How to Choose a Home Inspector in Virginia: What to Check

For a Virginia home inspection, check the inspector’s active DPOR license and, for new residential structures, the relevant NRS specialty. Read the contract before paying. The written scope should identify the building, systems, exclusions and report arrangements so you can compare the service with your purchase deadline.

Match the Virginia credential to the building

The Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors administers home inspector licensing. Ask for the assigned inspector’s name and use DPOR’s license resources. For new construction, explain the stage of work and ask about the NRS specialty. Do not treat an ordinary license and a new-construction qualification as identical.

Virginia’s home inspector regulations define the NRS specialty and the relevant inspection requirements. Ask the candidate to identify the service being offered: a completed-home inspection, an inspection during construction, or something else. Put the answer in the agreement.

Use the contract as your first quality check

Under 18VAC15-40-120, the inspector and client or authorized representative must sign the written contract before work begins or payment is accepted. The inspector must deliver the executed copy before starting. Changes to cost, scope or estimated completion date must also be written and signed.

Read the property address and list of included areas. Look for any NRS notation that applies. If the proposal says only home inspection, ask for the missing scope before accepting it. A clear contract gives you something concrete to compare against the eventual report.

Understand Virginia’s insurance floor

18VAC15-40-30(G) requires evidence of general liability insurance with at least $250,000 per occurrence for licensure. A qualifying business or commercial policy can satisfy the requirement with the applicant listed as an additional insured, subject to the Board’s coverage determination. This is a general liability requirement. Ask about E&O separately rather than assuming it is the same policy.

Request current evidence for the named inspector and ask who handles insurance questions. Treat a coverage limit as a policy term, not a promise that every disputed finding will produce a payment.

Ask how a vacant house will be tested

If power, water or fuel is disconnected, describe that before the booking. Ask which systems cannot be operated and how those limits will be reported. Arrange access with the seller. Do not direct the inspector to energize equipment the owner has left off for an unknown reason.

Request the return-visit policy. A later visit should have a defined scope: what will be checked, what new report will be issued, and what it costs. Your representative can help coordinate access; the inspection agreement should still identify the actual service.

Read a report from the buyer’s position

Choose a sample entry involving an inaccessible attic or a foundation concern. Look for enough description to locate the condition. Ask why the inspector recommended a specialist and what question that specialist should answer. A recommendation that just says investigate further leaves you to design the next step.

When reviewing the actual report, separate questions about the home’s condition from requests about your contract rights. Ask your transaction adviser about notices and deadlines. The inspector’s appointment does not decide whether a seller must accept a repair request.

A Virginia booking checklist

• DPOR record and assigned person’s name match.
• NRS service and credential addressed where relevant.
• Agreement received before payment or inspection.
• Disconnected utilities and restricted spaces listed.
• Report, questions and any return visit scheduled.

Compare the seller’s answers with the Virginia disclosure guide. Keep the report’s repair recommendations beside your maintenance budget, with separately obtained quotes for work that could change the purchase decision.

How should I handle a replacement inspector?

Request the replacement’s name first. Verify that person’s Virginia credential and any relevant NRS specialty. Ask the office to update the agreement if the personnel change affects its terms. You should know who accepts responsibility for the service before the property visit.

Also confirm that information sent to the original inspector has reached the replacement. A note about a disconnected system or locked room should not vanish during scheduling. Keep the confirmation. The report should reflect the conditions encountered at the appointment and identify limitations clearly enough for you to arrange a follow-up.