Home Inspection

Smoke and CO Alarms When You Sell in Ontario: What the Fire Code Actually Requires, and Whose Job It Is

There is no Ontario law that says you must install alarms before you sell. The Fire Code (O. Reg. 213/07) puts smoke and CO alarm installation and upkeep on the owner, as a continuous duty. Here is what it requires, read against your own home, where it surfaces in a sale, and what non-compliance actually exposes you to.

Latent vs Patent Defects: What Ontario Sellers Must Disclose and What “Buyer Beware” Really Means

An Ontario guide to defect disclosure: patent (visible) vs latent (hidden) defects, the caveat emptor "buyer beware" default, when a seller must disclose a latent defect (known + dangerous/uninhabitable), the consequences of concealment and fraud, why the SPIS is a double-edged sword, and how an agent's TRESA "material facts" duty differs from the seller's. Sources: RECO / Ontario case law (2026).

Open Building Permits: The Hidden Risk When Buying an Ontario Home

Buying an Ontario home with an open building permit? According to the Ontario Court of Appeal (EPRF Holdings v. Fergus Bloor, 2024 ONCA 707), an unclosed permit affects title and financing — and the liability runs with the property to you.

Buried Oil Tanks in Ontario Homes: Environmental Liability, Insurance & Due Diligence

Buying an Ontario home with a heating oil tank? According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, exterior tanks over 15 years and interior over 25 typically can't be insured — and no insurance means no mortgage. Here is the due diligence.

That Older Home’s Water Service Line Might Be Lead: How to Check, Test, and How Toronto Helps You Replace It

Buying a pre-1975 home with a possible lead water service line? According to Health Canada, the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for lead in drinking water was tightened from 0.01 to 0.005 mg/L in March 2019; lead pipe was acceptable under the pre-1975 National Plumbing Code, so it's more likely in older homes. Here's the risk, how to identify and test for it, Toronto's replacement program, and how to handle it at a sale.

Don’t Ignore Grey Plastic Water Pipes: Poly-B (Polybutylene) Can Complicate Your Mortgage and Insurance

Should you worry about grey Poly-B (polybutylene) water pipes in a home? According to insurance and inspection industry sources, Poly-B was used widely for residential water supply roughly 1978–1997; it's grey/blue-grey and often stamped PB2110, and grows brittle with age and chlorine exposure, so some insurers surcharge or decline it. Here's how to spot it, the real risk, how to handle it at a sale, and replacement considerations.

That Pebble-Like Attic Insulation May Contain Asbestos: Know Vermiculite (Zonolite) Before You Buy

Should you worry about grey-brown pebble-like vermiculite attic insulation? According to Health Canada / CCOHS, vermiculite from the Libby mine in Montana, sold as Zonolite, may contain amphibole asbestos. Left intact and undisturbed it usually poses no risk; before renovating, have a trained pro sample and lab-test it. Here's what vermiculite is, the real risk, how to check before buying, and how to handle it in your offer.

Hearing UFFI on a Home You Want? It Was Banned in 1980 — Here’s Whether to Worry

Found UFFI (urea-formaldehyde foam insulation) on a home you're buying? According to Health Canada, UFFI was banned in Canada in December 1980 under the Hazardous Products Act; formaldehyde off-gassing declines sharply over time, so decades-old UFFI usually poses no ongoing health risk. Here's what UFFI is, why it was banned, whether to worry, and how to handle it in the SPIS, inspection and offer.