Yes. We charge a late cancellation fee of $300 for cancellations received less than 24 hours from the inspection date / time.  $300 is about half the price of our average inspection fee. Just like an airline, we sell 'inspection seats' or slots on the calendar to perform inspections and earn income.  In the event of late cancellation, we lose the ability to earn income for that calendar slot. Even though many companies charge full price for cancellations, we do not charge full price, just half of the average inspection fee.  We understand life happens, and want to help out.   We don't mind sharing the burden with the customer.   That is why we ask people to please let us know as soon as possible if anything changes or if they need to cancel. Short notice cancellations greatly reduce our ability to re-book the spot, and therefore are subject to a cancellation fee.
There are a few difference kinds of scenarios for cancellations:
Cancellation the day of the inspection - unless it was scheduled that same day, it's always subject to the cancellation fee
Someone forgets or neglects to notify us - always subject to the cancellation fee
Financing falls through - Usually, people already have their financing secured before having an accepted offer, so this should not be an issue. If it occurs, we will try and do what we can to adjust the schedule and utilize the inspection slot - may be subject to cancellation fee if we cannot fill the slot
Seller backs out of transaction - notify us as soon as you learn of this so we can try to adjust the schedule and fill the inspection slot - may be subject to cancellation fee if we cannot fill the slot
Buyer backs out of transaction - Notify us as soon as this happens so we can try to adjust the schedule and fill the inspection slot - may be subject to cancellation fee if we cannot fill the slot