Chimney Inspections When You Buy or Sell a Twin Cities Home

Minnesota law, Minn. Stat. 513.55, requires a seller to disclose in writing, before a purchase agreement is signed, the material facts they know of that could significantly affect an ordinary buyer. The Minnesota Realtors' seller's disclosure form makes the chimney concrete: its "in working order" checklist includes the fireplace, fireplace mechanisms, a wood-burning stove and the carbon monoxide detector. Sellers answering those boxes, and buyers reading the answers, are both better off with photos.

A general home inspector usually looks at the chimney from the ground and the firebox. We get on the roof when it is safe, check the crown, flashing, flue and furnace connection, and write up what we see. The inspection is free for buyers and sellers alike. If a camera scan is warranted because of signs of hidden damage, it is priced at the inspection.

Signs you need this

• The home inspection report says "recommend evaluation by a chimney professional"
• The house has a fireplace or stove nobody has used in years
• You are filling out the fireplace lines on the seller's disclosure
• The furnace or water heater vents into the chimney
• You see a cracked crown, missing cap or stained brick in the listing photos

How we do it

1. Book before the deadlineTell us the inspection deadline in your purchase agreement and we fit inside it where we can.
2. Inspect top to bottomRoof and stack, firebox, damper, smoke chamber, flue and any basement connections.
3. Photos and written findingsYou get the pictures and a plain list of what is fine and what is not.
4. Prices for any repairsAnything that needs work has a written price, so you have a number for negotiations.

For sellers: before you list

An inspection before listing lets you fix small things on your own schedule instead of under a buyer's deadline, and gives you a dated record to support your answers on the disclosure form. If something changes after you sign the disclosure, Minnesota law (Minn. Stat. 513.58) says the buyer has to be told in writing before closing.

For buyers: what to ask for

Ask whether the chimney serves a gas furnace or water heater as well as the fireplace. Minnesota's fuel gas code, Minn. R. 1346.5501, calls for a metal liner in a masonry chimney that vents gas appliances. A house with a new high-efficiency furnace and an old water heater still in the chimney is worth a careful look.

• Is there a liner, and is it the right type for each appliance?
• Are the crown, cap and flashing in good shape?
• Do the fireplace, damper and any gas logs work?
• Are CO alarms within 10 feet of each bedroom, as Minn. Stat. 299F.51 requires?