You Can No Longer Make Buyers Waive Home Inspections
Effective Oct 15th 2025, home sellers in Massachusetts cannot require buyers to skip a home inspection. Only the buyer can waive it.
Under new Massachusetts regulations starting Oct 15, 2025, sellers and agents can’t make waiving an inspection a condition of the sale, and buyers can’t offer to skip it to get ahead. These rules, part of the Affordable Homes Act, are designed to restore transparency and give buyers the chance to make informed decisions.
This is a big win for consumer protection and for the inspection industry. Home inspections give buyers a clear picture of a property’s condition, help prevent expensive surprises, and support fair negotiations. These new rules set the stage for a healthier, more transparent real estate process where inspections aren’t treated like a hurdle, but a standard part of smart homebuying.
For years, Massachusetts buyers in a red-hot market were pushed to waive home inspections just to stay competitive, a risky move that often left them exposed to hidden issues and costly surprises.
Sellers must now provide a signed disclosure outlining the buyer’s right to an inspection, ensuring no one is pressured into bypassing this critical step. While buyers can still technically waive their inspection, the decision has to be their own without influence from the seller's side.
This levels the playing field for first-time homebuyers, as they try to compete for homes they probably can't afford to fix after making one of the largest purchases in their lives.