Where the inspection period comes from
Most residential sales in Florida are written on one of the contracts published by Florida Realtors. Florida Realtors explains that it has three residential contracts:
- the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase (often called the standard or "regular" contract),
- the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar "AS IS" Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase, and
- the Florida Realtors Contract for Residential Sale and Purchase (CRSP).
The two Florida Realtors/Florida Bar forms are the ones most buyers see, and both put the inspection period in Paragraph 12. This article walks through those two. Your own contract may have different numbers written in, addenda, or a different form entirely, so confirm the terms of your contract with your agent or a real estate attorney.
How long it is and how the days are counted
Both forms leave a blank for the number of days. In the current AS IS contract and the current standard contract, the language reads "(if left blank, then 15) days after Effective Date." So:
- The default is 15 days, but it is negotiable. Buyers and sellers often write in a shorter or longer number.
- The clock starts from the Effective Date, which the contract defines as the date the last of the buyer and seller signed or initialed and delivered the final offer or counter-offer. That is not necessarily the day you signed.
- Weekends count. Florida Realtors notes that these two contracts use calendar days.
- A deadline that lands on a weekend or holiday moves. Under Standard F of both forms, a time period that ends on a Saturday, Sunday or national legal public holiday extends to the next calendar day that is not one of those.
The third form works differently. Florida Realtors says the CRSP counts business days and ends time periods at 5 p.m. local time. If your agent used that form, the math changes, which is one more reason to ask for the exact date in writing.
The simplest habit: as soon as the contract is fully signed, ask your agent to tell you the calendar date your inspection period ends, and put it somewhere you will see it every day.
What you can do during the period
Under the AS IS contract
The AS IS form lets the buyer have "such inspections of the Property performed as Buyer shall desire." If the buyer decides, in the buyer's "sole discretion," that the property is not acceptable, the buyer can terminate by delivering written notice to the seller before the inspection period expires. If the buyer terminates in time, the deposit is returned.
Two strings come attached. The buyer pays for the inspections and must repair any damage the inspections cause. And if the buyer does not terminate, the buyer accepts the physical condition of the property, including any code violations, and is responsible for any repairs the buyer's lender requires.
Under the standard contract
The standard form is built around repairs rather than a free walk-away. During the inspection period, the buyer may have three kinds of inspection done:
- a General Inspection by a professional inspector, covering items the seller is obligated to keep in working condition, such as the roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, appliances and pool equipment;
- a WDO Inspection by a Florida-licensed pest control business; and
- a Permit Inspection to look for open or expired building permits and unpermitted improvements.
The key rule: the buyer must deliver written notice of problems to the seller within the inspection period. The contract says that if the buyer does not, the buyer waives the seller's obligation to repair those items.
Schedule backward from the deadline
A 15-day window sounds generous until you map it out. The inspection itself is one day, but acting on it takes longer: follow-up quotes from roofers or electricians, an insurance quote, a conversation with your agent, and a written notice or termination that has to be delivered on time. Here is one way to lay out a 15-day period.
| Days after the Effective Date | What to get done |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Book the home inspection and every add-on in the same call. Ask your insurance agent which insurance forms the home needs and your lender whether a WDO report is required. |
| 3 to 5 | Home inspection, with insurance forms on the same visit. Third-party inspections (WDO, sewer scope, septic) as close to the same day as scheduling allows. |
| 5 to 9 | Read the report. Book any specialist the report recommends. Send the 4-Point and wind mitigation reports to your insurance agent for quotes. |
| 9 to 12 | Decide. Work with your agent on a repair request, credit request or termination. |
| 13 to 15 | Buffer. Deliver the written notice or termination well before the last day. |
A few scheduling points that catch buyers out:
Book the general inspection first, and early. Starting with a whole-house inspection tells you which specialists, if any, you need, so every day it waits is a day taken from the follow-up.
Put the add-ons in the same booking. Some of the most useful inspections for a Florida purchase are done by separate, licensed companies. At High Tide, the WDO (termite) inspection is performed by Coastal Pest Services, a Florida-licensed partner, and sewer scopes and septic inspections are handled by third-party partners too. Each has its own calendar, so mention them when you book rather than after you read the report. The 4-Point and Wind Mitigation, by contrast, take about 45 minutes to an hour each and can be done on the same visit as the home inspection.
Leave room for the insurance quote. In Florida, the insurance premium on an older home can change the math on the whole purchase, and the insurer may want to see the 4-Point and wind mitigation reports before quoting. Getting those reports on day 3 or 4 instead of day 12 gives you time to shop.
Leave room for a second opinion. If the report says a roofer or electrician should evaluate something, that trade needs time to come out and write a quote. A report that arrives the next morning helps here: High Tide delivers reports within 24 hours, typically the next morning.
If you are still comparing inspectors, what drives home inspection prices in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch covers how the add-ons stack up, so you can budget for the whole schedule at once. When you are ready, you can book a whole-house inspection and add the insurance forms and partner inspections at the same time.
What happens after the inspections
AS IS: proceed or terminate
Under the AS IS form, the contract gives the buyer two options within the inspection period: terminate in the buyer's sole discretion, or let the period pass and accept the property's condition. Nothing in Paragraph 12 of the AS IS form obligates the seller to fix anything. Buyers often still ask for repairs or a credit, but any change like that is a new agreement between the parties, and your agent should make sure it is in writing before the period runs out.
Standard: repairs up to a limit
Under the standard form, the seller has repair obligations, but they are capped. Paragraph 9(a) sets three separate limits, each defaulting to 1.5% of the purchase price if left blank:
- a General Repair Limit for general repair items,
- a WDO Repair Limit for termite and other wood-destroying organism treatment and repairs, and
- a Permit Limit for closing out open or expired permits.
After receiving the buyer's notice, the seller has 10 days to either complete the repairs, get estimates from an appropriately licensed person, or get a second inspection. If the two inspection reports disagree and the parties cannot resolve it, they split the cost of a third professional inspector whose report is binding. If repair costs exceed the limit, the contract sets out a 5-day process for the seller to pay the excess or the buyer to choose which repairs get done, and if neither happens, either side may terminate and the buyer's deposit is refunded.
The standard form also draws lines around what counts. It says the seller is not required to fix "Cosmetic Conditions," and that cracked roof tiles, curling or worn shingles, or limited roof life are not defects the seller must repair as long as there is no evidence of actual leaks or structural damage.
A report that is easy to turn into a written request matters here. High Tide's reports include a Repair Request Builder that the buyer's agent can use to pull items straight into the request.
The WDO piece
Termite findings run on the same clock. Under the standard form, the buyer must deliver the WDO report to the seller within the inspection period if it shows evidence of infestation or damage. If you are not sure what that report will say or leave out, reading a Florida WDO report explains each section, including the "inaccessible areas" box that deserves a close look.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Counting from the wrong day. The period runs from the Effective Date, not from when you signed.
- Assuming weekends don't count. On these two forms they do. Only a deadline that ends on a weekend or holiday moves.
- Waiting for the report before booking the add-ons. Third-party inspections and insurance quotes are the slowest part of the schedule.
- Treating a phone call as notice. Both forms call for written notice delivered before the period ends.
- Negotiating past the deadline under AS IS. Once the period expires, the right to walk away in your sole discretion goes with it, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing.
What to do next
Get the end date of your inspection period in writing on the day the contract is signed. Book the home inspection and every add-on in one call during the first two days. Read the report the morning it arrives, get your specialist and insurance quotes moving, and leave at least two or three days of buffer before the deadline. This is general information, not legal advice, and the terms written into your own contract control, so check anything you are unsure of with your agent or a real estate attorney.
