New MA home inspection law 2025

🏡 New MA Home Inspection Law: What Buyers, Sellers & Agents Need to Know (Effective October 2025)

Big changes are coming to Massachusetts real estate! A new law—effective October 15, 2025—is aimed at protecting home buyers’ rights to inspections, ensuring a fairer and more transparent process for everyone. Bill S.2474 (An Act Protecting Consumer Rights in Purchasing Safe and Habitable Homes. The new Massachusetts Home Inspection law, which is part of the Affordable Homes Act, aims to protect homebuyers’ rights to a home inspection and address concerns that buyers were being pressured to waive inspections in competitive markets.

🔍 What’s Changing?

✅ No More Mandatory Waivers
Sellers and agents cannot require buyers to waive a home inspection to have their offer considered. Buyers have the right to a home inspection without pressure or misleading terms. This ends the pressure-cooker trend of “no inspection” offers to win bidding wars.

✅ Mandatory Disclosure
A new Home Inspection Disclosure Form must be signed separately—making it crystal clear that buyers have the right to hire a licensed inspector. The disclosure, signed by both buyer and seller, must be provided by the seller or agent before or at the first purchase contract signing, affirming the buyer’s right to an inspection. This disclosure guarantees the buyer a reasonable opportunity to get and review an inspection and to withdraw based on the results.

✅ Standard Inspection Window
Buyers get a 10-day window after offer acceptance to schedule inspections, plus 5 more days to review results and decide how to proceed.

✅ Penalties for Violations
Agents and sellers who break the rules face serious consequences—including fines, license discipline, and liability under MA consumer protection law.

🚫 What’s Not Allowed

• Sellers can’t reject offers just because they include an inspection.

• Agents can’t suggest or imply that waiving inspections gives an edge.

• Buyers can’t offer to waive inspections upfront to sweeten the deal.

Buyers can still choose to waive inspections—but only after their offer is accepted and without any outside pressure.

🧾 Who’s Affected?

This law applies to most home sales in MA—single-family homes, condos, multi-families up to 4 units.
Exemptions: family transfers, foreclosures, auctions, some trust sales, and new construction with express warranties.

📅 Timeline Recap:

• Law passed: August 2024

• Final rules issued: June 2025

• Full implementation: October 15, 2025

• Offers signed before July 15, 2025: exempt from new rules

This law levels the playing field—especially for first-time buyers—by removing the pressure to skip inspections in competitive markets.

Whether you’re buying, selling, or advising clients, now’s the time to review your process and make sure you’re ready.

Have questions or want help navigating the new rules? Drop a comment or reach out!

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