We wish that ladders are in place, in case they are needed to access the roof and attic space. The inspection is done visually/ocularly, so if we can’t access the space, we can’t inspect it.
It is a good idea to test the heating and cooling functions of the water heater to make sure they are fully functional at the time of the inspection. The reason is that they often malfunction if they have been switched off. We need to test the function during the inspection and include it in the report.