Buyer tool
Pre-delivery inspection (PDI) checklist
Check every outlet, tap, window and door, run all mechanicals, inspect floors, walls, cabinets and the basement, and verify every upgrade you paid for individually. Write everything on the PDI form, the form is your warranty baseline, and damage not recorded is much harder to claim later.
The PDI is the most consequential two hours of the purchase and most buyers treat it as a tour. It is not a tour. It is the creation of a legal record.
Items recorded on the form are the builder’s responsibility. Items not recorded are much harder to claim later, because the presumption is that they were not there when you took possession.
Allow the time
If the builder has scheduled 45 minutes, say in advance that you need longer. Do not let their calendar set your thoroughness. You can also bring your own inspector, and on a home over $1,000,000 that is money well spent.
The deadlines that follow
The PDI starts your warranty clock. The 30-day form and the year-end form are your two main windows for first-year claims, each with its own hard deadline, and Tarion applies them strictly. Miss a window and the item generally stops being an enforceable claim. Diarise both on the day you close. Coverage and deadlines.
The checklist
40 items01 / Bring with you
- Your agreement schedules and specifications
- Every upgrade and décor selection order
- A second person, ideally one who has done this before
- A phone charger to test outlets, a flashlight, a tape measure
- Two to three hours, regardless of what the builder has scheduled
02 / Electrical and mechanical
- Every outlet, test with a charger
- Every switch and light fixture
- Furnace, HVAC, hot water tank and HRV running, models matching your paperwork
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Electrical panel labelled, breakers functioning
- Garage door opener and remotes, if included
03 / Plumbing
- Every tap, hot and cold, pressure
- Under every sink for leaks
- Every toilet flushes and refills
- Tubs and showers drain properly
- Outdoor hose bibs
- Laundry hookups
04 / Windows, doors and surfaces
- Every window opens, closes, locks; screens present
- Every door latches and does not bind
- Floors, scratches, lifting, hollow spots, squeaks
- Walls and ceilings, drywall seams, nail pops, paint coverage
- Cabinets and counters, alignment, chips, correct finishes
- Trim, baseboards and caulking
05 / Basement and exterior
- Basement for moisture, cracks, floor drain and sump
- Brick, siding and caulking
- Soffits, fascia and downspouts
- Grading state, note what is NOT done
- Driveway state, base coat or gravel
- Sod, front and rear
06 / The upgrades
- Every single upgrade you paid for, checked off individually against your order
- Appliances present, correct models, functioning
- Any substituted item noted on the form
07 / On the form
- Write down everything, however small
- Do not accept "we'll take care of it" verbally
- Do not let anyone talk an item off the form as "normal"
- Photograph every room, surface, mechanical and the exterior
- Keep your signed copy with the photos
08 / Diarise immediately after
- Your Tarion 30-day form deadline
- Your Tarion year-end form deadline
- A reminder to chase your grading and sodding deposit refund at 12 months
Sources