Video - The Difference Between Home & Building Inspections

Our construction litigation team at FH&P Lawyers is experienced in a wide range of construction-related matters from design development to tendering and resolution of any disputes. We are trusted advisors of contractors, project managers, engineers and developers and can assist throughout every step of the construction process. When challenging issues arise our team will find a practical and timely solution to keep the project moving.

A frequently asked question our clients ask is, what is the difference between a home inspection and a building inspection? Associate David Horvath gives a very detailed answer.

Transcript:

One of the common questions I get from clients when they are purchasing a property or building a home is, what is the difference between a home inspection and a building inspection?

For home inspection is required through the contract of sale that you are signing with the seller of the property it's for you as the buyer to ensure that the property is safe to live in, or that there no defects that may affect the contract price. It is a way for the home inspector to go through the property and to see if there are any such defects. What they are looking for is defects that can be seen without entering into walls for instance so they are not going to be cutting any walls whatsoever. They will be providing you with a report detailing any issues with the property that they see, but what they are not going to be doing necessarily is talking about building code issues, that is where a building inspector comes in. A building inspector goes on the job site when the building is getting built, ensures that the job site itself is up to code, that everything is being done on a professional basis, that the building code itself is being adhered too. Also the building inspector is hired by the city versus the home inspector who is hired by you as the purchaser property. So the building inspector will come on to the job site as a contractor working and they will assess how the project is going and whether it's safe to inhabit. One of the jobs of the building inspector is to say whether or not that property will be safe to inhabit and give you an occupancy permit at the end of the day. Now home inspector however that's not their job, necessarily, they are basically there to ensure that there are no defects that may affect the contract price, and that is essentially the difference between the two. You can think of it as the home inspector being the person that you hire during the purchase of a home and the building inspector is an employee sent by the city or your municipality to ensure that the building is safe and it's been constructed up to code.

These issues can be quite complex when you are either purchasing a home or building a new property. If have any questions regarding the inspection process or the purchase and sale of these properties, please just call here at FH&P Lawyers.