Straight from my clipboard
Chicago condo inspection checklist
Two checklists in one. First, the in-unit systems I work through on every Chicago condo inspection, built on the Illinois Standards of Practice and refined over 13 years and more than 3,000 Chicago inspections. Second, a ten-minute walkthrough you can do yourself at a showing, based on the problems I actually find. Print it and bring it with you.
Part one · my side
The 8 in-unit systems a condo inspection covers
A condo inspection covers your unit and what serves it. I examine what’s visible and accessible, and test what I can. Here’s what I cover on inspection day:
- 01 Kitchen
fixtures, cabinets & major appliances, functionally tested
- 02 Bathrooms
every bathroom, fixtures run for flow & drainage
- 03 Laundry
fixtures plus the washer & dryer, run
- 04 Plumbing
supply & drain lines, water heater where in-unit
- 05 Electrical
panel to a representative sample of outlets, switches & GFCIs
- 06 HVAC
heating & cooling examined, then run with the unit’s normal controls
- 07 Interiors
floors, walls, ceilings, windows & doors, moisture & condensation
- 08 Insulation & ventilation
kitchen, bath & laundry exhaust tested
“Inspected” means I operate it wherever I safely can, not just take a picture of it. I run every fixture and watch it drain, switch the heating and cooling on with the unit’s own controls, run the exhausts to confirm they actually move air, and test the panel plus a representative sample of outlets, switches and GFCIs. It’s a visual, non-invasive inspection to the Illinois Standards of Practice, so I don’t open walls. But within those rules, if something can be made to do its job, I make it do its job.
This checklist vs. the house checklist
The condo checklist is shorter for a reason. The building’s roof, exterior, foundation, attic and garage belong to the association, so they’re not on your list. Buying a townhome or single-family home instead? All of that comes back in. The full version is my 16-system home inspection checklist.
Part two · your side
The ten-minute showing walkthrough
You don’t need a license to check the basics at a showing. You just need to know where to look. These checks match the red flags I find most often, in the order you’ll run into them:
Run the water
Plumbing problems show themselves, if you ask.
- Run every faucet and watch it drain. Slow drains point to older branch lines
- Look under every sink for staining, corrosion at the shut-off valves, and soft cabinet floors
- Find the water heater, read its age off the data plate, and look for rust at the connections
Move some air
Trapped moisture causes more of the condo damage I find than anything else.
- Run the bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans. A fan that spins but pulls no air is the most common failure I see in units
- Switch the heating and the cooling on from the thermostat and wait for each to actually respond
- Sniff for mustiness. A musty smell that won’t go away usually means moisture the finishes are hiding
Test what you can reach
Electrical shortcuts are everywhere in conversions and vintage buildings.
- Press the test button on GFCI outlets in the kitchen, baths and laundry. Missing protection is one of my top findings
- Plug a phone charger into a few outlets around the unit
- Find the panel and note its condition from the outside. Leave the cover on. That part is my job
Check the openings
A unit’s weakest weather points are its windows and doors.
- Look for staining or soft trim below window sills and at balcony door thresholds
- Look through double-pane glass at an angle. Fogging between the panes means failed seals
- Open and close windows and sliders. They should move and lock without a fight
Ask the appliances to work
The appliances usually come with the condo, and looking at them proves nothing.
- Start the dishwasher and let it run. Filling is easy. Draining all the way is the test
- Run the garbage disposal. They seize up when nobody uses them
- Check the washer supply hoses. An old rubber line in a stacked building puts the units below at risk too
A showing walkthrough is a quick screen, not an inspection. It can give you a reason to walk away early. But passing it tells you nothing about the panel’s wiring, the water heater’s relief valve, or where that exhaust duct actually ends up. That’s what inspection day is for.
Equally important
What’s not on this checklist
The building. A condo inspection covers your unit. The structure, high-rise exteriors and roofs, and shared mechanicals are the HOA’s responsibility and fall outside a unit inspection. For that half of the story, get everything you can from the association: the condition of common elements, maintenance schedules, ongoing issues, and past board minutes. Your attorney and your agent are the right guides for those documents.
Specialized testing is its own trade too. Radon, mold, termite and environmental work each have their own equipment, licenses and companies. When a finding needs a closer look, the report tells you which kind of specialist to call.
Your side of inspection day
How to use this as a condo buyer
- Run the walkthrough at the showing. It takes ten minutes and can save you a wasted offer, or give you questions to ask the seller.
- Be there for the walkthrough if you can. When I finish, I walk you through what I found and answer your questions. Seeing it in person is worth more than any document.
- Get the HOA documents at the same time. Common elements are outside a unit inspection, and the association’s records tell that half of the story.
- Read the report the same day. Illinois contract timelines are short. You’ll have the report while your window is still open, with time to get specialists in.
- Don’t expect a perfect unit. Every home has findings. The report separates what matters from a building just showing its age. Act on the first list.
Both checklists, one clear report
Want the full version run on your unit?
Send me the unit’s address and I’ll get back to you with an exact quote. The plain-language report comes the same day as the inspection.
Request a quote →Still deciding whether to inspect at all? Do you need a condo inspection? →
Curious what these checks turn up? What I actually find in Chicago condos →