What is a Pre-Delivery (Home) Inspection (PDI)?
A Pre-Delivery (Home) Inspection (PDI) is an opportunity to become familiar with your new home and learn how to operate its systems. It is an important part of the new-home purchase process because it gives you an opportunity to document visible defects and damaged items before you take possession or occupancy.
Click here to download Sample of Pre-Delivery home inspection (PDI) report.
When should a PDI be conducted?
When your new home is substantially complete and ready for occupancy, your builder will contact you to arrange the Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI). NewTrendHome Inspection Inc. can assist you with an independent inspection at this stage. The builder’s representative will also complete the builder’s PDI Form or checklist to record identified deficiencies.
We can carry out an independent inspection alongside the builder’s PDI, before you take possession, with timing and access coordinated in advance with the builder. The builder’s representative completes the builder’s PDI Form while we inspect the home independently and prepare our own report. Our inspection typically requires more time than the builder’s PDI, so please arrange sufficient time for both. A separate independent inspection can also be arranged soon after possession to help identify and document issues before the applicable Tarion warranty submission deadline.
After you take possession of your new home, we can arrange an independent initial warranty inspection, traditionally known as a 30-day inspection. We assess visible and accessible structural and mechanical components, check for safety concerns and incomplete work, and document the findings in a separate report. You can use the report to help prepare your initial Tarion warranty submission; arrange the inspection early and check the applicable submission deadlines in your Tarion MyHome account.
How long does a PDI usually take?
The time required for a Pre-Delivery Home Inspection (PDI) depends on the size of your home, the agreed scope and the access available. We will confirm the expected on-site time before booking; report preparation is separate. A PDI must be carried out carefully and should not be rushed.
What actually happens during the PDI?
We will meet at your new home and walk through it room by room, from top to bottom, inside and out. We take a careful, observant approach throughout the inspection. We inspect visible and accessible structural and mechanical components, check for safety concerns and incomplete work, and document apparent Ontario Building Code deficiencies where applicable. Documenting visible damage, such as a chipped floor tile, before you move in helps establish the condition observed during the inspection and reduces uncertainty about when the damage occurred.
A Pre-Delivery (Home) Inspection is an opportunity to learn how to operate and maintain your new home’s mechanical ventilation system. Understanding the system helps you manage indoor air quality and moisture. Damage caused by inadequate ventilation or improper operation of moisture-producing devices may be excluded from new-home warranty coverage.
If the PDI takes place during winter or in unfavourable weather, we may not be able to fully assess the exterior of your new home. We will document the access and weather limitations in our inspection report, identify areas that could not be assessed and record any observed incomplete work.
What Happens Next?
You will receive our separate inspection report documenting observed deficiencies, with relevant Ontario Building Code references where applicable, to review alongside the builder’s PDI Form. You can use the findings from both documents to complete and submit the applicable Tarion warranty form through the required process.