Condo Inspection Checklist: What to Inspect (and What the HOA Owns)

Buying a condo is fundamentally different from buying a single-family home — and the home inspection reflects that difference. In a condo, you often own the interior of your unit (and sometimes not even all of that), while the HOA or strata corporation is often responsible for the structure, roof, mechanical systems, and common areas under the governing documents. This changes what a home inspector can examine, and it means your due diligence has to extend well beyond the inspection itself.

This guide walks you through a complete condo inspection checklist: what to inspect inside the unit, what questions to ask about the building, and the additional documents you should review that no home inspector will hand you.

What a Condo Inspection Actually Covers

A standard unit-only home inspection covers accessible components within and serving your unit. The inspector will look at:

• Electrical: The panel or subpanel serving the unit, outlets, GFCI protection in wet areas, light fixtures, and visible wiring
• Plumbing: Supply and drain lines within the unit, fixtures (kitchen and bathroom faucets, toilets, showerheads), water pressure, and drainage speed
• HVAC: The heating and cooling equipment within the unit — typically a fan coil unit, heat pump, in-unit mini-split, or through-wall unit
• Water heater: If the unit has its own water heater (not all condos do — some are served by a central system)
• Interior finishes: Windows (operation and sealing), doors, floors, walls, and ceilings for visible defects, moisture staining, or structural concerns
• Appliances: Refrigerator, dishwasher, range/oven, microwave, and washer/dryer if included in the sale
• Ventilation: Bathroom exhaust fans and kitchen range hoods, confirming they exhaust to the exterior and not into a shared wall or attic space

What a unit-only condo inspection typically cannot evaluate:

• The roof or other components assigned to common areas
• The foundation or structural elements of the building
• Common area mechanical systems (central boilers, shared HVAC equipment, elevators)
• Underground parking and shared storage
• The exterior envelope — siding, waterproofing, or windows assigned to common areas

This is not a flaw in the inspection. It reflects ownership. But it means you have a significant blind spot on the major cost items — and you have to fill that blind spot through other channels.

The Condo Inspection Checklist: Inside Your Unit

Work through this list systematically during your inspection. Follow the inspector, ask questions, and take your own notes.

Electrical

• [ ] Confirm the electrical panel is accessible and breakers are correctly labeled
• [ ] Test all outlets with a plug-in outlet tester (your inspector will do this)
• [ ] Verify GFCI outlets are present and functional in kitchen, both bathrooms, laundry, and any outdoor balcony outlets
• [ ] Check for any double-tapped breakers or visible wiring concerns
• [ ] Note the unit's service rating (100A or more is common; 200A may help if you plan to add EV charging)

Plumbing

• [ ] Run all faucets and confirm adequate water pressure (low pressure may indicate supply line issues or building-wide problems)
• [ ] Check under all sinks for active leaks, water staining, or evidence of past repairs
• [ ] Flush all toilets and confirm proper fill and shut-off
• [ ] Run the shower and confirm drain speed
• [ ] Check for moisture or water staining around the base of toilets and around tub surrounds
• [ ] If the unit has its own water heater, note the age and check the base for rust or leaks
• [ ] Ask the inspector to test water temperature — legionella risk increases in units served by shared water systems with low temperature settings

HVAC

• [ ] Confirm the heating system operates and reaches thermostat setpoint
• [ ] Confirm the cooling system operates (if temperature permits testing)
• [ ] Check the age and service history of in-unit HVAC equipment
• [ ] Confirm adequate airflow from all supply registers
• [ ] Inspect the air filter — a clogged filter signals poor maintenance
• [ ] Look for corrosion or water staining on or around fan coil units

Windows and Balcony Doors

• [ ] Open, close, and lock every window
• [ ] Check for fogging between double-pane glass (indicates failed seal)
• [ ] Check weatherstripping for gaps — failed weatherstripping is a major source of heating and cooling loss in high-rise units
• [ ] Open and close balcony sliding doors and confirm the lock engages fully
• [ ] Visually check the balcony railing for looseness, damage, or corrosion; do not push or load it if doing so could be unsafe

Walls, Ceilings, and Floors

• [ ] Inspect all ceilings for water staining — yellow or brown rings suggest past or active leaks from units above
• [ ] Check walls adjacent to bathrooms for soft spots or discoloration (signs of water intrusion)
• [ ] Look for cracks at the corners of windows and doors (can indicate building movement, though settlement cracks in concrete buildings are often benign)
• [ ] Test flooring in the laundry area and under the kitchen sink for soft spots (subfloor damage from past leaks)

Ventilation and Moisture

• [ ] Run the bathroom exhaust fan and confirm it exhausts to the exterior (not into a common wall void or shared shaft)
• [ ] Test the kitchen range hood — confirm the fan operates and the filter is clean
• [ ] Check for condensation damage around windows, especially in units with poor air circulation
• [ ] Note any musty smell in closets, laundry areas, or the bathroom — mold is common in poorly ventilated mid-rise and high-rise units

What the Inspector Cannot See: The Building-Level Due Diligence

This is where most condo buyers drop the ball. The unit may be immaculate, but you are also buying a share of the building — and the building may have massive problems.

