Home/Home Inspection/Washington, DC
Home inspection
Home Inspection in Washington, DC
A DC licensed home inspector walks every level of the rowhouse or condo with you, then hands over a photo report that ranks what needs attention before closing.
Read client reviews Licensed and insured inspectors Serving all of Washington, DC
What we check in a Washington home
The inspection follows the same 12 areas, from the roof down to the grounds, within the agreed scope and safe access available. It is visual and non-invasive: finishes are not removed, and personal belongings are not moved. Select an area to see what is checked.
- Range, oven and wall oven run normally
- Dishwasher, disposer and microwave run
- Kitchen exhaust fan and the dryer vent exit
- Service entrance, meter and main disconnect
- Panels, breakers, grounding and bonding
- Sampled outlets and switches; GFCI, AFCI, smoke and CO detectors
- Siding, flashing, trim, eaves, soffits and fascia
- Every exterior door and a sample of windows
- Walkways, driveway, stoops, porches, decks and railings
- Foundation walls, slabs and the basement
- Any accessible crawlspace
- Signs of movement, water penetration and wood touching soil
- Vehicle door and opener on their normal controls
- Auto reverse and photo eye safety sensors
- Walls, ceiling, floor and the fire door into the house
- Grading and drainage at the foundation
- Retaining walls and vegetation against the house
- Downspout discharge, walkways, driveway and steps
- Heating and cooling run on their normal controls
- Energy source, method and thermostat location noted
- Visible ducts, filter, condensate drainage and equipment condition
- Floors, walls, ceilings, stairs and railings
- A sample of doors and windows opened and closed
- Accessible attic: insulation depth, ventilation and framing; fireplace and damper
- Sink, faucet, drain and disposer run
- Dishwasher connection checked for leaks
- Cabinets, drawers, counters, floors, walls, ceiling and exhaust fan
- Main water and fuel shut-offs located
- Water heater, its venting and TPR valve; pipe materials
- Every toilet flushed; every sink, tub and shower run
- Coverings, flashing, vents, skylights and chimney
- Gutters, downspouts, eaves and rake
- Roof structure from inside the attic where accessible
- Visible framing, beams, posts and joists
- Masonry walls and the chimney structure
- Settlement signs: cracks, out of square openings, unlevel floors
Every inspection follows a written standard of practice. Need additional testing? Explore radon testing, termite inspection, mold testing and water testing, then confirm your selected services and timing when booking.
Add a package to the inspection
Three packages built around the home inspection. Package prices are for the add-on services only and are added to the inspection price. The savings are against booking the same services one by one.
Home Essentials
The perfect starting point
Home Advantage
Most popular for homebuyers
Home Enhanced
The ultimate peace of mind
Warranties must be requested when you book, not after the inspection. Radon and thermal imaging can also be added on their own. Read more about each package.
What a home inspection actually involves
No jargon, no surprises. Here is the whole visit, start to finish, so you know what you are booking before you book it.
You book, we confirm
Online or by phone, in a few minutes. Your agent can book for you. Add radon, termite or a package at the same time, and we confirm the appointment with you before the visit.
The walk-around
Roof, siding, grading, decks, the garage and the grounds first. The inspector photographs what they find as they go, so the report shows you exactly where each item is.
Systems and accessible spaces
The inspector checks accessible electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling components and operates equipment with normal controls when conditions allow. The report identifies areas that could not be inspected and any recommended follow-up.
The walkthrough and the report
You see the main findings in the house itself. The written report follows online with photos, priorities and what to do about each item.
Rowhouses, basements and high-rises
Washington's housing runs from Capitol Hill rowhouses with a converted English basement below, to Brookland's detached streets, to condominium towers near the Metro. A rowhouse can carry a century of altered wiring and plumbing behind one facade, so the inspection reads each system on its own rather than assuming the block sets the standard.
Party walls and cellar stairs
Many of these rowhouses share a party wall with the house next door and hide a cellar stairway behind a closet door or beneath the front stoop. Additions and finished lower levels have gone in over the decades, so the inspection reads the generations: which electrical panel is original, where a supply line was rerouted, and how the roof drains toward a shared wall instead of open ground. A converted English basement gets the same attention as the floors above it, from its windows and doors to its heating equipment.
Washington has no county government of its own; the DC Department of Buildings runs Scout, a free online tool that looks up plan reviews, permits and certificates of occupancy for any address in the District.
Single houses beside newer towers
A detached or semi-detached house near Brookland is more likely to have a crawlspace or a small basement, plus a yard where grading and downspout discharge matter as much as the roof itself. In a condominium tower near a Metro station, the inspection covers the unit's own electrical panel, plumbing fixtures, heating and cooling equipment, and windows, while the building's roof and elevators stay with the association. Either way, the report separates what belongs to your unit from what does not.
DC's own Department of Buildings, rather than a county office, reviews plans for zoning and building requirements and issues every construction permit in the District, then inspects the work before it signs off.
Home inspections around Washington
The same inspectors cover Washington and every place listed below, each with its own page.
Home inspections by city
Washington DC
Washington DC home inspection, plainly explained
What Washington DC buyers actually want to know before they book an inspection.
Does Washington having no county government change how the inspection is scheduled?
No. Booking and the visit itself work the same as anywhere else we serve. The practical difference shows up if you ever pull a permit history: Washington issues its own records through the Department of Buildings rather than a county office, since the District has no county tier of government beneath it. Give us the address and unit number if the property is a rowhouse split into apartments, so we know how many units to expect.
What does the inspection cover in a rented English basement unit?
The same as any other unit: the electrical panel or subpanel, plumbing fixtures, heating and cooling on their normal controls, windows, doors and interior finishes. An English basement often has its own entrance and sits partly below grade, so the inspection also looks closely at grading against the foundation and how water drains away from that lower entry. Shared systems above, such as a furnace serving both units, get noted as shared rather than assumed to belong to the basement alone.
Can I attend the walkthrough if I am buying a rowhouse under a tight settlement deadline?
Yes, and the walkthrough is worth building into that timeline. You are welcome for the whole visit or just the final walkthrough, when the inspector covers what was found room by room. Rowhouse settlements in the District often move fast, so tell us at booking about your deadline; the written report gives you photos and priorities you can hand straight to your agent or attorney.
Our unit is on the tenth floor of a condominium near a Metro station. What is included?
Everything inside your unit: the panel or subpanel, plumbing, heating and cooling equipment, windows, doors, appliances and finishes. We also note anything your unit shares directly with the building, such as a balcony structure or an in-unit mechanical closet fed from a common riser. The roof, elevators, lobby, hallways and other common elements belong to the condominium association, so the report keeps that line clear rather than guessing at systems we cannot access.
A lot of DC rowhouses have had a pop-top or rear addition. How does the inspector treat that?
It changes what we look for, not how we look. Where new framing meets the original house, the inspection checks the transition for movement, water intrusion at the roofline, and whether the electrical and plumbing were extended cleanly into the added space. A pop-top adds a story and often a new roof deck or door, so those get the same attention as the rest of the exterior. We do not determine whether the addition was permitted; a DC permit history pull can answer that separately.
What should I prepare for a home inspection in Washington?
For a divided rowhouse, distinguish the unit from common or neighboring spaces. Identify lower entrances, roof access arrangements and separately controlled equipment.
Explore Our Inspection Reports
- HD Photography
- Commentary & Recommendations
- Grading Scale
- Repair, Safety & Maintenance