How Do I Ask for Repairs After a Home Inspection in Indiana?
Quick answer: In Indiana you ask for repairs on the written Inspection Response that goes with the Indiana Association of REALTORS purchase agreement, delivered before its deadline. Mark Dietel Realty advises Southside Indianapolis and Greenwood buyers to list a few safety and major-system items, attach contractor estimates, and choose repairs, a credit or a price change.
What we analyzed: Indiana's home inspector statute (IC 25-20.2-2-7), the seller disclosure law (IC 32-21-5-9 and State Form 46234), U.S. EPA radon guidance, and Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage survey for October 8, 2026.
Key takeaways
- Your request must be in writing and inside the deadline set in your purchase agreement. Verbal requests do not count.
- Focus on safety items and major systems. In our experience, long lists of maintenance items slow the answer down.
- Attach written estimates from licensed contractors.
- Repairs, a seller credit and a price reduction each work differently with your lender and your timeline.
- The seller can agree, counter or decline. Know before you send it what you will do if they say no.
How does the inspection response work in Indiana?
After your inspection, your agent prepares a written response, commonly on the Inspection Response form used with the Indiana Association of REALTORS Purchase Agreement. It lists what you want repaired or credited and is delivered to the seller before your contract deadline. The seller then has a set time to accept, counter or reject it.
What this guide adds: the three dates to calendar the day your offer is accepted, and a five-row sort tied to local housing. Older Southside ranches tend to raise wiring and clay sewer-lateral items; newer Greenwood subdivisions tend to raise grading and drainage. Both sit inside the deficiency categories Indiana's inspector law (IC 25-20.2-2-7) requires.
The deadlines and the options when you cannot agree come from the purchase agreement you signed. No Indiana statute sets them. Read that section with your agent the day your offer is accepted. Put three dates on your calendar: when inspections must be finished, when your response is due, and when the seller must answer.
In our experience, many Indiana purchase agreements treat a missed response deadline as accepting the property's condition, so check the wording in yours. Want a second set of eyes on your dates? Call Mark Dietel Realty at (317) 426-9911.
What should I ask the seller to fix?
Ask for items that affect safety, keep water out, or involve major systems near failure: gas leaks, electrical hazards, active roof leaks, structural movement, failed sewer lines, high radon, and heating or cooling that does not work. Leave cosmetic and routine maintenance items off. A focused list usually gets a faster, more cooperative answer.
Use the inspector's own categories as a guide. Indiana Code 25-20.2-2-7 requires the report to identify systems that are significantly deficient or near the end of their service life. Those flagged items are the core of a reasonable request.
A quick sort before you write anything:
Types of inspection findings and typical approaches
- Safety
- Examples: Gas leak, double-tapped breaker or older wiring in an older Southside ranch, missing handrail, no CO detector near gas appliances.
- Typical approach: Request repair by a licensed contractor with receipts.
- Water and structure
- Examples: Active roof leak, foundation crack with movement, grading toward the house in a newer Greenwood subdivision.
- Typical approach: Request repair or a credit based on a written estimate.
- Major system failure
- Examples: Furnace not heating, a broken clay sewer lateral (which we often see in older Southside homes), radon above 4 pCi/L.
- Typical approach: Request repair, mitigation or a credit.
- Age, still working
- Examples: 15-year-old water heater, older roof with no leaks.
- Typical approach: Usually noted for your budget rather than requested.
- Maintenance and cosmetic
- Examples: Caulk, loose door hardware, paint, minor drips.
- Typical approach: Usually left off the request.
The full list of what a standard inspection covers, and which add-ons to order first, is in What Does a Home Inspection Cover When Buying in Indiana?
Should I ask for repairs, a credit or a lower price?
Ask for repairs when the item is about safety or must be fixed before you move in. Ask for a credit when you want to choose the contractor yourself. Ask for a price change when the issue is large and your lender and appraisal allow it. Each option affects your loan, your timeline and who controls the work.
A seller credit is applied at closing toward the buyer's allowable costs. Lenders set limits on how much a seller can credit, and those limits vary by loan type, so ask your lender before you write the request. A credit cannot exceed what your lender allows, and in our experience any unused amount is usually lost.
Financing conditions matter this fall. Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% in early October. With rates at that level, some buyers prefer a credit toward their own costs over a price reduction, because it reduces the cash they bring to closing. Your lender can show you the trade-off for your loan.
If you pick repairs, ask for licensed contractors, written receipts and time to confirm the work at your final walkthrough.
What does this look like in Central Indiana?
For example, here is a hypothetical. A buyer is under contract at $265,000 on a 1958 ranch on the Southside of Indianapolis. The inspection flags a double-tapped breaker, a sewer lateral with root intrusion, an aging but working furnace, and a list of minor maintenance items. A radon test reads above 4 pCi/L.
The buyer gets written estimates from a licensed electrician, a plumber and an Indiana-certified radon mitigator. The response asks for three things: the electrical repair by a licensed electrician, radon mitigation with a passing retest, and a credit equal to the plumber's sewer estimate. The furnace and maintenance items are left off.
The seller counters by agreeing to the electrical and radon work and offering a smaller credit for the sewer line. The buyer accepts. Radon results are explained in Is Radon a Problem in Indianapolis, and Should Buyers Test?
When this doesn't apply (or who this isn't for)
- As-is sales: If the contract says as-is, the seller has signaled they will not repair. You can still ask, but plan around a no.
- New construction: Builders use their own contracts and punch-list process.
- Estate and bank-owned sales: Personal representatives and lenders often have limited authority to repair.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your purchase agreement controls your rights and deadlines.
What to do next
Before you write an offer, ask your agent to show you the inspection section of the purchase agreement so you know your deadlines. If you have a report in hand and want help sorting it, call Mark Dietel Realty at (317) 426-9911. We have offices in Southside Indianapolis, Greenwood and Bloomington.
Frequently asked questions
Can the seller refuse to make any repairs in Indiana?
Yes. Indiana does not require a seller to make inspection repairs. The seller can accept, counter or decline your response. What happens next depends on your purchase agreement, which may let you accept the property as is, keep negotiating, or terminate within the deadline. Read those options before you send the request.
Does the seller's disclosure mean the seller is responsible for defects?
Not by itself. Indiana Code 32-21-5-9 says the seller's disclosure form, State Form 46234, is not a warranty and is not a substitute for the buyer's inspections. It reports what the owner knew. If you believe a known defect was hidden, talk to a real estate attorney.
Can I ask for repairs after the inspection deadline?
You can ask, but the seller has no contractual duty to respond, and you may have already accepted the property's condition under your purchase agreement. A lender-required repair after the appraisal is a separate process. Treat your inspection response deadline as firm.
Who confirms the repairs were done?
You do, at the final walkthrough. Ask for receipts and contractor names in writing before closing. For radon, ask for the post-mitigation test. If something is not finished, raise it with your agent before you sign any closing documents at the title company.
