What We Offer

Home Inspection Services in Ottawa & Gatineau

Every property is different. Every buyer, seller, and homeowner has different needs. Here is what we offer — and why each inspection type matters for your specific situation.

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01 For Buyers

Pre-Purchase Home Inspection

A pre-purchase home inspection in Ottawa or Gatineau is the most important step a buyer can take before signing. A thorough inspection gives you an independent, professional assessment of the property's true condition — before the deal closes and the responsibility becomes yours.

  • Full visual inspection of the structure, roof, foundation, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, insulation, attic, and exterior
  • Thermal imaging included in every inspection to detect hidden moisture, active leaks, and heat loss not visible to the naked eye
  • Drone roof inspection used where conditions allow, providing detailed aerial documentation of roofing components, flashings, and penetrations
  • Identification of safety hazards, active deficiencies, and items approaching end of serviceable life
  • Clear distinction between cosmetic issues and conditions that require negotiation, budgeting, or specialist evaluation
  • Same-day digital report with photos, priority ratings, and maintenance timelines — delivered before your conditional period expires
Why it matters in Ottawa's market: 86% of home inspections uncover at least one defect requiring attention, and the average inspection identifies approximately $4,000 in potential repairs. In Ottawa and Gatineau, where older housing stock, Leda clay soil, and freeze-thaw conditions create specific risks, that number is frequently higher. The inspection cost is typically recovered many times over — either in negotiating leverage or in repairs you avoid inheriting.
Book a Pre-Purchase Inspection
86%
of home inspections uncover at least one defect requiring attention
Porch / RubyHome survey, 998 Canadian homebuyers
~$4,000
average value of repairs identified during a standard home inspection
ZipDo Home Inspection Statistics, 2025
2–3 hrs
typical inspection duration for an Ottawa home — buyers are encouraged to attend the full inspection
Ottawa AAA Home Inspections standard
Fewer
surprises at closing when sellers know the condition of their home before listing
Stronger
negotiating position — you control the narrative around any findings rather than reacting to a buyer's report
Faster
sales and fewer conditional offers when buyers can see the home's condition upfront
02 For Sellers

Pre-Sale Home Inspection

A pre-sale inspection gives Ottawa and Gatineau sellers a strategic advantage before listing. Rather than discovering issues through a buyer's inspection — when you have little time and maximum pressure — you find them first, address what matters, and go to market with full transparency and confidence. We also offer you the opportunity to have our inspection report revised: once you as the seller provide proof that a deficiency has been properly addressed and corrected, we remove it from the report — so you can present a clean inspection that reflects your home's true current condition, which may save you on negotiations and eliminate surprises at closing.

  • Complete assessment of the home's condition before it goes on the market — on your timeline, not a buyer's deadline
  • Identification of deficiencies that could kill a deal or trigger last-minute price reductions
  • Help setting a realistic, defensible listing price based on the property's actual condition
  • A professional inspection report you can share with buyers — demonstrating transparency and reducing the likelihood of a conditional offer on inspections
  • Opportunity to address significant findings before they become negotiating leverage for the buyer
The seller's advantage: In Ontario, sellers are legally obligated to disclose known defects. A pre-sale inspection fulfils that obligation proactively — and turns disclosure into a selling point rather than a liability. Buyers who see a clean, professional inspection report move faster and negotiate less aggressively than those discovering problems for the first time through their own inspector.
Book a Pre-Sale Inspection
03 For New Home Owners in Ontario

Tarion Warranty Inspection

Every new home built in Ontario is protected by mandatory warranty coverage administered by Tarion — but that coverage only protects you if defects are identified and reported within strict deadlines. A professional Tarion warranty inspection ensures nothing is missed before your reporting window closes.

  • Pre-deadline inspection timed to your 30-day, 1-year, or 2-year Tarion reporting windows
  • Systematic documentation of deficiencies in workmanship, materials, building envelope, mechanical systems, and structural components
  • Detailed written report formatted to support your Tarion warranty claim with photos and clear item descriptions
  • Independent third-party assessment — not the builder's own walkthrough coordinator
  • Guidance on which findings fall within which coverage period so nothing slips through the cracks
30 Days
Workmanship, Materials & PDI Items
Covers items noted on your Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) form that remain unresolved, plus any new defects in work or materials and unauthorized substitutions discovered within the first 30 days of possession. Common examples include: windows and doors that do not open, close or lock properly; missing or damaged hardware; caulking gaps around tubs, showers and sinks; scratched or cracked tiles; damaged flooring or trim; paint deficiencies; improperly installed fixtures; and any items that were agreed upon in your purchase contract but missing or incorrectly substituted at possession.
1 Year
Workmanship, Materials, Ontario Building Code & Habitability
Requires the home to be constructed in a workman-like manner and free from defects in material. Protects against Ontario Building Code violations, unauthorized substitutions, and requires the home to be fit for habitation. Applies for one year beginning on the date of possession, even if the home is sold. Common examples include: doors and windows that stick, leak air, or fail to seal properly; settlement cracks in drywall or ceilings; grout and tile failures; gaps or separations in flooring, baseboards and trim; faulty faucets, shower valves or drain connections; improperly vented exhaust fans; garage door operation deficiencies; and any workmanship that does not meet the standards set out in Tarion's Construction Performance Guidelines.
2 Years
Water Penetration, Building Envelope & Major Systems
Protects against water penetration through the basement or foundation walls; defects in work or materials that result in water penetration into the building envelope; defects in work or materials in the electrical, plumbing and heating delivery and distribution systems; detachment, displacement or deterioration of exterior cladding; and violations of the Ontario Building Code that affect health and safety. Applies for two years beginning on the date of possession.
7 Years
Major Structural Defects
Covers any defect in work or materials in respect of a building — including a crack, distortion or displacement of a structural load-bearing element — if it results in failure of a structural load-bearing element, materially and adversely affects its ability to carry, bear and resist applicable structural loads, or materially and adversely affects the use of a significant portion of the building for usual and ordinary residential purposes. Begins on the date of possession and ends on the seventh anniversary of that date.

