What goes in a home inspection pre-inspection agreement?

The state rules read for this post ask for much the same short list. Taken together, they come down to these items:

• The inspector's name, contact information, and license number.
• The client's name and the property address.
• The fee for the services.
• The scope: the systems to be inspected, and the standard of practice the inspection follows.
• Exclusions, such as mold, asbestos, radon, and other environmental issues.
• When the report will be delivered.
• Signatures and dates.

Both national standards expect the agreement to shape the scope. InterNACHI's Standards of Practice say the client and inspector can change the scope of work before the inspection. The ASHI Standard of Practice lets the inspector exclude systems the client asks to leave out or agrees to leave out. Put that change in writing, in the agreement.

The delivery date matters more in some states than others. Under North Carolina's G.S. 143-151.58, the report is due by the date in the written agreement. If the agreement names no date, it is due within three business days of the inspection.

These seven states set out what the agreement has to say. The table covers only the rules read on October 29, 2026, not every state:

Virginia's list runs longest of the seven. Its exclusions alone name 16 items an agreement can leave out, such as remaining service life and market value. The contract also has to disclose any financial interest in a contractor the inspector recommends. So does any repair the inspector designed or made on the house in the preceding 12 months. It must say the report is not a guarantee, warranty, or insurance.

"Before the inspection" means different things in different states. Each rule sets its own point:

• Virginia: signed by both before work starts or any payment is taken, with a fully signed copy delivered before work begins.
• North Carolina: signed by the client before the inspection. The licensure board's compliance sheet says that means before the on-site inspection, not before the report.
• Illinois: signed by both before the inspection.
• New York: given to the client before the inspection.
• Washington: a copy goes to the client before the inspection, unless circumstances prevent it, under WAC 308-408C-060.
• Oregon: signed before the inspection is complete, which the rule defines as the day the first written report is delivered.
• Florida: the disclosure comes before contracting or starting the inspection.

Getting the signature at booking meets every one of these deadlines. Report software can send the agreement for an online signature at booking, so the client signs before anyone drives to the house. For how a signed agreement ties into the fee and the report hold, see how home inspectors make sure they get paid.

Many agreements try to cap what the inspector can owe, often at the fee. Some states have a statute on that. These five were read on October 29, 2026:

Virginia goes the other way and requires a general statement on the limits of the inspector's liability in every contract. Where a statute is silent, courts in different states treat these clauses differently.

In Russ Motyko's view, from more than 3,000 inspections, whether a court enforces a cap depends on the state's law and how the clause is written. He tells inspectors to have an attorney in their state review it. An agreement does not replace errors and omissions (E&O) insurance either. For more, see do home inspectors need E&O insurance.

None of the state rules and statutes in this post mention arbitration. InterNACHI's list of contract issues does. It names dispute resolution by mediation, arbitration, or litigation, a forum selection clause, and a waiver of the right to a jury trial.

Some agreements also set a procedure for claims. InterNACHI lists notice to the inspector, a chance to inspect, and time limits. A state can block a shorter deadline. Wisconsin's Stat. 440.977 says its period for a claim against a home inspector cannot be reduced by agreement. For the deadlines in other states, see how long after an inspection a client can sue.

Whether an arbitration clause, a jury waiver, or a shortened deadline holds up is a matter of state contract law. Talk to a lawyer in your state before relying on one.

InterNACHI publishes a standard home inspection agreement that it offers free to members, marked for members' use only. Its page says many members use it as the basis for their own contracts, and that laws vary from state to state. It also offers state-specific versions, plus Spanish and French translations revised in November 2017.

Check any model form against your state's rule line by line. A form written for one state can miss a clause another state requires. New York's two 6-point clauses are one example. For what each standard of practice covers, see home inspection standards of practice.