You wouldn’t buy a used car without having your mechanic look it over first. Yet plenty of people buy a house or condo in Costa Rica — worth many times the price of a car — without ever ordering a home inspection. Here, an inspection isn’t customary, and most properties are sold “as is,” which makes getting one even more important. This guide explains why an inspection matters and how to choose the right inspector.
Why a home inspection matters in Costa Rica
A home inspection is a professional assessment of a property’s condition — whether it has hidden defects and whether the construction meets codes and permits — so you can make an informed decision before you buy. In much of the world it’s a routine step. In Costa Rica it isn’t. Most Costa Ricans don’t hire an inspector, and most sellers don’t have one done before listing, because it simply isn’t the custom. That gap is the buyer’s risk to manage.
An inspection does two things. First, it flags serious problems — a failing roof, retaining walls, plumbing or electrical systems, structural damage or termites — the kind of issue that can cost a fortune or break the deal. Second, it produces a list of smaller repairs you can handle before moving in. A bad report stings, but if it saves you from a bad property, the inspector has earned the fee, and you can often use the findings to renegotiate the price.
The professional landscape has matured, and this is where the old advice has changed. Costa Rica still has no standalone government license specifically for “home inspectors.” But that no longer means anyone with a construction background will do. Only professionals registered with the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos (CFIA) — the board that licenses engineers and architects — can legally inspect and sign off on construction work, and the field now includes dedicated inspection firms whose people hold international certifications such as InterNACHI on top of their CFIA registration.
So the bar to look for is clear: a CFIA-registered professional who specializes in inspections, ideally internationally certified. Don’t lean on an uncle or a cousin who is “an engineer” or worked construction years ago — general experience isn’t the same as a proper inspection, and a generalist engineer may even steer you toward building new rather than assessing what’s there.
One more practical reason not to skip it: if you’re financing, some banks have their own appraiser inspect the property, and problems can surface in that report after you’ve already committed. Better to know first.
Because Costa Rica doesn’t regulate this step the way countries with title-company closings do — where repairs must be completed and verified before closing — you have to build the protection into your offer yourself, in writing. Make the purchase conditional on a home inspection, paid by the buyer, within about two weeks of an accepted offer. A common clause gives the buyer the right to walk away over structural, septic, drainage or roof problems, while accepting minor issues.
Remember that on an “as is” sale, the repairs are yours to pay for — which is exactly why finding out before you close, not after you’ve moved in, is the whole point. See our full buying property in Costa Rica guide for how the inspection fits into the wider purchase process.
Questions to ask before hiring a home inspector
Order the inspection only once your offer is accepted — contacting inspectors before that wastes everyone’s time. A thorough inspection of a typical single-family home takes about three to four hours; larger properties take longer. Before you hire, ask:
- Are you familiar with both Costa Rican building codes and materials and North American standards? A U.S.-licensed inspector often won’t know local codes; a local engineer often won’t know what North American buyers expect.
- Will the report flag anything that meets Costa Rican standards but not the North American ones you’re used to?
- How experienced are you, and have you worked with reputable real estate agents?
- Do you keep current on new materials and systems — roofing, mold protection, paint, finishes like marble and granite?
- Do you focus on residential inspections or commercial construction?
- Do you inspect drainage, septic systems, and the pool and its equipment, and do you check for termites and mold?
- On a condo or gated community, do you include the common areas in your report?
- How do you check for roof and gutter leaks when it isn’t raining?
- Do you offer repairs and improvements, or refer them out, when something needs fixing?
- Are there any parts of the structure you don’t cover?
- How long will the inspection take, and how soon will I get the report?
- Do you need a copy of the property survey and building plans?
- What does it cost, what report options are there, and can you send a sample? (Cost varies with the property’s size, age and the scope of the inspection.)
- Can I attend? Many inspectors prefer to work alone for efficiency — if so, give them a written list of anything you specifically want checked.
- Will you be available to discuss the report afterward, and is there an extra charge for that?
- Will you do a second inspection after repairs are made, and what would that cost?
Get a real inspection from a properly credentialed professional, put the condition in writing in your offer, and you turn one of the biggest risks of buying here into a manageable, informed decision.
