C.A.R. Form VP — Verification of Property Condition
California’s final walkthrough form. Its limits matter more than its contents, and they surprise people at the worst possible moment.
What the buyer is actually confirming
Three things, all of them about whether what was agreed has happened. Anything visible and accepted at the time of the offer is not within it, and the walkthrough is not a second inspection period.
When something is wrong
The routes are money or time, and both are changes to a binding contract: a credit at closing, a holdback in escrow, or the seller completing work with the closing moved. Scheduling the walkthrough early in the five-day window rather than the night before is what makes any of those possible.
What makes the walkthrough worth doing
The verification is only useful if the person doing it knows what was agreed. Arriving with the signed repair agreement and the inspection report turns a general look around into a specific check — this item was to be repaired, here is whether it was — and produces something that can be acted on rather than a vague sense that something is off.
The practical details matter more than they sound. Utilities need to be on for anything to be tested, so a property where the power was shut off after the seller moved out cannot really be verified at all. Appliances and systems that were part of the sale are worth running rather than looking at. And because the window is five days before closing, holding it early in that window rather than on the way to signing is what leaves room to do anything about what it finds.
Forms this touches
Named so you know which document the conversation ends in. Their text is not reproduced here.
- VP — Verification of Property Condition
Questions that come up
When can the final verification happen?
Within five days before closing.
Can a buyer refuse to close over the walkthrough?
They can decline to sign, but the verification is not a contingency, so doing so without another basis puts the buyer in the exposed position rather than the seller.
What if the utilities are off when the buyer arrives?
Then most of the property cannot actually be verified, because nothing can be tested. It is worth confirming in advance that power, water and gas are still on, since a seller who has already moved out has no particular reason to have left them running.
Describe the change in plain English
Amendly drafts the California amendment or addendum for your deal from a sentence. You review every line before it goes anywhere.
Draft your first amendmentRelated in this guide
- The final walkthrough in CaliforniaCalifornia’s final walkthrough happens within five days of closing and is expressly not a contingency. What that means when it finds a problem.
- C.A.R. Form RRRR — the seller responseHow a California seller answers a repair request, why a partial agreement is not an agreement, and what turns a response into a change to the contract.
- Repair credits after a California inspectionWhat a California seller must do after a repair request, what they can ignore, and which document actually changes the contract.
Where this comes from
This page describes how California residential transactions typically work. It is general information, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for an attorney on a specific deal. Amendly is not a law firm. Forms are named and described here; their text is not reproduced. Amendly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the California Association of REALTORS® or any state agency.