House Inspection Checklist Before You Buy
Updated 3 November 2026 · Land & Property editorial team
Inspect a house in Uganda in this order: the outside and drainage first, then structure and roof, then water, power and waste, then each room, then the papers. Look for cracks, damp, standing water, poor wiring and a missing occupation permit. Bring an engineer for a final check, and walk the house in daylight, ideally after rain.
- Best time to inspect
- Daylight, and if you can, soon after rain
- Documents KCCA asks for at occupation stage
- Approved drawings, job card, water and power bills, fire certificate, architect letter
- Sites prone to flooding
- Can be stopped under the Building Control Act, 2013, s.40
- Dilapidated buildings
- Can be ordered repaired or demolished (s.41)
What should I check in a house before buying?
Check six areas in this order: the site and drainage, the structure, the roof, water and waste, electrics, and the documents. Do them in this order because the first two decide whether the house is worth the rest of your time. A good-looking kitchen cannot fix a leaning wall or a compound that floods.
The legal paperwork, such as title searches and spousal consent, is on a separate page: legal checks before buying a house. This page is the physical inspection. Take a torch, a phone with a camera, a tape measure, a small spirit level or a marble to test floors, and a bucket or a tap-filling bottle to test drains. Take photographs of everything and note the time of day. Go back at a different time, because a house that looks quiet at ten in the morning may be next to a bar on Friday night.
If you are comparing houses in our listings, a good first step is to browse house listings and note which ones state tenure, plot size and bedrooms, so your inspection list is short.
How do I check the site, drainage and flooding?
Start outside. Walk the full boundary and then stand on the road and look at where water would go.
- Slope. Does the compound slope toward the house or away from it? Water that runs toward the walls attacks the foundation.
- Stains and tide marks. A dark line on the lower wall or the compound wall often marks the height of earlier flooding.
- Drains and culverts. Look at the road side drain and any culvert at the gate. Blocked, narrow or missing drains are an everyday cause of flooding.
- Neighbouring plots. If neighbouring land is lower and swampy, ask whether the area floods in the rains. Ask neighbours, not the seller.
- Access road. Walk it. A road that is fine in the dry season can be a stream in the wet.
Drainage is a legal matter as well as a comfort one. The Building Control Act, 2013, section 40(1)(c) lets a Building Committee order a building operation stopped where the site is predisposed to flooding or has a poor drainage system. Section 40(2) lets it order remedial measures first. A house built on such a site may carry that problem for its whole life. The Act also lets a committee order the owner of a building that is in disrepair or dilapidated to take remedial action or demolish it (section 41(1)), so a badly neglected house is not just a repair bill but possibly a notice.
How do I check the structure and walls?
Cracks are the first question. Many hairline cracks in plaster are cosmetic. The ones to worry about are wide, stepped or running through the full wall.
| What you see | What it can mean | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Fine vertical hairlines in plaster | Often drying or settling of plaster | Note and monitor |
| Diagonal or stepped cracks running through the wall, wider at one end | Possible foundation movement | Get an engineer before you offer |
| Cracks over door and window openings | Weak lintel or overloaded opening | Engineer |
| Doors that jam, floors that slope | Settlement or poor slab | Test with a level, engineer |
| Rust stains or flaking concrete with exposed bars | Corroding reinforcement | Engineer, price the repair |
| Bulging or leaning wall | Serious | Walk away or reprice heavily |
Tap the walls with your knuckle. Hollow sounds on plaster mean it is loose from the wall behind. Look at the corners where walls meet the ceiling for cracks that have been filled and painted. Fresh paint in one spot is a clue to ask about. Ask whether any wall has been removed, because walls often carry load.
What should I look for on the roof, ceilings and damp?
Look at the roof from outside and inside. From outside, check the sheets for rust, gaps, slipped ridge caps and sagging lines. From inside, go into the ceiling space if there is access and check the timber or steel for rot, sagging and light coming through. On the ceilings, look for brown rings, sagging board and stained corners. These show where water has come in.
For damp, look low and look in corners. White powdery salt on lower walls, bubbling paint, a musty smell and black mould on the north or shaded sides all point to damp rising from the ground or leaking from pipes. Check the walls behind bathrooms and the kitchen sink. A damp meter helps, but your eyes and nose work well enough for a first pass.
Ask the seller how old the roof is and whether it has been repaired. A roof that leaks in only one place after repair may still hide wet timber. If the house is storeyed, check the flat roof or balcony slab for ponding water, because standing water finds every crack. Our guide to bungalows, maisonettes and storeyed houses explains why upper floors have extra points to check.
How do I check water, power, drainage and septic?
Test, do not ask. Open every tap and let it run. Flush every toilet. Run every shower. Look for low pressure, brown water, slow drains and leaks under sinks.
- Water supply. Is the house on mains water, a borehole, or a tank? Ask for the last water bills. KCCA asks for copies of water and electricity bills when it processes an occupation permit, so a house with a permit should have both accounts in order.
- Water pressure and storage. Check the tank, the pump and the stand. Ask whether water runs in the dry season.
- Electricity. Look at the meter and the distribution board. Switch on lights and sockets in every room. Loose sockets, scorch marks and bare wires are red flags. Ask who did the wiring. Pulse Uganda reports that the occupation permit process asks for certificates of fitness for installations, so ask whether any exist.
