The cottage inspection checklist

A city house inspection is mostly about the building. A cottage inspection is about the building plus every system the city normally handles for you: water, sewage, heat, road and the shoreline. This checklist covers the building, private services and access documents to review before you commit. Print it, bring it to the showing, and use it to decide which specialists to book.

Who to book

Water

• Source: drilled well, dug well, lake intake or shared system?
• Free bacteria test through Public Health Ontario, with a clean result (0 E. coli).
• Chemistry test from a private lab if the area has known mineral issues.
• Treatment: UV light, filters, softener. Ask the age and when bulbs and filters were last changed.
• Pressure and flow: run several taps at once. Ask about shortages in August.
• Lake intake lines: how they are protected from freezing, and how they are drained each fall.
• Well record and the well cap condition (sealed, above grade, away from runoff).

Septic

• Type: septic tank and bed, holding tank, or outhouse and grey water pit.
• Age, permits and the last pump-out receipt.
• Separate septic inspection with a pump-out so the tank interior can be seen.
• Leaching bed: soggy ground, smells, unusually green grass, trees or roots on the bed.
• Distance from the lake and the well.
• Any township re-inspection reports or open repair orders.

Our well, septic and water test guide explains each item and what lenders ask for.

Structure and foundation

• Foundation type: full foundation, slab, crawlspace, or piers and blocks.
• Sagging floors, sticking doors and sloped rooflines that hint at settling.
• Crawlspace: moisture, rot, rodents, insulation and a vapour barrier.
• Additions: was each one built with a permit? Ask the township for the permit file.
• Signs of frost heave on piers or decks.
• Decks and stairs to the water: rot, railings, footings.

Talk to Jeff and Emily

Inspection found something? Before you renegotiate, call us. Some issues change how lenders see the cottage, and some do not.

Or call or text 416-628-9682

Book a call

Heat and WETT

• Main heat source: furnace, baseboard, heat pump, propane, or wood only.
• WETT inspection on every wood stove, fireplace insert and chimney. Insurers usually require it.
• Chimney condition, clearances to walls, and when it was last swept.
• Propane tank: owned or rented, and the supplier contract.
• Winter bills: what did it cost to heat last January?
• Insulation in walls, attic and under floors if you plan winter use.

Heat is a big part of how lenders classify a cottage. See Type A vs Type B cottages.

Electrical

• Panel size and age, and whether it uses breakers or fuses.
• Older wiring types that insurers may ask about.
• Outdoor and dock wiring: proper weatherproof outlets and GFCI protection near water.
• DIY work in outbuildings, bunkies and boathouses.
• Backup power: generator, transfer switch, or none.

Roof

• Age and material. Ask for receipts.
• Moss, missing shingles, and soft spots near overhanging trees.
• Signs of leaks in the attic and ceilings.
• Snow load: was the roof shovelled last winter, and does it sag?
• Eavestroughs that send water away from the foundation and septic bed.

Shoreline and dock

• Does the lot reach the water, or is there an open shore road allowance?
• Dock type: crib, floating, pipe or cantilever. Look at the cribs and the decking.
• Boathouse: permits, and any living space, bathroom or sauna inside it.
• Erosion, retaining walls and ice damage.
• Water depth at the dock for your boat.
• Permits for past shoreline work. See dock and boathouse permits.

Road and access

• Municipal road, private road or seasonal road?
• Who plows it in winter, and who pays.
• A written road agreement or association, with annual fees.
• Driveway grade and condition for winter driving.
• Distance to the nearest fire hall.
• Cell signal and internet options if you plan to work from there.

Road type changes your financing. Read cottage road access before you offer on anything off a township road.

Paperwork to request

• Survey, and any building and septic permits.
• Well record and past water test results.
• Utility, propane and ploughing bills for the last 12 months.
• Insurance claims history if the seller will share it.
• Short-term rental licence, if you plan to rent it.

Inspecting in winter

Snow hides roofs, septic beds and shorelines, and the water may be shut off. If you buy in winter, ask for photos from summer, book what you can, and talk to your lawyer about conditions or holdbacks for anything that cannot be checked until spring. Our best time to buy a cottage guide covers this.