Free Home Risk Checklist for Earthquake and Storm Prep

This checklist is a simple homeowner worksheet, not an inspection or engineering report. It helps you look at common areas people often want reviewed after a storm season, before buying a retrofit, or when planning maintenance on an older home.

You can use it to track basic details such as the age of the home, visible cracks, water entry, crawl space access, roof and wall connections, and whether past repair work is documented. That can make contractor conversations more organized and less stressful.

If you are comparing repair options, it can also pair well with our retrofit cost worksheet so you can keep rough price notes, scope items, and questions together.

The download is designed to be practical and easy to fill out. It does not tell you what work your home needs. Instead, it gives you a clear way to gather observations a licensed contractor or engineer can review.

Inside, you will find:

• A room-by-room and exterior note section
• A place to record foundation, crawl space, roof, and drainage observations
• Simple yes/no prompts for common earthquake and storm concerns
• Space to list past repairs, permits, and photos
• A question list to bring when you ask for estimates
• A section to compare contractor responses side by side

If you want more homeowner tools in one place, see our tool library.

Start with a slow walk around the property in daylight. Take photos, write down what you can actually see, and skip anything you cannot safely access. Do not climb on the roof or enter tight or unsafe spaces just to complete the worksheet.

A simple way to use it is:

1. Fill in the home basics you know
2. Mark visible issues, moisture, movement, or past damage
3. Add photos and dates if possible
4. Bring the checklist when you talk to contractors
5. Ask each company to confirm scope and price in writing

The goal is not to diagnose the house yourself. The goal is to stay organized, compare answers fairly, and decide whether to get matched, free with local contractors who can assess the property.

Many homeowners focus on the biggest visible crack or the roof alone, but smaller details can matter too. People often forget to note signs of repeated water entry, rust at connectors, soft wood near vents or doors, or blocked drainage that keeps water close to the foundation.

In earthquake and storm regions, homeowners also commonly miss changes that happened over time, such as garage alterations, additions, old posts, uneven floors, or previous repairs with no paperwork. These details do not automatically mean a major retrofit is needed, but they are useful for a contractor to review.

Other often-missed items include:

• Items stored against foundation walls that block visibility
• Crawl space moisture or limited access
• Loose fencing, chimneys, or exterior attachments
• Gutters or downspouts that discharge too close to the house
• Older anchor or connection details that are hard to verify without an on-site visit

Before you collect bids, it helps to decide what you want confirmed. A checklist keeps you from forgetting the same questions from one appointment to the next, especially if English is not your first language or several family members are involved.

Good questions include:

• What did you observe on site, and what still needs confirmation?
• Is a licensed engineer recommended for this home?
• What work is included, and what is not included?
• Will permits be needed for the proposed scope?
• What is the expected timeline, and what could change the price?
• What maintenance should the homeowner plan after the work?

You can also use a contractor vetting checklist to help verify license, bond, insurance, and written scope before choosing who to hire.

Bring in a licensed contractor when you see signs such as repeated water intrusion, leaning or movement, major cracking, damaged connections, or past storm or earthquake damage that was never fully evaluated. A contractor can inspect the accessible areas and tell you what they can confirm on site.

Ask about a licensed engineer if the home has unusual conditions, significant settlement, major structural changes, hillside conditions, or if different contractors give very different opinions. Only a qualified professional who evaluates the home in person can determine whether a specific retrofit or repair is appropriate.

BedrockMatch is a free matching service for homeowners. You stay in control of who you speak with and who you hire, and participating contractors pay a flat fee to be introduced.

Some homeowners may qualify for public programs that help with eligible mitigation work. In California, check whether the Earthquake Brace + Bolt program offers up to about $3,000 toward qualifying seismic retrofit work. In some areas, FEMA-supported hazard-mitigation funding may also be available.

Availability, rules, timing, and eligible work can change. A grant is not guaranteed, and not every home or project will qualify. It is best to check current program details directly and ask the contractor what paperwork may be needed for an application.

If you plan to apply, keep your notes, photos, and written estimates organized from the start. That can make it easier to compare scope and prepare questions.