Repair addendum after a home inspection: what goes in it
A repair addendum lists what you want fixed, credited, or cut from the price. Give every line a scope, a trade, and a dollar figure.
Updated · By 
Ben Sikes
What is a repair addendum after a home inspection?
A repair addendum is the form your agent sends the seller after the inspection, listing what you want fixed, credited, or taken off the price. Once both sides sign it, it usually becomes part of your purchase contract. Write every line with a specific scope, the trade that does the work, and a dollar figure, because vague lines get refused or talked down. Send it early in your inspection window, not on the last day.
Key takeaways
- The addendum turns inspection findings into contract terms. Once both sides sign, it usually becomes part of your contract; your contract and your agent set the exact terms.
- You can mix repairs, credits, and price cuts line by line.
- The name changes by state: an amendment in Texas, an objection notice in Colorado, a due diligence request in North Carolina.
What goes in a repair addendum?
Most versions have the same parts, whatever your state calls the form:
- A reference line tying it to your purchase contract and the property address.
- A numbered list of findings, each with what you want done about it.
- A place for the seller to accept, reject, or counter each item.
- Signature and date lines for buyer and seller.
The list is the part that matters. Build it from the inspection report, not from your memory of the walkthrough. Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours. If you haven't sorted the report yet, how to read a home inspection report shows how to pull out safety and big-ticket items from routine upkeep.
Who writes the repair addendum?
Your buyer's agent usually drafts it on your state's standard form. You decide what goes on it, and you sign it. The seller's agent takes it to the seller, who accepts, rejects, or sends back a counter.
Your decisions drive the draft, so make them before your agent starts typing. What to ask for after a home inspection covers which findings are worth a line and which aren't. If you're the agent pricing findings for a client, see pricing inspection findings for buyer's agents.
What is a repair addendum called in my state?
Each state's real estate commission or Realtor association publishes its own form, and the names don't match. A few examples:
| State | Form name | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Amendment to Contract (TREC No. 39-11) | Texas Real Estate Commission |
| Colorado | Inspection Objection Notice, then Inspection Resolution | Colorado Division of Real Estate |
| North Carolina | Due Diligence Request and Agreement (Form 310-T) | NC REALTORS |
The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) describes its amendment as a form "used to change or add terms to a contract that has already been executed." That is what every version does. You may also hear request for repairs, inspection response, or inspection contingency addendum. Your agent will know which form your contract uses.
Can the addendum ask for money instead of repairs?
In most places, yes. In some, money goes on a separate form. NC REALTORS says Form 310-T "is designed to facilitate any agreement on repairs to the property itself", and a price change or seller contribution belongs on the Agreement to Amend Contract (Form 4-T). The two forms can be used together.
Ask your agent whether your state splits them. If it does, your repair list and your credit travel together on two documents. If your contract calls the window due diligence, see negotiating during due diligence.
How do you write a line the seller will take seriously?
Start from the inspector's words, then add what you want done and what it costs. Here is the same finding written two ways:
| Vague line | Specific line | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding | "Fix water heater" | Corrosion at the supply fittings, no drain pan, no expansion tank |
| What you want | Unclear | Replace the water heater, add a drain pan and expansion tank |
| Who does it | Unclear | A licensed plumber, with a paid invoice before closing |
| If a credit instead | No number | The total from the plumber's quote |
The vague line invites a cheap patch or a flat no. The specific line gets a yes, a no, or a counter on a real number. For every line:
- Name the scope, so "fixed" can't mean a patch.
- Name the trade (plumber, electrician, roofer), not "a qualified professional."
- Ask for receipts if the seller does the work.
- Put a dollar figure on any credit, backed by a quote or a priced estimate.
Numbers are where most addenda go soft. Get contractor quotes on the big items; how to get repair estimates during the inspection period shows how to do it fast. For the smaller lines, the per-line report pricing from the offer above gives you a figure without a quote. Copyable wording for each line is in the buyer repair request letter template.
Should each line ask for a repair, a credit, or a price cut?
The addendum can carry all three, and you can mix them line by line.
- Ask for the repair when you want the work done and checked before closing, or when your lender requires the fix.
- Ask for a credit when you'd rather hire your own contractor after you move in. It lowers your cash to close, as how a repair credit works at closing explains.
- Ask for a price cut when a credit would go over your lender's limit or the appraisal came in low.
The full comparison is in repairs vs. credit vs. price reduction, and the dollar math is in seller credit vs. price reduction.
What happens after you send it?
The seller can accept the whole thing, reject it, or counter some lines. A counter usually means another round where you accept, push back, or drop items. Read every line before you sign.
If the seller won't move on something serious, most inspection contingencies let you cancel inside the window. When to walk away after a home inspection helps you make that call. Your contract sets the response deadlines and what happens if someone misses one, so confirm the dates with your agent.
How many items should go on a repair addendum?
As few as it takes to cover safety, structure, and the big systems. Cosmetic items and cheap upkeep make the list look padded and give the seller easy lines to refuse. If you have a handful of small items, roll them into one credit instead of listing each.
Is a repair addendum the same as a repair request letter?
Close, but not quite. A letter or email is an ask; the addendum is the form both sides sign. Many buyers send both: a short letter explaining the ask, and the addendum with the line items.
If your window is closing and your addendum needs a real number on every line, upload your inspection report to Kept.
Sources
Cost figures are modeled from public wage and materials data unless a line says observed. Kept is accountable for the numbers on this page, and corrections go to support@usekept.com. How we price.