What to expect with your RV Inspection

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There are various types of RVs, and each can require a little different inspection process. Depending on type and brand, different materials are used in different RVs and may require (or eliminate) certain inspection types. There is a wide variety of items and systems inspected, and some items will require preparation before they can be inspected.

Much of the inspection is visual or tactile and requires knowledge and experience, and other parts of the inspection require specific tools that allow for testing of certain qualities.

You will be given (verbally, by email, or on paper) a pre-inspection agreement that identifies the scope of what will be inspected, the price, and acceptance / acknowledgement that it is possible that the inspection will miss some things due to the # of items, inaccessibility (hidden, covered, locked), lack of time or availability of RV due to time limits or daylight, or sellers uncooperativeness.

Prior to the inspection

1 - Pre-Inspection Agreement identifying the scope of inspection, payment, and acknowledgement of limits. These protect you and the inspector.

2 - VERY IMPORTANT: Please make sure to have the RV where it has access to full hook-ups - water, electric, (and if possible, sewage). This allows the inspector to provide you with the maximum value from the inspection process. If any utility is not available, the inspector may not be able to provide a full inspection.

3 - Although it's not be required, it's preferred that you have already personally seen and toured the RV you wish to have inspected. If we inspect an RV you have not seen and you arrive during an inspection and decide you do not like the RV, you must still pay for the inspector's time and travel. Seeing it ahead of time will save you money by avoiding an inspection of any RV you would rule out yourself for any reason.

4a - Before the inspector arrives, please make all areas of the RV are accessible. Have it positioned so that all the slides can be out and it is easy to walk around the perimeter of the RV, and for any & all awnings to be fully extended.

4b - If the RV is located under a roof such as in a storage area, it's best if it's moved outside (unless it's raining) if the roof is too low for the inspector to access the roof.

4c - If there are a lot of personal items in the RV, it may obscure things and make it difficult to inspect things such as walls, equipment, etc. The inspector will not remove or relocate personal items located inside the RV and/or storage bays. All personal belongings of the owner should be removed if possible.

5 - Please make sure that the refrigerator/freezer is on as early as possible, in fact, if it can be turned on the night before, it will allow the inspector to see that they in fact reach a proper cooling temperature.

During the inspection

1 - Your RV Inspector needs time to complete the many tasks involved in the inspection. It's ok to follow the inspector around and ask questionsi, but please understand that it can be distracting and can cause the inspector to miss things, as well as take longer. The fewer the interruptions he has during the inspection - the more able he is to give you a complete and timely inspection. If you have questions or specific concerns, it's best to ask the inspector before the inspection process if you can.

2 - If your seller is present for the inspection, it may be a great time for you and the seller to spend time discussing things as to service record, any potential problems, how they've used the RV, what they liked and disliked about it. You'd be surprised how candid some sellers can be. Everyone has different tastes, and some sellers are simply moving up, or giving up RVing.

After the inspection

1 - When the inspector finishes his inspection, he will need to return to the office to evaluate and finalize your report. In addition to the inspection findings, the report may also include supporting photos, copies of the agreements you signed, a copy of your paid invoice, etc.

The inspector can give you an estimate of when you will receive your inspection report. Generally, it will be the same day as the inspection, depending on the time of day it was done.

2 - The inspector is there to provide a non-biased inspection of the RV. He cannot provide answers to questions such as " Would you buy this RV? " This is the purpose of having a professional non-biased inspection and you and only you will be able to make that decision once you have reviewed the final results.