Administrative Code and General Statutes January 1, 2008 Page 15
    2. Interior drain, waste, and vent system, including: traps; drain, waste, and vent piping; piping supports and pipe insulation; leaks; and functional drainage;
    3. Hot water systems including: water heating equipment; normal operating controls; automatic safety controls; and chimneys, flues, and vents;
    4. Fuel storage and distribution systems including: interior fuel storage equipment, supply piping, venting, and supports; leaks; and
    5. Sump pumps.
  2. The home inspector shall describe:
    1. Water supply and distribution piping materials;
    2. Drain, waste, and vent piping materials;
    3. Water heating equipment, including fuel or power source, storage capacity, and location; and
    4. The location of any main water supply shutoff device.
  3. The home inspector shall operate all plumbing fixtures, including their faucets and all exterior faucets attached to the house, except where the flow end of the faucet is connected to an appliance.
  4. The home inspector is not required to:
    1. State the effectiveness of anti-siphon devices;
    2. Determine whether water supply and waste disposal systems are public or private;
    3. Operate automatic safety controls;
    4. Operate any valve except water closet flush valves, fixture faucets, and hose faucets;
    5. Inspect:
      1. Water conditioning systems;
      2. Fire and lawn sprinkler systems;
      3. On-site water supply quantity and quality;
      4. On-site waste disposal systems;
      5. Foundation irrigation systems;
      6. Bathroom spas, except as to functional flow and functional drainage;
      7. Swimming pools;
      8. Solar water heating equipment; or
      9. Inspect the system for proper sizing, design, or use of proper materials.

Heating

  1. The home inspector shall inspect permanently installed heating systems including:
    1. Heating equipment;
    2. Normal operating controls;
    3. Automatic safety controls;
    4. Chimneys, flues, and vents, where readily visible;
    5. Solid fuel heating devices;
    6. Heat distribution systems including fans, pumps, ducts and piping, with supports, insulation, air filters, registers, radiators, fan coil units, convectors; and
    7. The presence or absence of an installed heat source for each habitable space.
  2. The home inspector shall describe:
    1. Energy source; and
    2. Heating equipment and distribution type.
  3. The home inspector shall operate the systems using normal operating controls.
  4. The home inspector shall open readily openable access panels provided by the manufacturer or installer for routine homeowner maintenance.
  5. The home inspector is not required to:
    1. Operate heating systems when weather conditions or other circumstances may cause equipment damage;
    2. Operate automatic safety controls;
    3. Ignite or extinguish solid fuel fires; or
    4. Ignite a pilot light; or
    5. Inspect:
      1. The interior of flues;
      2. Fireplace insert flue connections;
      3. Heat exchanger;
      4. Humidifiers;
      5. Electronic air filters;
      6. The uniformity or adequacy of heat supply to the various rooms; or
      7. Solar space heating equipment.

AIR CONDITIONING

  1. The home inspector shall inspect:
    1. Central air conditioning and through-the-wall installed cooling systems including:
      1. Cooling and air handling equipment; and
      2. Normal operating controls.
    2. Distribution systems including:
      1. Fans, pumps, ducts and piping, with associated supports, dampers, insulation, air filters, registers, fancoil units; and
      2. The presence or absence of an installed cooling source for each habitable space.
  2. The home inspector shall describe:
    1. Energy sources; and
    2. Cooling equipment type.
  3. The home inspector shall operate the systems using normal operating controls.
  4. The home inspector shall open readily openable access panels provided by the manufacturer or installer for routine homeowner maintenance
  5. The home inspector is not required to:
    1. Operate cooling systems when weather conditions or other circumstances may cause equipment damage;
    2. Inspect window air conditioners; or
    3. Inspect the uniformity or adequacy of cool-air supply to the various rooms.