Q: I am planning to put in a deposit on a cottage. What are the main areas that need to be inspected? Septic, foundation, electrical, heating?—Sam Saha, via email
A: Well, no inspection is required under the law, if that’s what you mean. Not hiring a building inspector wouldn’t prevent you from buying the cottage. But all of the stuff you listed should be inspected, along with the well—if there is one—and the water delivery system. Oh, and don’t forget a WETT inspection of any wood-burning fireplaces or stoves.
“That’s an important one,” says Martin Elder of Martin Elder Real Estate Group in Ottawa. Because—hello—you don’t want a fire in the cottage that you just bought. But also: “Your insurance company will ask you if you’ve had one.”
Happily, building inspectors are typically qualified to assess most of a cottage’s systems, and some are even WETT-certified. “They’re usually jack-of-all-trades people,” says Elder.
Cottage Q&A: Building a deck on rock
But how to find the right person? “Usually, a real estate agent would cover this kind of thing,” he says. They’d have worked with local inspectors before and be familiar with their backgrounds and expertise. The fact that you’re asking these questions, and they haven’t been dealt with already, makes him think that neither you nor the seller are working with an agent. “Rather, everything is moving forward in a one-to-one sale,” he says.
Hey, nothing wrong with that, and if that’s the case, you could still contact a real estate agent for advice now. They should be able to vouch for inspectors in your area. But they’d probably also advise you that—if there’s still an opportunity to do so—you should make your written offer to purchase conditional on an inspection and its results.
“Something that says, ‘I’ll pay you $400,000 for your cottage, with a deposit now, on the condition that I have a building inspection, a septic inspection, a well inspection, and so on, and that I’m satisfied with the results,’ ” says Elder. “Those conditions are an escape.” If the cottage inspection uncovers problems, the conditional offer gives you the option of walking away (and just losing the inspector’s fee). It also gives you the option to negotiate with the seller to fix the issue or reduce the sale price. The inspection gives you ammunition.
Buy the Way: This cottager snagged her dream cottage without having the highest bid
Elder suggests bringing along someone else (ideally someone with a cottage background) as a second set of eyes when you check out the property again. “It could be a contractor you know. It could be your mom or dad. Someone who is visually acute. That can be so helpful,” he says. Why? Building inspectors are trained, they know what they’re doing, and most will do a good job. But they inspect systems. An observant cottager friend might notice something that the inspector isn’t being paid to notice and that a cottage newbie wouldn’t see—something that could turn into a future problem. Example? Trees that look like they’re growing too close to the septic field.
“You go into a recreational property with this vision of swimming off the dock, the dog wagging its tail, everyone happy,” says Elder. “But the reality is that you have a septic problem you don’t know about.”
Well, until something disgusting happens. And you write to Cottage Q&A for advice.
Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.
This article was originally published in the Early Summer 2026 issue of Cottage Life.
Related Story Cottage Q&A: Will we ever “solve” the problem of invasive species?
Related Story Cottage Q&A: Can a cottage receive a heritage designation?
Related Story Cottage Q&A: Should I treat my dock with a wood preservative?