Home Inspections Before You Buy a Cottage

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Home Inspections are an essential part of doing your due-diligence on the cottage or watefront building you are looking at.

In Ontario the Property Inspection business is unregulated. This means some home inspectors do not have formal and/or recognized training in property inspections.

Look for a professional in an association such as the OAHI.

Plan on being there when they go to the property!

You should count on spending several hours going over the building. Save yourself a trip and schedule the septic inspectionon the same day.

Have a look to grey water systems and also to leaching pit.

Please note that they are only concerned about the overall condition of the building and noting and identifying items that may be in need of repair. They do not strip components of the building and unless they are an electrician can only give you an opinion of the electrical system.

If the property has a wood stove this need to be WETT certified before use. Your insurance coverage will require it.

Remember, this is cottage country and if the building is older, many of improvement and additions were done by previous cottage owners.

Cottages and waterfront lands are a lot different than a subdivision or a property in town. Many cottage properties have never seen a survey.

The professional should be all over the building, you should be to! Ask questions, note things, don't be shy...you are paying for the services.

Further due diligence may be needed, contact the municipality if required.

The Following links will bring you to a great number of pages and resourses to watch for when looking to purchase a cottage.

Septic Systems
Grey Water
Leaching Pit
Water Well Inspections
Well Systems
Water Treatment
Cottage Septic
Property Survey
Land Survey
Crown Land
ShoreRoad Allowance
Restrictive Covenenants
Cottage Docks
Propane Heating
Wood Stoves
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