You're not buying a building. You're buying its next ten years of expenses.
Duplexes through small apartment buildings. The inspection that tells you what the roof, the mechanicals and the foundation are going to cost you, and what condition the units are actually in.
InterNACHI Certified Multi-Unit Housing InspectorTrained in the shared systems, separations and unit-by-unit issues that single-family inspections don’t cover.
What gets covered
Mechanical systems
Plumbing, electrical and HVAC across the building. These are the systems that eat a maintenance budget when they're near the end, and on a multi-unit property there are several of each.
Roof
How much life is left. On an income property the roof is usually the largest single replacement item, and it affects what your insurer will write.
Foundation
Problems here are easy to cover and expensive to correct, and on older buildings they're common enough to be worth real attention rather than a glance.
Unit by unit
I recommend walking every unit interior rather than a sample. It tells you the true condition of the property and something about the tenancy you're inheriting.
Why walking every unit matters
A sample inspection tells you about the units you saw. On an income property, the ones you didn't see are where the surprises live — deferred maintenance, unpermitted alterations, and conditions that are going to become your responsibility on the day you close.
California's tenant protection rules also mean the tenancy comes with the building. You want to know what you're taking on while you still have a diligence period, not after.
Access takes planning. Occupied units need notice to the tenants, and coordinating that is usually the longest part of scheduling a multi-family inspection. Start it early — tell me as soon as you're in contract and we'll work the access schedule backwards from your deadline.
What you end up with
A detailed report covering the whole property, the condition of every major system, and a list of what needs doing — which is what lets you predict upcoming expenses instead of reacting to them. A consultation is included with every inspection, so you can walk through the findings and what they mean for the numbers.
Multi-family is priced by quote rather than by the calculator, because unit count and access drive the time more than square footage does. InterNACHI Multi-Unit Housing certified.
Other inspections
Looking at an income property?
Send me the address and the unit count. I'll come back with a price and a realistic read on how long access is going to take to arrange.