- Wastewater. Find the septic tank and soakaway, or the sewer connection. Lift the cover if you can do so safely. Ask when the tank was last emptied, how often it fills, and where the soakaway is relative to any borehole or well.
- Surface water. Pour water at the lowest point of the compound and watch where it goes.
Fire safety matters in a storeyed house: KCCA's FAQ lists a fire certificate among the occupation permit documents. Ask for it, and look for extinguishers and escape routes in multi-unit buildings. The rental building due diligence page covers those.
What is the room-by-room check?
Use this table on the day. Tick or note each item per room.
| Area | Check |
|---|---|
| Entrance and gate | Gate and wall condition, security, parking size, access road in rain |
| Living room | Cracks, window and door fit, sockets, ceiling stains, natural light |
| Kitchen | Sink drain, tap pressure, damp behind cabinets, ventilation, power points for appliances |
| Bedrooms | Wardrobe space, windows that open, ceiling stains, floors level |
| Bathrooms | Flush, shower drain, leaks, tile cracks, extractor or window, water heater |
| Floors | Hollow tiles when tapped, cracks, uneven joins |
| Windows and doors | Frames, locks, burglar bars, fit and rust |
| Staircase and balcony | Rails firm, treads even, slab slope and drain |
| Outside and boy's quarter | Separate access, own meter and toilet, condition |
Count the rooms and compare them with the listing and any plan. If a listing says four bedrooms and you find three, ask why. If you are looking at an apartment, use the second-hand apartment checklist, which adds service charge and common areas.
Which documents should I see on the day?
Ask to see, and photograph, these:
- The certificate of title and the seller's identification (full checks are in the legal checks guide).
- The approved building plan and building permit.
- The occupation permit. The Building Control Act, 2013, section 44, requires the owner to apply for one on completion and makes it an offence to occupy before it is issued.
- The job card and supervision records, if the house is recent. KCCA's FAQ says an inspector must update the job card at each stage.
- Recent utility bills, and any estate service-fee receipts.
- Any tenancy agreement, if the house is let.
Compare the house with the plan. Extra rooms or a second floor that are not on the approved plan may need regularisation, and in the worst case the authority may order remedial work or demolition under section 41. If the building is unfinished, read buying an unfinished house. If you are financing the purchase, a bank will run its own valuation and legal review, described in buying a house with a mortgage.
Should I hire an engineer, and what next?
Yes, if the house is more than a few years old, has cracks you cannot explain, is storeyed, or you are spending more than you could afford to lose. An engineer's report costs a small share of the price and gives you a basis to negotiate. Hire someone you choose, not the seller's contact, and ask for a written report with photographs.
The same habits apply to other property types. See how to inspect a forest before you buy and farm survey before buying for land and trees. For mortgage-funded buyers, the bank will also want a valuation and may need an insurance certificate: see mortgages in Uganda. To see houses with someone who checks the seller first, book an escorted site visit. If you want to compare costs of a finished house with a three-bedroom alternative, see 3 bedroom houses for sale in Uganda, and for apartment alternatives read apartment or house in Kampala.
Listings available now
Live from Land & Property on 4 November 2026. Prices are the sellers' asking prices.
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2 in 1 houses for sale in Kisaasi at Ugx350m
UGX 350,000,000
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3+1 Bedroom house in Bwebajja at 520m
UGX 520,000,000
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Residential House in Kira at Ugx170m
UGX 170,000,000
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Residential House in Kira Mulawa at Ugx350m
UGX 350,000,000
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Residential House in Nakwero @Ugx480m
UGX 480,000,000
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4-Bedroom Residential House in Kitikifumba Kira
UGX 850,000,000
Frequently asked questions
What should I check in a house before buying?
Check the site and drainage first, then cracks and walls, the roof and ceilings, damp, water and drains, wiring, and each room. Finish with the documents: title, approved plan, occupation permit and recent bills. Visit in daylight, and again after rain if you can.
Should I hire an engineer?
Yes for older houses, storeyed buildings or any house with unexplained cracks. Choose the engineer yourself, not the seller. Ask for a written report with photographs, so you can negotiate the price or walk away with evidence.
Which cracks are serious?
Diagonal or stepped cracks wider at one end, cracks over openings, cracks that run through the full wall, and any bulging or leaning wall. Hairline plaster cracks are often cosmetic. Rust stains or exposed reinforcement also need an engineer.
How do I check if a house floods?
Look for tide marks on walls, check the slope of the compound, inspect the road drain and culvert, and ask neighbours. Visit after rain. The Building Control Act, 2013, section 40 lets committees stop building on sites prone to flooding or with poor drainage.
What documents should I ask for at the viewing?
The title, seller identification, approved plan, building permit, occupation permit, job card for recent builds, recent water and electricity bills, and any tenancy agreement. Photograph each and compare the plan with what is built.
Sources
- Building Control Act, 2013 (Act 10 of 2013), ss.34 to 38 and 44, Parliament of Uganda, copy hosted by KCCA (accessed 2026-11)
- Development control FAQs (plans, occupation permit, job card), Kampala Capital City Authority (accessed 2026-11)
- When and how to get Uganda's occupancy permit, Pulse Uganda (accessed 2026-11)
- Land & Property listings, Nov 2026 (houses and apartments), Land & Property (accessed 2026-11)