The HOA Reserve Fund Study

Every well-run HOA maintains a reserve fund to cover major capital expenditures: roof replacement, elevator modernization, HVAC system replacement, parking garage waterproofing. A competent HOA will have a professional reserve study that projects these costs and determines the monthly contributions needed to fund them.

What to request: Ask the HOA for the most recent reserve study and the current reserve fund balance. Compare the funded percentage with the study's assumptions. A materially underfunded reserve or recurring special assessments is a red flag — the building may face additional charges.

Special assessments are one-time charges levied on unit owners to cover major expenses the reserve fund cannot absorb. These can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. Responsibility for an assessment depends on the governing documents, the assessment date, the contract, and local law, so determine who will pay before closing.

HOA Meeting Minutes

Request the last 12-24 months of board meeting minutes. These documents reveal:

• Ongoing litigation involving the HOA or the building
• Known but unaddressed major defects (roof, water intrusion, elevator)
• Planned or pending special assessments
• Disputes with management companies or contractors

In the UK, this equivalent is the Management Pack for leasehold properties — a set of documents your solicitor should review that includes the service charge history, any Section 20 major works notices, building insurance details, and lease terms.

The Building Inspection Report

Some buyers — particularly in buildings with known issues or significant deferred maintenance — hire a structural engineer or building consultant to review the building's common areas, roof access, exterior envelope, and mechanical rooms. This is not a standard practice but is worth considering for:

• Buildings over 30 years old
• High-rise buildings in seismically active zones
• Any condo where the HOA meeting minutes suggest ongoing structural or water issues
• Stucco or EIFS-clad buildings (known water intrusion risk)

In New Zealand, an apartment building built between 1994-2004 with monolithic cladding warrants specialist moisture assessment — the "leaky building" epidemic was devastating in this cohort, and invasive testing may be needed.

Building Age and Systems

When you are inside the unit, ask:

• What is the age of the building?
• When were the building's elevators last modernized?
• When was the roof last replaced, and what is its remaining life?
• Is the building on a municipal water supply or a shared well?
• Are there any active lawsuits involving the HOA?

Some of these questions belong to your real estate attorney's due diligence (reviewing the HOA documents prior to purchase). Make sure your attorney is reviewing these documents, not just your inspector.

Specific Considerations by Building Type

High-rise condos (6+ stories): Elevators, HVAC mechanical rooms, and fire suppression systems are massive cost items. The reserve fund must be substantial. High-rises also require more sophisticated fire safety systems — confirm these are current with local codes.

Low-rise condos (2-4 stories): More similar to single-family homes in structure. Roof and exterior waterproofing are closer to the unit than in a high-rise, which means water intrusion from the roof reaches individual units more quickly.

Converted buildings (former apartments, warehouses, industrial): These conversions often have non-standard construction, aging infrastructure, and systems that were not designed for residential use. Inspect electrical panels carefully — conversions often have undersized service.

New construction condos: Get the inspection anyway, even on a brand-new unit. Construction defects in new builds are common and they need to be documented while still under the builder's warranty. Focus especially on plumbing connections, rough electrical, and HVAC connections — these are frequently the areas where speed-of-construction shortcuts appear.

A Note on HOA Documents in Canada and Australia

Canada: Request the status certificate and reserve-fund materials, and have a lawyer review them. Requirements and timing vary by province (including under Ontario's Condo Act), so do not waive this review without understanding the applicable process.

Australia: In strata-titled properties, the equivalent is the strata inspection report and the strata minutes. In Queensland and NSW, always confirm whether a building and pest inspection has been carried out on the common areas — termite damage in a shared building structure is a collective liability.

Your Complete Inspection Toolkit

A thorough condo purchase requires two parallel tracks of due diligence: the professional inspection of your unit, and your own review of the building's financial health and maintenance history.

Our Home Inspection Checklist gives you a room-by-room, system-by-system framework for your unit inspection — the same categories your professional inspector will walk through, in a format you can follow along and take notes in. Get it here before your inspection day so you arrive prepared.

The unit inspection tells you what condition the apartment is in. The building-level due diligence tells you what financial exposure you are taking on by buying into the community. You need both to make a fully informed decision.