Home insurance inspections aren’t always necessary for getting a home insurance policy, but more and more companies have started requiring one as part of their stricter underwriting process. During a home insurance inspection, an inspector examines your home’s exterior, including your roof, windows, and frames, as well as your home’s interior and other structures on your property, like free standing garages, fences, guest houses, or sheds.
What is a home insurance inspection?
A home insurance inspection is when an insurance company sends someone to your home to verify that the information on your application is correct, and that your property is well-maintained and in good shape.
Home insurance inspections can expose potential risks that weren’t accounted for during the application process. They may also reveal whether a home’s replacement cost value is higher or lower than your insurance company’s initial estimate, in which case your insurer might adjust the final premium to make up for the difference.
Home insurance inspection vs. buyer’s inspection
A home insurance inspection is not to be confused with a buyer’s inspection, which happens before a home is purchased. Home insurance inspections happen after you already own a home and at the request of the insurance company, not the homebuyer. Insurance companies can use the results of an inspection to adjust your policy premium.
In a buyer’s inspection, someone interested in a home might hire an inspector to examine it before they close on the home, to reveal any issues before the sale is finalized.
How to prepare for a home insurance inspection
Your insurance company will likely complete a home inspection within 30 to 90 days of your insurance application. A home inspector will come to your house and look for any potential risks or hazards that were not initially included in your application. The home inspection process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on the specifics of your home.
To get ahead of things before the inspector arrives, you should have documentation that lists:
The square footage of your home
Costs for any recent interior design work and renovations
Information about your alarm systems and security features
Updates to your roof, plumbing, and HVAC systems
You should also conduct an informal inspection at home before the inspector arrives, by checking all of your interior and exterior structures and making any major repairs to avoid your premium being raised as a result of the home insurance inspection.
The inspector will survey both the interior and exterior of your home to make sure everything matches the details in your insurance application.
What to expect from an interior home inspection
Interior home inspections help insurance companies evaluate the condition of your walls, ceilings, and floors, as well as your plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems. These inspections are especially telling in older homes that may have outdated materials, or need to be brought up to new building codes if they are damaged in a covered event.
The interior portion of the inspection can also help insurers identify significant risks within your home that would not be covered by standard homeowners insurance, like pest infestations. Not every home insurance inspection includes the interior of the home, however.If you have a newer home, your inspection may be limited to the outside of your home, or even just photos or videos of it.
What to expect from an exterior home inspection
In an exterior home inspection, an inspector typically examines your home’s roof, windows and doors, chimney, and foundation. Other structures, including adjacent walkways, driveways, porches, patios, and decks, may also be evaluated as part of your home’s inspection.
If there’s any sign of a threat to your property, say a low-hanging branch above your roof or a significant crack in your driveway, insurers may require you to fix those issues before they can secure coverage for your property. Home insurance inspectors will also look for “pride of ownership,” meaning they’ll check to see if your home is well-maintained and if you keep up your property.
Why do insurance companies inspect homes?
There’s no industry-wide rule that requires homes to be inspected before they can be insured, but many insurance companies will conduct an inspection to evaluate the liability and risk of insuring your home.
Home inspections help insurance companies avoid potential losses that hadn’t surfaced or been disclosed during the application process. A home inspection typically checks the condition of the following structures:
Stairwell
Floors, walls, and ceiling
Anti-theft devices
Fire alarms and extinguishers
Your insurance company will adjust your premium based on the results of your home insurance inspection. They may also deny you coverage or provide you with a list of mandatory repairs that need to be made before they can insure your home, like replacing old electrical wiring or trimming a tree that poses a danger to your roof. You are given a time frame, typically 30 days, within which you need to make those repairs or changes.
Can I get homeowners insurance without an inspection?
Yes, you may be able to get homeowners insurance without a home insurance inspection. If you just bought a home and it was inspected during closing, or the previous owner had your home examined in the last year with an insurer, your home may not need to undergo another inspection. But you might be required to get one if you’re a new customer, if you live in an older home, or if your home’s replacement cost is too difficult to determine without one.
If you're not sure whether your home needs a new inspection, ask the insurance broker or agent you're working with about whether it's necessary.
What do home inspectors look for?
Home insurance inspectors survey your home to make sure all the details in your application are accurate. They’ll inspect the interior of your home, like your walls, plumbing, floors, electrical and HVAC systems, and more. They’ll also look at the exterior of your house, making sure everything is well-maintained, and evaluate your roof, deck, patio, and other structures on your property.
Can I refuse a home insurance inspection?
Technically yes, you can refuse a home insurance inspection. However an insurance company may refuse to cover you if you do so. Many insurance companies require home inspections in order to verify the details of your initial application. So if you don’t allow them to complete the inspection, your application will likely get rejected altogether.
What would fail an inspection?
You might fail a home insurance inspection if:
Your roof is too old
Your home’s wiring is outdated or unsafe
Your deck isn’t up to safety codes
You have a tree dying on your property that’s close to your house or a neighbor’s house
However, a failed inspection doesn’t mean you’re totally out of luck — many insurance companies will still insure you if you make the necessary repairs and modifications within a specific time frame, like 30 days.
