Final walkthrough입주 전 최종 점검 (워크스루)

What is it?

A final walkthrough is a visit by the buyer right before closing (the day you pay the rest of the price and the home becomes yours) to confirm that the home is as agreed. It is not a home inspection. You are checking that nothing has changed since your offer, the included items are still there and any promised repairs are done.

Ontario law does not give buyers a separate right to visit before closing. The home belongs to the seller until closing, and RECO Bulletin 7.1 explains that access is allowed only with the seller’s consent, for a specific purpose and time. That is why the number of visits and the conditions must be written into your contract.

How is it written into the contract?

The offer usually includes a clause such as "the buyer may visit the property N times before closing at mutually agreed times". One or two visits are common, but the number is negotiable. Some buyers ask for more visits for measurements, contractor quotes or family viewings.

RECO also describes the visit clause as something you add to the offer, and says visits are negotiable. When you write the offer, ask your agent to confirm the visit clause is in it, and read the number and conditions in the contract yourself before signing. Without a clause, a visit depends on the seller’s goodwill.

Your agent normally comes with you, and the appointment is booked through the seller’s brokerage. RECO says unaccompanied access needs the seller’s written consent, and photos or video are not allowed unless the seller expressly permits them.

When do you go?

The most useful time is one or two days before closing, after the seller has mostly moved out. With the furniture gone you can see the floors, walls and appliances, and spot damage from the move. Keep the last of your contract visits for this moment.

If the seller lives there until closing day, you may not see a fully empty home. Go as late as you can anyway, and always check the included items and the repairs.

What do you check?

• Included items (chattels): the fridge, washer, light fixtures, curtain rods and anything else listed in the contract are there and working. Compare models with your photos to be sure nothing was swapped.
• Excluded items have been removed, and removing them did not damage walls or floors.
• Promised repairs: any repair written in the offer or an amendment is finished. Ask for receipts or warranties.
• New damage: scratched walls, broken door frames, cracked windows or gouged floors from the move.
• Systems: turn on lights, taps, toilets, heating and air conditioning, hot water, the garage door and appliances. If utilities are off you cannot test them, so ask in advance.
• Water signs: no new stains in the basement, under sinks or on ceilings.
• Leftover items and garbage: check whether the contract says the home will be left "broom swept" and vacant, and note anything that must be removed.
• Keys, garage remotes, mailbox keys and alarm codes: how many there are. Keys are usually handed over through your lawyer on closing, but confirm the count now.
• Photograph everything (with the seller’s permission). Tell your agent right away if something is wrong.

What if something is wrong?

1. Tell your agent on the spot and take photos. Raising it before closing is the key; once the money is transferred, your options shrink a lot.
2. Contact your lawyer right away. Your lawyer puts the issue in writing to the seller’s lawyer.
3. Agree on a fix. Common solutions are a repair before closing, a price adjustment, or a holdback where the lawyer keeps part of the money until the problem is resolved. All of them need a written agreement.
4. Small issues usually do not stop the closing. For serious damage or a breach of contract, your lawyer may advise delaying closing or other steps. Do not decide alone; follow your lawyer’s advice.
5. Anything found after closing has to be claimed from the seller, so evidence matters. The photos from your walkthrough help a lot.

RECO’s buyer checklist advises writing the included items in detail in the offer and being clear if repairs based on the home inspection must be completed before closing. The clearer the contract, the easier it is to fix problems at the walkthrough.

New homes have a PDI instead

When you buy a new home from a builder, you do a pre-delivery inspection (PDI) instead of a final walkthrough. Tarion describes the PDI as a thorough walk through led by your builder, whose purpose is to record all items that are incomplete, damaged, missing or not operating properly on the builder’s PDI form, to show those conditions existed before you moved in.

You or a designate must attend, and you sign the PDI form at the end. Common elements of a condo are not part of the unit PDI. Missing an item on the form does not automatically remove warranty coverage, but it makes it harder to prove the condition existed before possession, so be thorough.

Tenanted homes and condos

If a tenant lives in the home, the landlord must give notice under the tenancy law before anyone enters. Section 27 of Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act lets the landlord, or a registered agent with the landlord’s written authorization, enter with at least 24 hours’ written notice, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., to let a potential purchaser view the unit. RECO adds that a tenant who was not properly notified may refuse, and agents must not pressure tenants.

For a condo, the walkthrough covers the unit plus your parking space and locker. The common elements are managed by the condo corporation and are not part of your check.

Example