Preparing for your new-home pre-delivery inspection

Prepare the documents and your inspection route

Keep your selected plan, documented features, upgrade selections and appointment instructions together. Make a list of the specific items you want to compare with the delivered home. If there were agreed selections or changes, bring the record that identifies them. This helps you distinguish a question about your purchase from a general preference about how a room looks.

Plan to move through the home in a consistent order. Start at one entrance and work room by room, then review the exterior areas you are permitted to access. Use a notebook or a simple digital list with a separate heading for each space. If you intend to bring a representative or inspector, confirm the appointment arrangements with the builder in advance.

Describe each item so another person can find it

For each concern, record the room, precise location and observed condition. For example, identifying a damaged cabinet door by its position is more useful than writing kitchen problem. Distinguish an item that is missing or unfinished from one that appears damaged or does not operate when demonstrated.

Take photographs where permitted and pair them with the relevant note. Include a wider view for location and a closer view for the detail. Keep originals with the inspection date. Avoid relying only on photographs: a short written description explains what you were trying to record and helps you track later responses.

Use the same visual routine in every room

Look systematically at floors, walls, ceilings, doors, windows and fitted items. Compare visible finishes with the documented selections and note anything you cannot assess because it is covered, inaccessible or incomplete. Ask the builder representative to explain how the item will be recorded and what happens next.

In the kitchen and bathrooms, pay attention to the visible condition of cabinetry, counters, fixtures and installed items. Ask for demonstrations rather than experimenting with unfamiliar equipment. The aim is to create a useful condition record and understand the delivered home, not to carry out unsafe or destructive testing.

For a secondary-suite configuration, keep notes for each residence and its access points distinct. Use the exact layout and documented inclusions. That makes it easier to identify whether a concern belongs to a particular room, entrance or system without assuming the two areas are arranged identically.

Use the appointment to learn how the home works

Ask the representative to identify controls, shutoffs and the routine information you will need after moving in. Request the relevant manuals and maintenance instructions. Write down where documents will be supplied if they are not available at the appointment, and who to contact with follow-up operating questions.

Before leaving a room, ask any question that would otherwise lead you to guess during move-in. A short explanation of a control or required maintenance task can be more useful than a photograph of an unfamiliar panel. Leave equipment operation and technical conclusions to the appropriate qualified person.

Keep the PDI record separate from warranty submissions

Tarion explains that the PDI record is not itself a request for warranty assistance. If an item remains unresolved and you want Tarion’s help, follow the current warranty submission process and applicable timelines. Do not assume that listing an item during the walkthrough completes every later reporting step.

Obtain a copy of the completed record and organize it with the purchase documents, photographs and follow-up correspondence. Check Tarion’s current homeowner guidance for the process that applies to your home and possession date. Avoid relying on a deadline copied from an older article or a different type of property.

Create a follow-up list before move-in gets busy

After the appointment, make a short tracking sheet showing each item, its location, any response received and the next action you need to take. Keep a record of completed work as well as outstanding questions. If you are unsure whether an issue should be reported through another process, ask rather than waiting for an assumption to resolve itself.

The most useful preparation is an organized record you can return to when moving becomes hectic. Save copies somewhere you can access easily, and put reminders in your calendar for the current reporting requirements you have verified.

• Plan, selections and appointment instructions ready
• Room-by-room notes and dated photographs organized
• Home systems demonstrated and manuals requested
• Completed inspection record retained
• Current warranty reporting steps checked separately