Important: The 1-year warranty window is the most comprehensive — the majority of defects are no longer covered after it closes, and repairs become your expense. Missing a reporting deadline means losing coverage permanently. Scheduling your inspection 4 to 6 weeks before each deadline gives time to document, report, and respond to the builder.
Book a Tarion Warranty Inspection
Up to 7 yrs
of mandatory warranty protection on every new Ontario home — but only if defects are reported on time
Tarion.com — Ontario New Home Warranties Act
4 windows
to report defects — 30-day, 1-year, 2-year, and 7-year — each with strict deadlines that cannot be extended
Tarion Warranty Corporation, Ontario
Year 1
is your most important deadline — most defects stop being covered after the 1-year window closes
1% to 3%
of a home's purchase price is the recommended annual maintenance budget — a professional inspection helps you spend it in the right places
$1 → $4–5
saved in major repairs for every $1 spent on preventive maintenance — the most cost-effective investment a homeowner can make
95% vs 85%
value retained by well-maintained homes compared to neglected properties — documented maintenance history increases buyer confidence
04 For Current Homeowners

Annual Maintenance Inspection

An annual maintenance inspection is one of the most cost-effective investments an Ottawa or Gatineau homeowner can make. Rather than waiting for a problem to become visible — or expensive — a yearly professional walkthrough catches small issues before they compound into major repairs.

  • Systematic assessment of all major home systems and components on an annual cycle — roof, attic, foundation, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, exterior, and drainage
  • Ottawa-specific seasonal checklist covering post-winter foundation and drainage conditions, ice dam aftermath, summer moisture, and pre-winter system readiness
  • A straightforward maintenance report identifying all deficiencies found during the inspection, with practical guidance on how to address each one and recommended best practices going forward
  • Independent assessment with no conflict of interest — unlike contractor visits, there is nothing to sell you
Ottawa's climate makes annual inspections especially valuable. Our freeze-thaw cycles, heavy snowfall, and clay-heavy soil stress home systems in ways that most mild-climate maintenance guides do not account for. Small drainage issues that worsen each spring, attic condensation that builds through winter, and foundation cracks that widen incrementally — these are the things a trained local inspector catches before they become significant repair bills.
Book an Annual Maintenance Inspection
05 For New Construction Buyers

New Build Inspection

A brand new home is not automatically a defect-free home. Builders work with multiple subcontractors under tight schedules, and construction shortcuts — in grading, insulation, mechanical connections, and finishing details — are more common than most buyers expect. A third-party new build inspection gives you an independent professional assessment before possession, not after.

  • Pre-possession walkthrough of all accessible systems and components — independent of the builder's own PDI coordinator
  • Assessment of workmanship quality, code compliance, and installation standards across structure, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and envelope systems
  • Identification of grading and drainage issues that are easiest to correct before landscaping and driveways are finalized
  • Documentation of any deficiencies to support your Tarion PDI and 30-day warranty claim from day one
  • Ottawa-specific review of foundation and drainage conditions — critical in our clay-heavy soil where improper grading at possession becomes a foundation problem within a few seasons
The builder's inspector is not your inspector. Municipal building inspectors verify Ontario Building Code compliance — they do not represent your interests or assess quality of workmanship beyond minimum legal standards. The builder's own walkthrough coordinator has an inherent conflict of interest. A third-party inspection gives you an unbiased assessment of what you are actually taking possession of, with a written record that supports any Tarion claims that follow.
Book a New Build Inspection
Multiple
subcontractors working under tight timelines means mistakes happen at every stage — even in new construction
Code ≠ Quality
municipal inspectors check for Ontario Building Code compliance only — not workmanship quality or your interests as the buyer
Day 1
is the best time to document deficiencies — before possession locks in your baseline and Tarion deadlines begin
Get Started

Not Sure Which Inspection You Need?

Call or email us and we will help you identify the right service for your situation. Serving Ottawa, Gatineau, Barrhaven, Kanata, Orleans, Nepean, and surrounding areas.

Book an Inspection 📞 (613) 371-7980