Should you send the seller the whole inspection report?

The inspection report has just arrived: 60 pages and maybe 100 findings, from a loose outlet cover to an aging furnace. Your agent says to "get your requests to the seller" within a few days, and you wonder whether to attach the whole PDF. Usually, don't. The report belongs to you, and you can choose what to share. A short repair request with the matching pages or photos does the job better. The exception is your purchase contract. Some contracts require you to give the seller copies, so read yours before you send anything.

01The short answer

You paid for the inspection, so you control the report. In most deals the seller doesn't need the full document to respond to your concerns. They need to know what you want fixed and see proof that the problem exists. A one- or two-page repair request does that, with the report pages or photos for each item attached.

Sending only that much keeps the talks on the items that matter. A full report gives the seller a long list of small faults to argue over, and it puts on record findings that could affect them later if the deal falls through.

The exception is your contract. Some standard purchase agreements require the buyer to give the seller complete copies of inspection reports. If yours does, the decision is already made for you. Find out before your review period starts running, because that window is often only a few business days. This matters even more in fall, when many buyers are trying to close before Thanksgiving on November 26.

The rest of this article covers why the report is yours, what full disclosure can cost you, what a good repair request looks like, and when the rules change.

02Why the report is yours, and what that means

A home inspection report belongs to whoever paid for it, which is almost always the buyer. You hired the inspector and the inspector worked for you, so you decide who sees the results.

That's why a seller doesn't get a copy by default. According to HomeLight, a seller usually gets the full report only in one of three cases:

• The seller paid part of the inspection cost.
• The buyer agrees to share it.
• The deal collapses and the buyer chooses to share it.

If you're making a case for repairs, you only need to share the relevant pages or sections as evidence of the defects. The seller can't demand the rest just because you've asked for something.

Your inspector's agreement may also touch on this. Some pre-inspection agreements include confidentiality or copying limits. Look for that section in the contract you signed before the inspection. Many inspectors don't use these clauses, because they expect buyers to use the report in negotiations and to share it with the seller. Where such a clause exists, it binds only the people who signed it, which usually means you. If you hand a copy to the seller or the listing agent, the clause doesn't stop them from passing it along, as a Texas Realtor association explains.

That last point is the main reason to be careful with your copy.

03What can go wrong if you send everything

The findings can follow the house. If your deal falls apart, the seller may have to disclose what your report found to the next buyer. That doesn't hurt you directly once you've walked away. But if you're still trying to buy the house and the talks get tense, a full report in the seller's file is something you can't take back. Ohio Realtors note that unless the parties agreed otherwise, the seller owes the first buyer no confidentiality and can have the listing agent share the report with later buyers. Once the seller has it, the report is out of your control.

A long report reads like a long demand. Inspectors write down everything: a missing GFCI cover, a loose railing, peeling caulk at the tub, a water heater near the end of its life. Most of those items are normal for a lived-in house. A seller who gets all 100 may read the full list as a demand to fix everything, even if your cover note asks for only five. That can make the seller defensive at the point where you need them to agree to something.

It gives the seller more to argue about. Every extra page is something the seller's side can question or dispute. You want them focused on the roof leak, not on whether the inspector was right about the gutter slope.

Keeping it to yourself is usually fine. In most places, not sharing your report is not a legal problem for you as the buyer. Disclosure duties generally fall on sellers and their agents, not on buyers. The exception is a contract that says otherwise, covered below.

04What to send instead

Send a written repair request that covers only items that matter. Here's how to build it.

1. Limit it to health, safety and major systems. Good candidates include:

• Active roof leaks or a roof at the end of its life
• Foundation cracks, sagging framing or other structural concerns
• Electrical hazards: double-tapped breakers, scorched wiring, missing grounding, outdated panels flagged as unsafe
• Plumbing leaks, failing water heaters, sewer line problems
• Furnace or boiler safety problems, such as a cracked heat exchanger or venting faults. These are timely in fall, when the heat comes on for the season.
• Evidence of moisture, mold or pest damage
• Radon or carbon monoxide concerns

2. Leave out cosmetic and minor items. Leave out scuffed floors, small caulk gaps, sticky doors, dated fixtures and upgrades the house was never meant to have. You can fix most of these yourself after closing for less than it costs to argue about them.

