What Fixes Are Mandatory After a Home Inspection?
Strictly speaking, no fixes are mandatory after a home inspection, since no law requires a seller to repair anything in a typical sale. A home inspection documents the condition of the house, but it does not obligate anyone to act on what it finds. What happens next is worked out between the buyer and the seller.
Three forces can still turn a repair into a practical requirement. The purchase contract can commit a seller to certain fixes, state and local health and safety laws can require others, and the buyer’s lender can demand repairs before it will fund the loan. A report from a certified inspector simply lays out the facts that these three forces then act on. None of them applies to a cash buyer, who faces no lender-required repairs at all.
This is general information rather than legal advice. What you can require or must fix comes down to your contract, your state, and the guidance of your agent or attorney.
What Repairs Are Most Often Required or Requested?
The repairs most often required or requested involve safety, structural soundness, and major working systems, not cosmetic flaws. Buyers and lenders focus on issues that affect whether a home is safe and livable, while normal wear is usually left alone. The table below shows how common findings tend to be handled.
| Type of Issue | Examples | Typically |
|---|---|---|
| Safety and structural | Foundation damage, exposed wiring, gas leaks, no working heat | Required, especially with a loan |
| Major systems and water | Roof leaks, failing HVAC, plumbing leaks, mold | Commonly negotiated |
| Loan and code items | Missing smoke or CO detectors, missing handrails, peeling paint on pre-1978 homes, active termites | Required for FHA or VA approval |
| Cosmetic and normal wear | Chipped paint on newer homes, worn carpet, dated fixtures, minor cracks | Usually skipped |
Sources: Zillow; HUD Handbook 4000.1; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Loan programs add their own must-fix list. On a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loan, the appraisal can be issued subject to repairs, and safety or structural items must be corrected before closing, including peeling paint on homes built before 1978 and, in termite-prone areas, a termite inspection with any active infestation treated. FHA limits required repairs to those that protect health, safety, and the home’s marketability, so cosmetic items do not count, and an FHA appraisal follows the property for 120 days, meaning the next FHA buyer would face the same required fixes.
Water problems are among the most negotiated of all. Roof leaks, plumbing leaks, and the mold testing that water damage often calls for regularly end up in a buyer’s repair request, since unaddressed moisture can lower a home’s value by an estimated 20 to 37 percent. Conventional loans are less strict than government-backed ones and focus mainly on major defects.
Is the Seller Responsible for Repairs After an Inspection?
The seller is not automatically responsible for repairs after an inspection, since no law forces a seller to fix anything in a typical sale. What happens depends on the purchase contract and the negotiation that follows. Most sellers do address serious safety and structural issues to keep the deal alive, even though they are not strictly required to, and they are free to sell a home as-is.
Sellers who want to stay in control often get ahead of the problem. A pre-listing inspection lets them find and fix issues before buyers ever raise them, which reduces surprises during negotiation. It also gives them time to gather receipts and choose their own contractors rather than rush.
State rules still matter here. Missouri is a caveat emptor, or buyer-beware, state, so sellers are not obligated to make repairs, but they must still disclose known material defects to the buyer.
What Happens If the Seller Refuses to Make Repairs?
If the seller refuses to make repairs, you still have several options, from renegotiating the price to walking away. A refusal is rarely the end of the deal, since most disputes come down to money rather than the repair itself. Here is what you can do:
- Accept the home as-is and move ahead to closing.
- Ask for a price reduction instead of the repair.
- Request a closing credit so you can handle the work yourself.
- Propose a compromise, such as splitting the cost or fixing only the safety items.
- Walk away using your inspection contingency and keep your earnest money.
If the seller does agree to some repairs, protect yourself by confirming the work. A follow-up re-inspection verifies the fixes were done correctly before you close, and some lenders require that verification rather than a credit. When money is held back for repairs instead, a repair escrow is often set at about 1.5 times the estimated cost.
When Should You Walk Away After a Home Inspection?
You should walk away after a home inspection when the problems are severe, unaffordable, and the seller will not negotiate. Walking is worth considering when a fix would cost more than the home is worth to you, or when a hazard cannot be made safe. A thorough buyers inspection helps you tell a true deal breaker from a fixable issue, so you are not scared off by minor findings. These are the situations that most often justify walking away:
- Major foundation or structural damage that runs into the tens of thousands
- Widespread water damage or mold hidden behind walls
- A failing septic system or unsafe well water
- Extensive electrical or plumbing hazards throughout the home
- A seller who will not negotiate on serious safety problems
Most inspections do not turn up anything this serious. Since about 86 percent of inspections find at least one issue, a long list of small items is normal and rarely a reason to walk.
What Counts as a Reasonable Repair Request?
A reasonable repair request is one that addresses a genuine safety, structural, or functional defect rather than cosmetic wear. The report from a buyer’s home inspection is the guide here, since it separates real problems from normal aging. Buyers who focus their requests on what truly matters tend to get a better response from sellers.
A defect is a problem that affects safety, function, or value, not a matter of taste. A cracked heat exchanger, an active roof leak, or a failing system flagged during a septic inspection all qualify as defects, while dated carpet and scuffed paint do not.
Unreasonable requests are the ones sellers push back on. Asking for cosmetic upgrades, brand-new systems to replace working older ones, or fixes for normal wear tends to stall a negotiation rather than move it forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Next Step After a Home Inspection?
The next step after a home inspection is to review the report, decide which issues matter, and respond within your contingency window. You and your agent go through the findings together, prioritize the serious items, and submit any repair, credit, or price request in writing before the deadline. Getting a thorough report from full home inspection services makes that step far easier, since every issue is documented with photos.
Can You Lower Your Offer After an Inspection?
Yes, you can lower your offer after an inspection, since the findings give you room to renegotiate the price or ask for a credit. A common approach is to request a reduction or closing credit equal to a contractor’s estimate for the needed work. Buyers who negotiate after an inspection save an average of about $14,000 through repairs, credits, and price adjustments. Whether the seller agrees depends on the market and how serious the issues are.
How Long Are You Liable for Repairs After Selling a House?
You can be liable for repairs after selling a house for a period that varies by state, usually tied to whether you disclosed a known problem. Once a sale closes, a seller is generally not on the hook for repairs a buyer simply did not negotiate. The exception is a known defect that was hidden or left undisclosed, which can expose a seller to a claim for years afterward. In Missouri, sellers must disclose known material defects, and failing to do so is the most common source of after-sale liability, so honesty on the disclosure is the best protection.
What Do Home Inspectors Not Look For?
Home inspectors do not look for problems hidden behind walls or inside systems they cannot access, and they skip specialized tests. A standard inspection covers what is visible and reachable, so it will not open walls, dig up a foundation, or judge cosmetic taste. Specialized concerns like radon fall outside it, so buyers add a service such as radon testing when a property calls for it. The report tells you a system’s condition, not the exact day it will fail.
Getting to the Closing Table
The honest bottom line is that almost nothing is truly mandatory after a home inspection, and what gets fixed comes down to your contract, the law, your loan, and a fair negotiation. Focusing on real safety and structural issues, rather than every cosmetic note, is what keeps a deal on track for both sides. A clear, objective report is the foundation of that conversation, since it separates the problems that matter from the ones that do not.
We provide independent, certified home inspections for buyers and sellers across Mid-Missouri, with a clear, photo-documented report delivered within 24 hours. If you are heading into an inspection or working through repair requests, reach out to ARC Home Inspections and we will help you understand exactly what the report means. You can call or text us any time to get started.
