Pre-delivery inspection (PDI)입주 전 점검 (PDI)

What is it?

A PDI (pre-delivery inspection) is a careful walk-through of a new home or condo with the builder before you take possession. It is one of your first chances to really see your finished home.

Its goal is not to make a “to-fix list”. Its goal is to record the condition of the home before you move in. Items that are unfinished, damaged, missing, hidden from view or not working are written on the builder’s PDI Form, to show they existed before you moved in.

How does it work in Ontario?

• The builder leads the PDI. The builder must also explain how the home’s systems work, such as ventilation, plumbing, heating, electrical and air conditioning.
• You or a designate (someone you send in your place) must be there. At the end, you sign the PDI Form.
• The builder also gives you a CCP (Certificate of Completion and Possession). It shows the home’s Tarion enrolment number and the possession date, which is the day your statutory warranty starts.
• The builder gives you copies of the finished PDI Form and the CCP. Get them and keep them.
• Tarion says that using the systems the wrong way could affect your warranty. Take notes or photos while the builder explains them.

Sending someone in your place (a designate)

If you cannot go, you can send a designate, or you can bring someone with you. Tarion says there is no restriction on who you choose as your designate. A family member, friend, agent or home inspector can all go.

For a designate to sign the PDI Form, you should give the builder written authority. You can use Tarion’s “Appointment of Designate for the Pre-Delivery Inspection Form”.

If you bring a paid home inspector, site rules (safety gear, number of people) may differ by builder, so check with the builder first.

What should you check?

• Inside: chipped or cracked tiles, scratches on countertops or mirrors, damage to floors and walls, and doors and windows that do not lock or do not open and close.
• Outside: the brickwork and siding, whether window screens are installed, and how the driveway and landscaping look.
• Working parts: taps, toilets, heating, ventilation, switches and outlets. If you cannot test something because of the weather (for example, air conditioning in winter), write “could not assess” on the form.
• Substitutions: if a product is different from what your purchase agreement says, write it on the form. Bringing a copy of the agreement makes this easier.
• Photos: take pictures of damaged or unfinished items. If needed, you can send them to Tarion later.
• Printing the Tarion PDI Checklist helps you not miss anything.

Step by step

1. Set the PDI date with the builder. If you cannot go, give the builder the designate form ahead of time.
2. Bring a copy of your purchase agreement, the Tarion PDI Checklist, your phone (for photos) and a notepad.
3. Walk the inside and outside while the builder explains things. Make sure the builder writes every problem on the PDI Form.
4. Read the form slowly before you sign. Signing confirms that the listed items are complete and accurate. Check that everything you pointed out is there.
5. Get copies of the PDI Form and the CCP. Write the CCP possession date (your warranty start date) in your calendar.
6. Anything not fixed by move-in day must be listed again on a Tarion warranty form (such as the Initial Form). Listing it only on the PDI Form is not a warranty claim.

The PDI Form is not a warranty claim form

This is the part people mix up most. The PDI Form is a record. A warranty claim is a separate step.

Warranty forms and deadlines are explained in the “Tarion warranty claims” entry. Form dates were checked on Tarion’s website on October 31, 2026.

An example

For a condo: common elements are separate

A condo unit’s PDI does not include common elements such as hallways, the lobby or the parking garage. The condo’s Board of Directors may do a separate PDI of the common elements with the builder.

If you see damage or defects in the common elements, tell the Board. The Board decides whether to record them in a common elements PDI or act under the common elements warranty.

New condos usually have interim occupancy before the building is registered. A condo unit’s 1-year warranty starts on the occupancy date, so check the dates on your PDI Form and CCP.

Watch-outs, and how it differs from a resale final walkthrough

• Read what you sign. The law excludes surface defects that the owner specified and “accepted in writing” at the date of possession (Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act, s. 13 (2) (l)). If the PDI Form or any other paper says you accept something as is, ask a lawyer before you sign.
• If the builder only says “we’ll fix it later”, nothing is recorded. Get everything written on the form.
• If you find something you missed right after moving in, take photos and email the builder right away so there is a record.
• When you buy a resale home (one someone lived in), you do a final walkthrough before closing, not a PDI. That visit comes from a clause in your purchase agreement and has nothing to do with Tarion forms or the warranty process.