The DeVito Team · Keller Williams Realty Greater Nassau
What to check on a Nassau or Suffolk house beyond the standard inspection, and when it happens in a New York purchase.
The short answer: a standard New York home inspection covers the house’s systems and structure, but by law it leaves out radon and pests. On a Nassau or Suffolk house, buyers often add checks for a buried oil tank, the cesspool or septic system, radon, the sewer line, termites, open permits and flood history. On Long Island the inspection usually happens before the contract is signed, so what it finds can still shape the deal.
Why it matters: before you sign, the terms can still change. After you sign, they are set by the contract, so ask your attorney how the contract handles anything found later. The seller’s disclosure statement is due before you sign too (below).
Many older Long Island homes were heated with oil, and some still have a tank in the yard or one closed in place. The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) notes that common 275-gallon steel tanks “were not designed to be buried,” and that on a sale “a bank or the buyer likely will ask for an environmental assessment or the removal of the tank.” It also warns that many homeowner policies carry a “pollution exclusion.”
Suffolk and Nassau both have many homes that are not on a sewer. The disclosure form asks which system the house has: public sewer, private sewer, septic or cesspool (question 36).
If the house is on a sewer, the pipe from the house to the street is not visible to a standard inspection. Some buyers order a camera inspection of that line, especially for older houses or where there are large trees. Ask the seller about past backups or repairs, and ask your attorney who is responsible for the line under the local sewer district’s rules.
An inspector reports condition, not paperwork. A finished basement, a deck or a converted garage may have been built without a permit, or with one never closed out. Question 9 of the disclosure form asks whether there are certificates of occupancy for the property, and your attorney’s title and municipal searches check the town or village records. How this works on Long Island: open permits and certificates of occupancy.
Questions 10 to 17 of the disclosure form cover the flood zone, flood insurance, any FEMA elevation certificate and past flood claims; questions 38 and 39 cover standing water and water entry. Ask for the elevation certificate and the insurance history. Maps, insurance and what the questions mean: flooding on Long Island.
Under federal law the seller must give you EPA’s lead pamphlet, disclose any known lead-based paint or hazards, and share available records and reports. You also get “a 10-day period to conduct a paint inspection or risk assessment,” which can be lengthened, shortened or waived in writing. Question 23 of the state form separately asks about lead plumbing.
Pests are not part of a New York home inspection, so buyers order a wood-destroying insect inspection separately. Questions 30 and 31 of the disclosure form ask about known infestation or damage and past tests. If the house was treated, ask for the treatment records and any service agreement.
The inspection covers the apartment: its plumbing, electrical, windows, appliances and any heating or cooling it controls. The roof, boiler, facade and common areas are the co-op board’s or the condo association’s responsibility, so buyers also review building documents such as financial statements, board minutes and any planned assessments. The state disclosure statement does not apply to co-op apartments or condominium units. More: buying a co-op.
Inspection reports list many items, most of them minor. Sort them into safety items, big-ticket systems, and routine upkeep, and get a specialist’s opinion where the inspector recommends one. Then the usual options are:
Whatever is agreed is written into the contract by the attorneys. From an attorney’s perspective, the wording matters: who does a repair, to what standard, by when, and what happens if it is not done. Your own attorney should draft or review that language for your purchase.
Every question on the form, explained: New York Property Condition Disclosure. Last verified 2026-10-29.
Buying in Queens or Brooklyn? This checklist is written for Nassau and Suffolk. The inspection law, the disclosure statement, the radon guidance and the lead rule apply there too, but the oil tank and cesspool rules above are Nassau and Suffolk county rules. In New York City, the city says property owners own and must maintain the sewer service line from the house to the city’s main in the street (NYC 311).
The standard inspection covers the house's systems and structure. On Long Island, buyers often add checks for a buried oil tank, the cesspool or septic system, radon, the sewer line, termites, open permits and the certificate of occupancy, and flood history. New York's definition of a home inspection leaves out radon and pests, so those are ordered separately.
On Long Island, usually after the offer is accepted and before the contract is signed, while the attorneys prepare the contract. An accepted offer is generally not binding in New York until a written contract is signed, so what the inspection finds can still change the terms.
No. The state's home inspector licensing law says a home inspection "shall not include an inspection for radon or pests." Radon and termite or other wood-destroying insect checks are separate tests.
Ask the seller: question 21 of the state disclosure form asks whether there are or ever have been fuel storage tanks on the property. An inspector may note signs such as a fill or vent pipe. Some buyers also order a tank sweep, a scan of the yard. If a tank was closed, ask for the paperwork; in Nassau the county Department of Health issues a confirmation letter for a completed small-tank closure.
A cesspool is a shallow underground structure, usually a concrete cylinder with an open bottom or perforated sides, that disposes of household wastewater directly into the soil. A septic system adds a tank first: solids settle in the tank and the liquid flows on to a drainfield or leaching area. The disclosure form asks which one the house has.
Buying the house does not trigger Suffolk's cesspool rule. The rule applies when a failed cesspool is replaced: since July 1, 2019, the replacement must be at least a code-compliant system with a septic tank, with a county permit or filing. The county says the change does not mandate an upgrade upon failure. Confirm what applies with the county Office of Wastewater Management.
For most sales of a one- to four-family house, yes: the seller must deliver it before you sign a binding contract, and there is no longer a $500 credit in place of it. Co-op apartments and condominium units are not covered by this law. The form itself says it is not a substitute for inspections or tests.
For housing built before 1978, the seller must give you the EPA pamphlet, disclose known lead-based paint and hazards, and share available reports. You also get a 10-day period to have a lead inspection or risk assessment done, which the parties can lengthen, shorten or waive in writing.
We do not publish a figure: no government source sets or reports one, and the price depends on the house and on which separate tests you add. Get written quotes, ask what each one includes, and check the inspector's license with the Department of State.
Yes. The inspection covers the apartment itself. The roof, boiler, facade and other building systems are the co-op board's or the condo association's responsibility, so buyers also review building documents such as financial statements and board minutes.
Joseph DeVito is a New York Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker and a New York attorney. He does not act as both broker and attorney on the same transaction: here he acts as a real estate broker only, and he is not your attorney. Real estate services provided through Keller Williams Realty Greater Nassau are not legal representation. Everything on this site is general information for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, it creates no attorney-client relationship, and it should not be relied on as legal advice — for advice about your own situation, consult your own attorney.
This page is general information, not legal, environmental or engineering advice for any property. We do not recommend or rank inspectors, testers or contractors. What a contract should say about inspection findings depends on your facts, so confirm it with the attorney handling your purchase.
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The DeVito Team of Keller Williams Realty Greater Nassau
Joseph DeVito, NY Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
400 Garden City Plaza Ste 438, Garden City, NY 11530 · (516) 770-3782
