Do Home Inspectors Go Into Attics

Remember one of the biggest complaints against home inspectors is missed roof leaks.

Do home inspectors go into attics. It s important to know who s living in your home before you sign papers at the closing table. Most people don t make a habit of going up into their attic and so they have no idea what is going on up there. An attic reflects the history of a home. Or the homeowner might have a bureau placed in front of an attic door.

A home inspector can t. One place that we don t often go to that a home inspector will go to is the attic. If they aren t inspectors are not required to gain entry by heroic means. Attics in homes with a low roof pitch do not have sufficient height for an inspector to move around.

While the inspector performs the attic inspection note the condition of storage areas and attic floors look for damaged floorboards and again look for evidence of water pest and fire damage. As with any other part of a home inspection attics must be accessible. If your home inspector can get into the attic without trampling insulation you can often learn a lot about the home and any renovations or repairs. For example a past renovation might seal up an attic access panel in the ceiling entirely.

Basically the idea is to alert the buyer of any safety issues defects and problems in need of immediate attention. Your home inspector can identify termite infestations and the existence of other wildlife in your attic. One very common inspection red flag is improper venting of bathroom fans into the attic and not extending the vent all the way through the roof. Attic inspections aren t usually foremost on a homebuyer s mind but there are a lot of good reasons for them to get up there or send their home inspector to take a look around.

So are home inspectors really expected to shimmy inside. In most cases the answer is yes. Another thing the home inspector can do is go into the attic and give a thorough visual check without causing damage. It can provide clues to serious problems that might not be disclosed or even known by the current owner.

An attic where there s moisture build up is enticing to these pests. Once a seller accepts the buyer s offer it s time for the home inspection.