Use this checklist before, during, and after your Los Angeles home inspection. LA buyers waive inspections in competitive moments more than buyers anywhere else we work, and the houses here are exactly the wrong ones to do that with: a century of building eras, hillside lots, seismic retrofit questions, and remodels stacked on remodels. Twenty minutes with this list tells you what your inspector should be looking at and what the findings mean when they land.
Pre-Inspection Checklist: Before the Inspector Arrives
- Confirm the inspector is InterNACHI® Certified
- Schedule inspection within your contingency period
- Arrange access (seller, agent, or lockbox)
- Plan to attend for the full 2–4 hours
- Prepare questions about the property’s history
Los Angeles-Specific Red Flags
Seismic Safety
Los Angeles sits on multiple fault systems. Look for:
- Cripple wall bracing: older homes need plywood sheathing added
- Soft story buildings: multi-unit buildings with open garages on the ground floor
- Foundation type: raised foundations with unbraced cripple walls are common in pre-1980 LA homes
- Chimney condition: unreinforced masonry chimneys are earthquake hazards
Fire Zone Considerations
Many LA County hillside homes fall in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ):
- Check roof material: Class A fire-rated roofing required in fire zones
- Inspect vents for ember-resistant screens
- Evaluate defensible space clearance
- Look for propane instead of natural gas in remote areas
Water Intrusion
Despite low annual rainfall, LA’s intense winter storms cause significant damage:
- Flat roof ponding
- Window sill and door frame moisture intrusion
- Hillside drainage directing water toward foundation
- Block wall drainage (critical in older neighborhoods)
The Room-by-Room Checklist
Exterior
- Roof condition (shingles, tiles, membrane)
- Gutters and downspouts draining away from foundation
- Stucco or siding cracks, bubbling, or separation
- Deck and balcony structural integrity (critical in LA hillside homes)
- Pool and spa equipment (if present)
- Grading and drainage slope
Electrical
- Service panel amperage (100 amp min., 200 amp recommended)
- No Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or Pushmatic panels
- GFCI protection in kitchens, bathrooms, and garages
- Aluminum branch wiring identified if present (1965–1973 homes; the risk lives at the connections, and it is repairable, not automatically a walk-away)
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors present
Plumbing
- No galvanized supply pipes (common in pre-1970 LA homes)
- Water pressure between 40–80 PSI
- No active leaks under sinks or at water heater
- Sewer line condition (camera inspection recommended for homes over 30 years old)
- Water heater strapping for seismic safety (required in California)
HVAC
- Central air age and condition (10–15 year typical lifespan)
- Mini-split systems in units without ducted systems
- Furnace heat exchanger integrity
- Attic ventilation adequate for LA’s heat
What Inspection.re Includes in LA
Every LA inspection carries the full kit, because the findings above are exactly the ones that hide from a visual-only look:
Infrared Thermal Scan: Reveals moisture behind walls, missing insulation, and electrical hot spots invisible to the naked eye.
Drone Roof Inspection: LA’s tile and flat roofs require close inspection. Our drone captures high-resolution imagery of every ridge, valley, and penetration.
Interactive 3D Virtual Tour: Embedded inspection tags let you revisit any finding from your phone or laptop after you leave.
Same-Day Report: Your detailed report arrives the same day as the inspection, so you can meet negotiation deadlines without rushing.
After Your Inspection: Using the Report to Negotiate
- Safety items (Red): Request repair or credit before closing
- Major systems (Yellow): Get contractor quotes and factor into your offer
- Maintenance items: Use as a planning tool for your first-year budget
- Keep the request short and documented. A three-item ask backed by report pages and a contractor bid gets answered. A twenty-item list of everything in the report gets fought.
Schedule your Los Angeles home inspection today. We serve all of LA County including Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Burbank, and the San Fernando Valley.
Related reading
- Deck Ledger Attachment in Redondo Beach: a structural finding common on the stacked, small-lot homes found across the LA beach cities.
- What to expect during a home inspection in San Diego: the same on-site walkthrough applies to LA buyers; useful for setting expectations.
- How to read a home inspection report in California: translate the report’s color codes into a defensible negotiation list.
- Why infrared scanning matters in California homes: what thermal imaging surfaces in LA’s older bungalows and Spanish revivals.
- Pasadena galvanized and cast iron plumbing guide: why pre-1940 Pasadena homes hide failing galvanized supply and cast iron drains, and the escrow playbook.
- Malibu septic at point of sale guide: what the city-regulated operating permit means for a Malibu escrow.
- West Hollywood SB 326 balcony guide: what SB 326 means for condo deals and what to ask the HOA.
- Brentwood masonry fireplace and chimney guide: the checklist items hiding inside the original masonry fireplace almost every older LA home was built around.
- Pacific Palisades window and egress guide: the escape-opening measurements that decide whether every bedroom on the flyer is actually a bedroom.
- Fontana garage fire-separation guide: the checklist item that is about the minutes a family has if a garage fire starts, not about money.
- Eastvale stucco and weep-screed moisture guide: why the base of a stucco wall belongs on the checklist even on a home that looks brand new.
- Chino Hills guardrail and stair safety guide: the fall-protection checklist item that looks fine at a glance and is not, on any deck, balcony, or staircase.
- Yorba Linda CSST gas-line bonding guide: the checklist item that never shows up during normal use, and why it belongs on every walkthrough anyway.
- Corona orchard land foundation settlement guide: an Inland Empire example of how expansive soil and old citrus-grove land drive foundation findings buyers should watch for.
- Garden Grove ducted HVAC returns guide: how undersized return air shows up as a checklist item on older ducted forced-air systems.
- Tustin Legacy new construction guide: why a brand-new home on a redeveloped former Marine air base still belongs on the checklist.
- Bellflower dryer exhaust lint fire guide: the checklist item hiding in every post-war laundry closet, where crimped dryer runs trap lint behind walls.
- Whittier kick-out flashing guide: the roof-to-wall transition checklist item that re-roofed homes often miss, sending water behind stucco invisibly.
- Cerritos double-tapped breaker guide: the panel-cover checklist item on any Gateway Cities home that has been added onto or remodeled over the decades.
- Downey foundation dampproofing and waterproofing guide: the crawlspace-wall checklist item on flat Gateway Cities lots with clay soil.
- Palm Springs evaporative cooler guide: the roof-mounted checklist item unique to the desert market, scale, rust, and seasonal shutdown.
- Rancho Santa Fe tankless water heater guide: the gas-sizing and venting checklist item on an estate retrofit that a smaller tank never needed.
