Do Home Inspectors Check Appliances?

Are Appliances Included in a Home Inspection?

 

Absolutely, however we don’t inspect all appliances. Let me explain: If you were to take a house and flip it upside-down, most of the appliances that would fall out of the house; i.e. non-permanent fixtures, are outside the scope of the inspection. Everything that would stay in place (for the most part) is included in the typical Home Inspection.

 

What Appliances Are Included in a Texas Home Inspection?

• Dishwashers
• Food Waste Disposers (garbage disposals)
• Range-Hood Exaust Systems
• Ranges, Cooktops and Built-In Ovens
• Microwave Ovens
• Mechanical Exhaust Fans and Bathroom Heaters
• Garage Door Openers and
• Dryer Exhaust Systems

All “permanent” appliances, such as built in microwaves, dishwashers, garbage disposals, ovens/stoves, range-hood exhaust systems (sometimes this is the microwave) are part of the standard TREC home inspection and you will find these items near the bottom of the report, in the Appliances section or section 5 (V).

Common deficiencies and probl

ems of these appliances include ranges or ovens that lack an anti-tip device or whose internal thermostat is more than 25 degrees inaccurate, dishwashers whose that are unsecured from the cabinetry or lack air-gaps in their drain-hoses, range-hood exhaust systems or microwaves with inoperative lights, mechanical exhaust fans (also known as “fart fans”) that vent into the attic space and garage door-openers whose photo-sensors are positioned too high above the floor or have door locks enabled.

What Appliances Are NOT Included in the Typical Home Inspection?

Common appliances and fixtures that are present but not inspected during a home inspection include items that commonly don’t “convey” or don’t stay with the home when the home-owner leaves, as well as less-common appliances that the average home inspector simply isn’t qualified to inspect. These appliances include:

• Refrigerators
• Microwaves that aren’t built into the cabinetry or permanently fixed in place, such as those sitting on a kitchen countertop
• Washing Machines and Dryers
• Water Softener Systems
• Water Filtration Systems
• Whole-House Vacuum Systems
• Outdoor Cooking Equipment such as permanently installed grills
• Trash Compactors
• And other appliances and fixtures not listed in the “inspected” section.

When we encounter any of the appliances or fixtures above, we will often take a picture or two and note that we ran into them in the report, but we typically don’t make any type of performance comment. We always recommend that you consult with the home-seller about proper operation and maintenance of these uninspected appliances and of course check your contract to make sure that they aren’t leaving with the home-owner.