Scope of a Massachusetts home inspection

The following areas of a home are required to be reported on during a home inspection in Massachusetts:

Roofing

Provided safe and readiliy accessible access to the roof, the inspector will report on signs of leaks, in addition to the following roof components:

• Roof coverings
• Exposed roof drainage systems
• Exposed flashings
• Skylights
• Exterior of chimney
• Other roof penetrations (pipes, etc.)

• Wall cladding
• Entryway doors and windows (a representative number)
• Garage door operators
• Decks
• Balconies
• Stoops/landings
• Steps
• Areaways
• Window wells
• Porches (including hand and guard railings)
• Exposed trim (eaves, soffits, fascias, rake, corner, and other trim boards)
• Flashings
• Driveways
• Walkways
• Grading
• Site drainage
• Retaining walls
• Garage doors on attached garages

Exposed portions of:

• Foundation
• Basement/Under Floor Crawl Space floor.
• Superstructure system (girders, sills, floor joists, headers, and sub-floor).
• Columns and posts.

• Framing (rafters, collar ties, tie beams, trusses, other)
• Roof sheathing (boards, oriented strand board, plywood, other.)
• Flooring (presence or lack of)

• Type of service (overhead or underground, cable, encased in conduit, other)
• Service, feeder, and branch-circuit conductor materials (copper, copper-cladded aluminum, aluminum, other)
• Interior wiring (armored cable, conduit, tubing, nonmetallic cable, knob and tube, flat cable assemblies, other).
• Exterior of exposed service entrance conductors
• Exterior receptacles
• The service equipment, grounding system, main overcurrent device, and the interior of the service and distribution panels
• The exterior of the exposed branch circuit and feeder conductors, their overcurrent devices, and the compatibility of their ampacities and voltages.
• Random interior receptacles
• All bathroom and kitchen countertop receptacles
• All non-dedicated receptacles in the attached garage and on the exterior of inspected structures and in unfinished basements.
• Branch circuits and overcurrent devices in the panel enclosures
• The main service disconnect (30, 60, 100, 125, 150 and/or 200 amp, other service, 120, 120/240, 120/208-volt system)
• Ground-fault circuit interrupters
• Arc fault current interrupters

• Water supply piping materials, including supports and insulation.
• Fixtures and faucets
• Functional Flow
• Leaks
• Cross connections
• Traps; drain, waste, and vent piping; piping supports and pipe insulation.
• Functional drainage
• Hot water heating equipment, normal operating controls, and automatic safety controls
• Exterior of the chimneys, thimbles and vent

• Identify type of energy source (coal, electric, gas, heat pump, oil, wood, other)
• Heating equipment including, but not limited to burners, valves, controls, circulators, and fans.
• Normal operating controls
• Automatic safety controls
• The exterior of the chimneys, thimbles, and vents.
• Solid fuel heating devices
• Heating distribution systems including fans, pumps, ducts, piping and supports, dampers, insulation, air filters, registers, radiators, fan coil units, and convectors.
• Existence of insulation
• The presence of an installed heat source in each habitable room including kitchens and bathrooms.
• Exposed flue piping and the existence of a thimble.
• The presence of fireplaces and the operation of their dampers.
• The existence of abandoned oil tanks.

• Cooling and air handling equipment and normal operating controls.
• Fans
• Pumps
• Ducts and piping
• Dampers
• Insulation
• Registers
• Fan-coil units
• Condensers
• Insulation

• Walls
• Ceilings
• Floors
• Steps, stairways, balconies, hand, and guard railings.
• Countertops and a representative number of cabinets.
• A representative number of doors and windows.
• Separation walls, ceilings, and doors between a dwelling unit and an attached garage or another dwelling unit.

• Exposed insulation in unfinished spaces
• Ventilation of attics and under-floor crawl space areas
• Bathroom venting systems