Yes, home inspectors do check appliances, but only the ones permanently installed in the home and only at a basic operational level. A standard inspection covers built-in ovens, ranges, cooktops, microwaves, dishwashers, and garbage disposals. Freestanding items like portable refrigerators, washers, and dryers are generally left out unless your contract adds them. The testing confirms that each appliance turns on and performs its primary function, not that it works perfectly or will keep working.
Which Appliances Are Included
The ASHI Standard of Practice lists installed ovens, ranges, surface cooking appliances, microwave ovens, dishwashing machines, and food waste grinders as required items.1American Society of Home Inspectors. Standard of Practice InterNACHI’s standards cover the same ground. The dividing line is whether the appliance is physically attached to the home’s structure, plumbing, or electrical system. A wall oven bolted into cabinetry stays with the house when it sells and gets inspected. A countertop air fryer does not.
Range hoods and exhaust fans are covered when they’re permanently wired or ducted. The inspector flips the switch, confirms the fan runs, and notes whether it vents outside or recirculates. Recirculation is not a defect, but it affects moisture and cooking odors over time, so it’s useful information.
The Refrigerator Question
Refrigerators sit in a gray zone that catches buyers off guard. A freestanding refrigerator that you can unplug and roll away is treated as personal property, so most inspectors skip it. A built-in refrigerator panel-matched to surrounding cabinetry is considered part of the home and should be tested. If you’re not sure which category the fridge in your prospective home falls into, ask the inspector before the walkthrough.
How the Testing Actually Works
Inspectors use what the profession calls “normal operating controls,” meaning the buttons, knobs, switches, and thermostats a homeowner would use day to day.1American Society of Home Inspectors. Standard of Practice They turn on each burner, fire up the oven, run the dishwasher through a short cycle, flip the disposal switch, and heat something in the microwave. The goal is to confirm the primary function works.
On a kitchen range, each burner is checked individually. The inspector watches for an even flame on gas models or a glowing element on electric ones. The oven gets set to a moderate temperature to confirm the heating element or gas igniter responds. The inspector is not required to test the self-cleaning cycle, verify thermostat calibration, or check whether the convection fan distributes heat evenly.1American Society of Home Inspectors. Standard of Practice
Dishwashers get a brief run. The inspector checks for leaks around the door seal and base, confirms the spray arms spin, and verifies the water drains at the end of the cycle. Grinding or rattling noises get noted because they can signal a failing motor. A dishwasher that completes a cycle without pooling water on the floor passes the check, even if it leaves spots on the glasses.
Safety Checks Worth Asking About
A few appliance-related safety items sit on the edge of the standard scope. They matter enough to raise with your inspector directly rather than assume they’ll show up in the report.
Anti-Tip Brackets on Freestanding Ranges
Anti-tip brackets have been required on freestanding ranges since 1991 to prevent the stove from tipping forward when weight is placed on an open oven door.2Consumer Product Safety Commission. Free Standing Kitchen Ranges A child climbing on the door or a heavy roasting pan can create enough leverage to topple an unsecured range. The bracket is a small metal piece screwed into the floor or wall behind the stove. The ASHI Standard of Practice does not explicitly require inspectors to verify installation, though many check anyway because it takes seconds. If your report doesn’t mention the bracket, ask whether one was present.
Dishwasher Drain Backflow Prevention
A dishwasher’s drain hose needs some form of backflow prevention to stop dirty sink water from siphoning back into the machine. Depending on the local plumbing code, that means either a dedicated air gap device mounted at the countertop or a high loop where the drain hose is secured to the underside of the counter before dropping to the disposal or drain. Inspectors usually check for this during the plumbing portion rather than the appliance portion. A missing air gap or low-hanging drain hose is one of the most common and cheapest fixes flagged in inspection reports.
Gas Appliances
Inspectors visually check gas connections for obvious corrosion or improper fittings, but formal gas leak detection with a combustible gas sniffer is not part of the standard inspection. No state regulation or major professional standard currently requires it. Some inspectors carry a detector and offer the service as an add-on. Carbon monoxide testing near gas burners, water heaters, and furnaces follows the same pattern: available as an add-on, rarely included by default. If the home runs on gas and you want the extra assurance, ask about both before booking.
What Inspectors Won’t Do
The inspection is strictly visual and non-invasive. Inspectors will not pull a range away from the wall to look behind it, remove panels from a dishwasher to examine the pump, or disassemble an oven to test internal wiring. They don’t use meters to check circuit boards, timers, or heating element resistance. The report reflects only what was observable and operational on that specific day.
Several items are carved out of the standard scope even on covered appliances:1American Society of Home Inspectors. Standard of Practice
- Thermostat calibration. The inspector confirms the oven heats, not whether it reaches the set temperature.
- Self-cleaning cycles, which run at extreme temperatures for hours.
- Indicator lights and displays, unless a failure prevents the appliance from operating.
- Door seal and gasket integrity testing.
- Microwave radiation leakage, which requires specialized equipment.
The inspection also cannot predict how long an appliance will last. A 15-year-old dishwasher that runs fine on inspection day could fail next month. Age-related wear may be noted as a judgment call based on what’s visible, not an engineering assessment.
Appliances Left Out Entirely
Anything not permanently installed is generally off the table:
- Freestanding refrigerators. They plug into a standard outlet and roll out, so they count as personal property.
- Clothes washers and dryers. Same logic, even if the seller plans to leave them.
- Countertop appliances like toasters, blenders, and coffee makers.
- Trash compactors and wine coolers, which often fall outside the standard scope even when built in.
- Outdoor kitchen equipment such as built-in grills, smokers, and outdoor refrigerators.
- Central vacuum systems, which some inspectors cover and others don’t. Check the contract.
If you want a professional opinion on any excluded appliance, hiring a dedicated appliance technician for a diagnostic visit is the standard move. Expect a service call fee in the range of $75 to $150 for the diagnostic alone, with higher-end or commercial-grade residential equipment costing more to evaluate.
Getting More Out of the Inspection
The standard inspection catches obvious functional failures, not subtle performance issues. A few habits help. Walk through the home with the inspector instead of waiting for the written report. Watching the testing happen lets you ask questions in real time that may never reach the formal document. Bring a list of the appliances you care about and confirm which ones fall inside the scope before the inspection starts.
For homes with high-end or commercial-grade kitchen equipment, consider scheduling a separate visit from an appliance technician who specializes in that brand. A general inspector’s training doesn’t cover the internal diagnostics of a $10,000 built-in refrigerator or a dual-fuel professional range. The specialized evaluation costs more but can prevent a $2,000 compressor failure from becoming your problem after closing.