Should you send the inspection report to the seller?
Usually send only the pages that back each repair request, plus a priced list. The seller doesn't get the report automatically.
Updated · By 
Ben Sikes
Should you send the whole inspection report to the seller?
Usually not. Some contracts make it the buyer's job to give the seller copies, so check yours with your agent first. Otherwise, send a short repair request with a priced list, and attach only the pages that show each item you are asking about.
Key takeaways
- The seller does not get the report automatically. Usually you choose how much of it to share.
- The pages that matter are the ones with the photo and the inspector's note for each line you are asking about.
- Sending selected pages is normal. Send the whole report when the list is mostly safety items or the seller asks to see all of it.
Which pages should you send?
Usually, send only the pages that back a request line.
For each item you are asking about, send:
- The inspector's note and photo for that finding.
- The page number, so the seller's agent can find it fast.
- Your price for the fix, on a one-page priced list placed ahead of the report pages.
| Send | Hold back |
|---|---|
| A one-page list of what you want fixed or credited | Findings you are not asking about |
| A price next to each line | Inspector notes on maintenance and cosmetic items |
| The report page, photo and note for each line | The summary page, which lists items you chose not to ask for |
Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and flags the few big items that need a contractor quote.
A short request with four priced items is easier to answer than fifty unpriced ones, and the repair request letter template shows how to lay it out.
Does the seller get a copy of the inspection report, and when?
One inspection company puts it this way: "in most cases, the seller does not automatically receive a copy of the home inspection report." So the seller usually sees it only when you or your agent send it.
Inspectors who follow a trade code will not send it for you either. The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) Code of Ethics bars inspectors from disclosing inspection results or client information without the client's approval. The InterNACHI Code of Ethics bars release to a third party without the client's explicit, prior written consent, with exceptions for the safety of others and for complying with a law. So outside those exceptions, an inspector who follows either code sends nothing to the seller side without your approval.
Does the realtor get a copy?
Your agent gets it from you or, with your OK, from the inspector. The listing agent gets only what you send.
Some inspectors send the report straight to the buyer and the buyer's agent. If yours does not, forward the PDF the day it arrives and read it together.
Your agent can also tell you what is normal where you live.
When does sending the whole report help?
Two cases, and in each the full report does work that selected pages cannot.
- A long list of safety items. Gas, electrical, and structural findings are easy to misstate in a summary. The whole report puts the inspector's words in front of the seller, not your paraphrase.
- The seller asks for proof. Pages behind each line usually answer this. If they want to see everything, sending it lets them check each finding against the inspector's own words.
Once you send a page, you cannot take it back. The seller can read every line on it, including the minor ones you did not ask about. Read each page once as the seller would before it goes. If a page raises a question you cannot answer, either leave it out or ask your agent how to handle it.
What should the priced list look like?
Each line is the finding, the report page it's on, and the dollar figure, short and in order of priority. Put the total at the bottom, and give each line the report page number that backs it, so the ask and the proof match up. The advice on what to ask for covers which items are worth a line, and the repair addendum is where the agreed list ends up.
Should you share the report with your lender?
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says the lender can require repairs before closing, as a condition of the loan. Ask your loan officer whether any item on your list could matter to the loan, and send the pages for those items.
Do sellers have to fix everything on the report?
A repair request is a request, not an order. The seller can agree, counter, or say no, and what to do when the seller says no is its own plan. If your request is long, see how long a repair request should be.
If the inspection window is closing and you want the numbers behind your request before you send anything, upload your report to Kept and send the seller the priced list instead of the whole report.
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.