What should a home inspection cover in Arizona — roofs, AC, pools, termites?
Short answer
Use the contract’s ten-day inspection period for a general home inspection plus the desert-specific checks: the roof and its underlayment, the age and capacity of the air-conditioning, pool equipment and barrier compliance, a termite inspection, plumbing type, the electrical panel, stucco and foundation cracks, irrigation, and whether any solar system is owned or leased. Septic systems must be inspected before transfer in Maricopa County.
The Arizona purchase contract gives you ten days by default to inspect and to cancel or request repairs through the buyer’s inspection notice; the seller also provides a property disclosure statement that you should read against what the inspector finds [1]. Home inspectors in Arizona are licensed by the State Board of Technical Registration; verify the inspector there before the inspection period starts [2].
Phoenix homes fail in particular ways. Tile roofs last decades but their underlayment does not, and flat foam roofs need recoating; air-conditioning is the most expensive system in the house and the first to go in a used home, so get the age, tonnage and service history; pools need working equipment and a barrier that meets state and city rules; subterranean termites are common enough that a separate wood-destroying-insect report is routine; homes from the 1980s and 1990s may have polybutylene plumbing, and some older ones aluminium wiring or recalled electrical panels; hairline stucco cracks are normal but wide or stepped cracks and doors that stick point to soil movement; and a leased solar system is a contract you inherit.
Any repair the seller agrees to, or you commission later, should be done by a contractor licensed with the Registrar of Contractors, whose site also shows complaint history [3]. If the home is on septic rather than sewer, Maricopa County requires an inspection and transfer report before the sale closes [4]. Questions about an agent’s conduct during all this go to the Department of Real Estate [5].
Checklist
Sources
Official and institutional sources this answer is based on. The numbers in the text point here.
- Officialaaronline.comArizona REALTORS® ↗
The state REALTOR® association: standard Arizona purchase contract and disclosure forms, buyer/seller advisories and how to find a member agent.
checked Sep 12, 2026 · verify manually
- Officialbtr.az.govArizona Board of Technical Registration ↗
Licenses home inspectors, architects, engineers, land surveyors and geologists in Arizona: registrant lookup, complaint history and the standards a home inspection must meet. Verify a home inspector here before the inspection period starts.
checked Oct 8, 2026 · verify manually
- Officialroc.az.govArizona Registrar of Contractors ↗
Verify a contractor's license before hiring for repairs or renovations, check complaint history, learn when a license is required, and file a complaint or Residential Recovery Fund claim.
checked Sep 12, 2026
- Officialmaricopa.govMaricopa County ↗
The county covering Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale and the rest of the Valley: property taxes and assessments, recording, public health, animal care, elections, courts and county services.
checked Sep 12, 2026
- Officialazre.govArizona Department of Real Estate ↗
Regulator of real estate licensees: verify a broker or salesperson license, consumer information on buying and selling, public reports for subdivisions, and how to file a complaint.
checked Sep 12, 2026 · verify manually
Reviewed: October 7, 2026. General information with sources, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change: check the linked sources and talk to a licensed professional about your own case.