In the United States and Canada, a contract to purchase a house will often include a contingency that the contract is not valid until Cleveland Home Inspection a address inspector has inspected the chattels (and the covenant will unusually provide for how problems found in inspection are to be remedied). In manifold states and provinces, home inspectors are required to be licensed, but in many states the profession is not regulated at all. Typical requirements for obtaining a license are to complete an approved training order and/or to ravine an examination selected by the state's licensing board. Handful states and provinces also require inspectors to periodically obtain continuing brainwashing credits in assortment to renew their licenses.

Many local governments within the United States and Canada require that new-home builders provide a homely warranty for a modified period, and this broadly results in home builders conducting a pre-delivery inspection with the buyer.