Do Home Inspectors Go In The Attic

Crawlspace areas are capable of hiding a multitude of home ills.

Do home inspectors go in the attic.

For example a past renovation might seal up an attic access panel in the ceiling entirely. It can provide clues to serious problems that might not be disclosed or even known by the current owner. As with any other part of a home inspection attics must be accessible. A home inspector can t.

Insulation is rated using an r value. An attic reflects the history of a home. Since the attic like the crawlspace is a place the home owner rarely goes there may be problems in the attic that are not known to the occupants of the property. A warm home needs attic insulation but a well sealed insulated crawlspace means warmer winter months for the homeowner.

Your home inspection should include a check of the insulation in the attic. Before closing on a home the home inspector should examine the attic for structural damage. The higher the r value the better insulation you have from heat loss. If they aren t inspectors are not required to gain entry by heroic means.

Damage to the trusses and rafters can indicate that the home has shifted causing them to crack or break. Attics in homes with a low roof pitch do not have sufficient height for an inspector to move around. While it might be possible for a slim 20 year old to wiggle between truss cords and ducts in a low attic most home inspectors are neither young or trim. Basically the idea is to alert the buyer of any safety issues defects and problems in need of immediate attention.

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. The exterior inspection of the roof is critical but the attic can provide evidence of current or past water entry that may not be evident anywhere else in the house. Another thing the home inspector can do is go into the attic and give a thorough visual check without causing damage. The standards of practice of the american society of home inspectors ashi do not directly address attics but do note that the inspector is not required to enter areas that will in the professional judgment of the inspector likely be dangerous to the inspector or to other persons or to damage the property or its systems and components but the florida dbpr standards of practice are more specific.

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. Because few homeowners want to crawl or scoot underneath the house defects might go undetected for years. The inspection will reveal outdated insulation.