Overview: Home Inspectors
A home inspection usually rides on a condition in your offer. That gives you a short window to look hard before the deal firms up. The inspector checks what can be seen and reached that day: roof, attic, foundation walls, furnace, electrical panel, visible plumbing and the slope of the lot. In winter, snow on the roof and ice along the foundation hide a good share of that list. A fair report says plainly what the inspector couldn't see.
Who may do the job changes at provincial borders. British Columbia licenses home inspectors through Consumer Protection BC and makes them carry insurance. Alberta licenses both the inspector and the company, and you're owed a written contract before the visit and a written report after it. Quebec is phasing in a Régie du bâtiment certificate for inspectors who check homes ahead of a sale. Wherever you're buying, ask what licence or membership the inspector holds.
Ask one more thing: does the company also sell repairs? An inspector with a crew waiting in the truck has a reason to find work, and we'd rather hire one who doesn't.
Our listings show what every inspection firm puts on its own website. Choose your province, then the city where the house sits, to find inspectors who work there.
What does a home inspection cost in Canada?
Compare inspection scope and reporting, then add only the specialist checks your property needs.
| Service | Planning budget | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Condo unit inspection | C$350–C$425per inspection | One condo unit up to approximately 1,000 sq ft; accessible in-unit systems and written report.Confirm which in-unit systems are inspected, whether common areas are excluded and when the written report will arrive.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Visual inspection; Written report Budget separately or confirm: Condo document review; Full common-property inspection |
| Detached home inspection | C$450–C$700per inspection | Accessible detached home up to 2,000 sq ft; age and ancillary structures recorded.Confirm whether the inspector counts basement area and whether the written report will arrive before your decision deadline.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Visual systems inspection; Written report Budget separately or confirm: Specialist testing; Detached outbuildings |
| Larger detached home inspection | C$450–C$1,100per inspection | Accessible detached home over 2,000 and up to 3,500 sq ft; age and ancillary structures recorded.Confirm whether the inspector counts basement area and whether the written report will arrive before your decision deadline.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Agreed inspection scope; Written report Budget separately or confirm: Invasive investigation; Specialist reports |
| Targeted follow-up or limited inspection | C$200–C$300per limited inspection visit | A visit for specified repairs or one particular concern; extent and written findings agreed.Agree the specific items and written findings. This is a limited visit, not another complete home inspection.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Agreed follow-up checks; Written findings or report update Budget separately or confirm: A new whole-home inspection; Additional specialist tests |
What changes the price
- Property size, age, additions and number of systems or outbuildings.
- Access to roof, attic and crawlspace, including seasonal restrictions.
- Reporting depth, travel, revisit requirements and optional specialist investigations.
Ask before accepting a quote
- Which areas cannot be inspected, and is a return visit included when access improves?
- Which tests are extra, and what specific concern would each one answer?
- When will the written report arrive, and is there a rush fee to meet my inspection-condition deadline?
Add tests for a clear reason
- Ask for each optional test to have a defined question, method and separate fee.
- A general inspection should identify when specialist assessment is needed, not price every possible test into one package.
Canadian context
Confirm how snow cover, frozen ground or winterised systems affect the inspection and any later revisit charge.
Planning amounts in Canadian dollars. Published tax treatment varies; confirm applicable taxes and the final total in your written quote. Rows can be different services, alternative packages or separately priced extras. Add only work that is needed and not already included in your quote.
Frequently asked questions
What does a home inspection actually cover?
The visible parts of the house: roof covering, attic and insulation, foundation walls, the furnace or heat pump, the water heater, the electrical panel, plumbing you can see, and the grading and eavestroughs that carry water away. In Alberta, the written contract has to list what gets inspected. An attached garage is included, but a shed or other separate outbuilding counts only if the contract names it. Read that list before you sign.
What is left out of an inspection?
Anything the inspector can't see or reach, like the inside of finished walls, a roof too icy to walk, or a basement corner packed with boxes. Mould and asbestos checks are often separate, and in British Columbia and Alberta the contract has to say whether they're included. If the attic holds loose, pebbly vermiculite, Health Canada says it may contain asbestos and is safest left undisturbed. An inspector can flag it, but testing it is another job.
Can the inspection contract limit what the inspector owes me?
Not in British Columbia or Alberta. A licensed BC inspector's contract can't limit what they owe you if they get the job wrong. Alberta also bans a clause that caps what they owe or cuts short your time to claim. Elsewhere, read the contract for a line that caps damages at the fee you paid, and ask to strike it before you sign.
Which extra tests are worth ordering?
A sewer camera on an older house with big trees out front, and a well water sample and septic check on a rural lot. Radon is the odd one out. Health Canada doesn't recommend a radon test during a sale, and it says only a test lasting months shows the real level. It suggests testing after you move in, and it tells sellers to test before they list. Book the other add-ons with the inspection so they fit inside your condition deadline.
Why does a careful inspection matter more in Quebec?
Because of how Quebec's legal warranty works. The seller answers for hidden defects, even ones the seller never knew about. A defect a careful buyer could have noticed on a visit isn't hidden, though, and the warranty won't cover it. A thorough inspection finds those before you sign. Watch for an offer that says the sale is without legal warranty, at the buyer's risk. Then the inspection is most of the protection you'll get.