3. Attach only the evidence. For each item, include the report page or the inspector's photo that shows it. Number the items in your request and match the attachments to them so the seller's agent can follow along easily.

4. Send it on time. Buyers typically have 2–3 business days after the inspection to review the report and send a request, according to HomeLight. Check your contract for the exact deadline. Missing it can cost you the right to negotiate or to back out.

5. Know what the seller can do. The seller can:

• Make the repairs
• Offer a credit at closing or a lower price
• Counter with a partial offer
• Refuse

In many states a seller has no duty to make repairs, so treat your request as the start of a negotiation, not a bill. If the seller counters, you typically have about 3 days to respond.

6. Put the final deal in the contract. Whatever you agree on, whether repairs, a credit or a price cut, belongs in a written amendment or addendum to the purchase contract. A verbal promise made during a phone call between agents won't hold up at the final walkthrough.

A note for sellers reading this: a pre-listing inspection costs about $330, according to figures HomeLight cites. With your own report in hand, the buyer's findings are less likely to surprise you, and you decide what to fix before anyone makes an offer.

05When you may have to share it, and the state differences

Check the contract first. Some standard purchase forms require the buyer to give the seller the reports. One California example: a 2013 column on Noozhawk quoted the California Association of Realtors Residential Purchase Agreement as saying "Buyer shall give seller, at no cost, complete copies of all investigation reports obtained by buyer," and that this "obligation shall survive the termination of the agreement." In other words, under that version you'd owe the seller the full report even if you backed out. Forms are revised over time, so the current wording and paragraph number may differ. Read the clause in the contract you actually signed, and look for words like "investigation reports," "copies" or "deliver to seller."

Seller disclosure rules vary by state. What happens to your findings after you share them depends on where the house is. These summaries come from state Realtor associations:

• Ohio: The listing agent must disclose a negative inspection to later buyers as a material fact, even if the seller disputes the findings.
• Pennsylvania: If the seller's disclosures become inaccurate before settlement, the law (Section 7307) requires the seller to notify the buyer. The seller is not required to hand over reports that were prepared for other buyers.
• North Carolina: The listing agent must disclose material facts found in an inspection report. The report itself, and the fact that it exists, is not a material fact that has to be disclosed. That guidance dates from 2015.

These are trade-group summaries, not legal advice, and the rules can change. If your contract is unclear, if the seller's side is pressing for the full report, or if the deal is falling apart, ask your agent and consider a short consult with a real estate attorney licensed in your state.

06Quick checklist

Before you send anything to the seller:

• [ ] Read your purchase contract. Look for any clause requiring you to deliver inspection reports. If it's there, follow it.
• [ ] Check your inspector's agreement for confidentiality or copying limits.
• [ ] Note your deadline. Count the business days in your inspection period.
• [ ] Pick the items. Choose health, safety, structural and major-system problems. Leave out cosmetic items and upgrades.
• [ ] Decide what you want for each item: a repair, a credit or a price cut.
• [ ] Attach only the matching pages or photos, numbered to match your list.
• [ ] Send it in writing through your agent, and keep the date-stamped copy.
• [ ] Get any agreement into a signed addendum before closing.
• [ ] Keep your full report. It's your maintenance list for the first years in the house.

Sources (8)

• HomeLight: Do Sellers Get a Copy of the Home Inspection?
• HomeLight: After the Home Inspection, What's Next?
• Clever Real Estate: Reasonable Requests After a Home Inspection
• MetroTex Association of Realtors: Are Sellers Barred From Sharing Inspection Reports With Future Buyers?
• Ohio Realtors: Legally Speaking, Dealing With a Negative Home Inspection Report
• Pennsylvania Association of Realtors: Seller's Duties With Inspection Reports
• North Carolina Realtors: Is an Inspection Report a Material Fact That Must Be Disclosed?
• Noozhawk: Laurel Abbott, Who Owns a Home Inspection?

Photo by jarmoluk on Pixabay.