After a home inspection, the buyer typically has whatever days remain in the inspection contingency period written into the purchase agreement, which in most contracts runs 7 to 14 calendar days from the date both parties signed, not from the date of the inspection. That window is set by contract, not by law, so the exact number depends on what you negotiated. Once it expires, you lose the ability to walk away over inspection findings without putting your earnest money at risk.
When the Clock Starts and Stops
The inspection period usually begins the day the purchase agreement is fully signed. It does not restart when the inspector shows up or when the report lands in your inbox. Everything — scheduling the inspector, attending the walkthrough, receiving the written report, and telling the seller what you want to do about it — has to fit inside that same window.
Most contracts land somewhere between 7 and 10 days. Some stretch to 14, and some tighten to 5.
Calendar Days or Business Days
Unless your contract says otherwise, “days” means calendar days, weekends and holidays included. Some contracts add a safety valve that pushes a deadline landing on a weekend or federal holiday to the next business day. That exception is not universal, so read the definitions section of your agreement rather than assuming.
The difference is not academic. A 10-day period that starts on a Thursday ends the following Sunday in calendar days and the following Wednesday in business days. Misreading which one applies can cost you the contingency.
Specialist Testing Eats Into the Window
A general home inspection covers structure, roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. If the inspector flags something that needs specialist follow-up, those results do not come back instantly. Radon and mold sampling each need roughly 48 hours for lab results. A sewer scope has to be booked separately. Wells and septic systems add another layer.
Book the general inspection within the first day or two after signing. That leaves room for referrals, specialist visits, and lab turnaround before the deadline arrives.
Your Three Options Before the Deadline
Once the report is in hand, you generally have three paths, and all of them have to happen before the contingency expires.
- Accept the property as-is and move forward with the purchase.
- Send the seller a written request for repairs, a price reduction, or a closing credit.
- Cancel the contract under the contingency and get your earnest money back.
Repair requests tend to land better when they focus on structural, safety, and mechanical items rather than cosmetic ones. A long list of small complaints can stall the conversation. A short list of real problems is more likely to get a yes.
Negotiation Runs on the Same Clock
Submitting a repair request does not pause the contingency. The seller’s response time, any counter, and the back-and-forth until you reach agreement all count against the same deadline. Some contracts set a seller response window of three to five days; many leave it open.
If you send a repair request on day eight of a ten-day period, the seller has little reason to move quickly. Waiting them out costs them nothing and costs you the contingency. Getting the inspection done early is what buys you room to negotiate.
When the response comes back, the seller may agree to everything, reject everything, or offer a partial fix. If the counter is not acceptable, you can still cancel under the contingency, but only while it is still alive.
Asking for More Time
You can ask for an extension. The seller does not have to grant one. In most standard contracts, an extension requires a written amendment signed by both parties. A few agreements give the buyer a unilateral right to extend by a set number of days, but that is the exception.
Typical reasons to ask: lab results are not back yet, you are waiting on a contractor estimate for a major repair, or scheduling has been slow during a busy season. If the seller refuses, you are left with the original deadline and the same three options: accept, respond with what you have, or cancel before time runs out.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
If the contingency period expires without a formal response, most contracts treat the contingency as waived. In effect, you have told the seller the condition of the home is acceptable, whether or not that is what you meant.
A waived contingency costs you two things: the ability to negotiate repairs based on the inspection, and the ability to cancel over the home’s condition without financial consequence. Try to back out afterward and the seller can refuse to release your earnest money. Deposits typically run 1 to 3 percent of the purchase price, and in competitive markets they can reach 10 percent. On a $400,000 home, even 2 percent puts $8,000 at stake.
Earnest money disputes after a missed deadline often require a mutual release from both parties, and a seller who feels strung along has little reason to sign one. Some of these disputes end up in mediation or small claims court and drag on for months. Calendaring the deadline the moment the contract is signed, and working backward from it, is the simplest way to avoid the fight.
How You Deliver the Response Matters
Sending a repair request or a cancellation notice at 11:55 p.m. on the last day does not help if your contract requires hand delivery and the listing agent’s office closed at 6 p.m. Contracts usually specify acceptable methods: hand delivery, certified mail, overnight courier, or email. Courts generally follow whatever the agreement says about when notice becomes effective. Email is increasingly accepted, but not every contract recognizes it on its own. Use the method the notice provision authorizes.
FHA and VA Appraisal Repairs Are a Separate Track
If you are using an FHA or VA loan, the property has to meet the lender’s minimum standards, and the appraiser can flag issues the general inspector missed. Those appraisal-driven repairs run on a different timeline than your inspection contingency. A clean inspection report does not prevent an appraisal callout, and an appraisal issue that appears after your inspection contingency expires cannot be resolved through that contingency.1U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Rescission of Outdated and Costly FHA Appraisal Protocols Treat them as parallel processes with different deadlines.
Waived and Informational-Only Inspections Change the Answer
If you waived the inspection contingency to strengthen your offer, the answer to how many days you have is zero. You can still hire an inspector for your own information, but the results give you no leverage and no exit. A $30,000 problem the inspector finds is yours.
An informational-only inspection sits in the middle. You get a full report but agree upfront not to request repairs or price reductions based on it. Whether you can still cancel depends on the specific language. Paired with a standard contingency, you usually keep the right to walk away. Paired with a waived contingency, you are locked in regardless of what the report says. Ask your agent or attorney which version applies before you sign.