Home Inspections in NYC: House, Condo and Co-op

Yes, get an inspection on any NYC house, and usually on a condo or co-op apartment too, but know that an apartment inspection covers only your unit. The building's boiler, roof, facade and finances are checked through due diligence and public records, not by your inspector.

New York licenses home inspectors through the Department of State, and the law sets what an inspection includes, what it leaves out, and what conflicts of interest are banned.

What a home inspection covers

Under Real Property Law §444-b, a home inspection is a written report of the systems and components of a residential building, including the heating system, cooling system, plumbing, electrical system, structural components, foundation, roof, masonry, and exterior and interior components. The inspector must state in the report which systems they actually observed. The law specifically says a home inspection does not include radon or pests.

It is a visual, non-invasive look. Inspectors do not open walls, and if a roof is unsafe to walk or a panel cover can't be removed, the report should say what was not observed. Read those limits as carefully as the findings.

House vs condo vs co-op: what the inspector looks at

For a house, the inspection is your main tool. For an apartment, it catches unit-level problems: a failing electrical panel, slow leaks under sinks, water staining from the unit above, windows that won't seal, and appliances near the end of their life. Those are yours to fix (in a co-op, depending on the proprietary lease) once you own.

What the inspection does not cover in a co-op or condo

Your inspector will not assess the building's boiler, elevators, roof, facade, gas piping or finances. Those can cost far more than anything in your unit, and in a co-op or condo you pay for them through maintenance, common charges or special assessments. Cover them with:

• The building's records on Roofy. Search the address on Roofy to see HPD violations and complaints, DOB and ECB violations, and permits. Read DOB violations explained and HPD violation classes.
• The facade and gas inspection cycles. Buildings taller than six stories file facade reports in five-year cycles, and many buildings need periodic gas piping inspections. Check timing with the facade cycle checker and gas inspection checker.
• Your attorney's due diligence. Financial statements, board minutes, the managing agent questionnaire and pending assessments. Use the co-op due diligence checklist.

How to hire a licensed inspector

1. 1

   Check the license

   Look the inspector up on the Department of State licensee search. A license runs for two years, so confirm it is current.
2. 2

   Get a written pre-inspection agreement

   NY regulations (19 NYCRR 197-4.2) require the inspector to give you a written pre-inspection agreement describing the scope of service and its cost before the inspection.
3. 3

   Ask about conflicts

   Inspectors must disclose known conflicts of interest before taking the job. By law they cannot pay referral fees to the seller or either party’s agent, cannot inspect a home they have a financial interest in, and cannot be paid based on the findings or on the deal closing.
4. 4

   Add specialists you need

   Radon and pests are excluded by law. For older homes consider a sewer line camera, a chimney inspection, an oil tank sweep or a structural engineer if the inspector flags cracking.
5. 5

   Attend and ask questions

   Go to the inspection, take photos, and ask which items are safety issues, which are near the end of their life, and which are cosmetic.

One more rule worth knowing: under §444-g an inspector cannot offer to repair, for an extra fee, anything in a home they inspected before the sale closes. If an inspector pitches repair work, that is a red flag.

Lead paint in older homes

For housing built before 1978, federal rules require the seller to disclose known lead-based paint and give you a 10-day period to conduct a lead paint inspection or risk assessment before you are bound by the contract. You can agree in writing to a different period or waive it in writing. A general home inspection is not a lead inspection. See lead paint disclosure when buying.

When to inspect in a NYC deal

Schedule the inspection after your offer is accepted and before you sign the contract of sale. Once you sign and put down your deposit, walking away over a defect depends entirely on what the contract says, so ask your attorney whether your contract has any inspection contingency. By law the inspector must give you the written report no later than five business days after the inspection, and must show their license number on it. See the contract-to-closing timeline.

What to do with the findings in an as-is market

Many sellers will not make repairs, and some sell explicitly as-is (see selling as-is). That doesn't make the report useless. Sort findings into three groups:

1. Deal-breakers: structural movement, active leaks with hidden damage, unsafe wiring, or anything that signals a building-wide problem. Walk away or get a specialist opinion first.
2. Negotiable: big-ticket items near the end of their life (roof, boiler, windows in a house). Ask for a price reduction or a closing credit, with the inspector's notes and a contractor estimate as support.
3. Budget items: worn fixtures and small repairs. Fold them into your first-year plan with the home maintenance budget calculator.

If the seller of a house gave you a property condition disclosure statement, compare it line by line with the report (see NY property condition disclosure).