Why you should personally do your closing day inspection when purchasing a home in Nova Scotia.

December 6, 2022 Dianna Rievaj

After you buy a property (the money is exchanged and you take title), the transaction is considered “Closed”. This means you no longer have an opportunity to go back and negotiate with respect to issues you uncover with your new home. If you trust someone else (like your Realtor) to do the closing day walkthrough and they miss something important, your only recourse is to sue your Realtor, not the people you bought the house from.

The closing day walk through, is your opportunity to ensure that the property is in the same state it was when you agreed to purchase it and that any items you negotiated for the sellers leave behind are still present.

You want to inspect the property with a fine-tooth comb. It is not unusual for damage to take place when the sellers move out. An example would be a hole in the drywall or a scrape in the hardwood floor or tear in the carpet. You may also discover problems that were previously concealed by furniture.

Ensure Fixtures are Present

Make sure all fixtures and negotiated items are still present. This might include mirrors, light fixtures and custom curtains.

Test that Appliances Work

You want to test that all appliances work (washer/dryer/dishwasher/air conditioning). Nova Scotia gets cold. Don’t forget to check that the heat pump or other heating sources work as well. You want to ensure that the fireplace is functional. Double check that the garage door openers and all necessary attachments for central vacuum are left behind.

Inspect outside as well

Don't forget to do a thorough look around outside. It may sound funny, but there have been circumstances where there has been an unacceptable amount of pet waste left behind in the yard. If you want the sellers to be responsible for cleaning it up, that needs to be raised as part of the closing walkthrough.

Confirm the pool is in good shape

If there is a pool, confirm that It is in an acceptable state and that everything that was negotiated to remain behind (ladder/pump/skimmer/cover/heaters/chemicals) is still present.

House should be left in ‘Broom Clean’ condition

There is an expectation that the house will be left in ‘broom clean’ condition unless otherwise negotiated. This means the house should be in reasonably clean condition and garbage should be removed from the property and not left at the end of the road.

Do Inspection as Early as Possible

You should do the closing day walkthrough early in the day in case any issues arise. If there is damage or an appliance that does not work, a quote will need to be obtained in order to determine the holdback/credit amount. If the walkthrough was not done until the end of the day, they may not be enough time for this and your closing may be delayed.

Options if you’ve already closed

If you are reading this blog after you have closed on your property and you have discovered an issue, you may want to read some of our blogs on your options.

By: Dianna M. Rievaj, Founding Lawyer

Have Questions For Us?:

If you have any questions about an issue with a property in Nova Scotia process, you can call us at (902) 826-3070 or email us at info@highlanderlaw.ca to set up a meeting with one of our lawyers at our Tantallon law firm. You can also schedule a no commitment Issue Review Consult for $250+HST where you have the opportunity to explain your situation to a lawyer and get basic advice before deciding whether or not you'd like to retain us.

The information and materials on this blog are provided for general informational purposes only and are not intended to be legal advice. Nothing contained on this blog is legal advice or constitutes a legal opinion. While it is our goal to provide information which is current, legislative changes and court decisions, among other matters, may result in some information no longer being current or accurate. You should consult a lawyer before relying on any information. The views expressed herein by individual contributing lawyers posting entries to the blog are solely those of the authors and should not necessarily be attributed to or considered representative of the firm of Highlander Law Group Lawyers