Being a certified home inspector are we allow to do 3rd party inspections on new construction and remodel jobs? I have gotten more calls for 3rd party then I have for home inspections for purchasing.
As long as they aren’t asking you to do a code inspection.
Va. requires some form of certification to be a home inspector right?
No, VA does not require anything.
Possibly you should become familiar with your State’s laws regarding “Certified Home Inspectors”? It can be found here Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors | Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
It seems that according to DPOR only a properly approved person (approved by DPOR) can claim to be a “Certified Home Inspector”. Of course laws can be very confusing even when they are written in plain language so maybe you are aware of something different?
BTW would you like to answer the question in the duplicate thread to this located here http://www.nachi.org/forum/f6/3rd-party-inspections-105795/#post1400489 ??
VA does not require anything to be a home inspector.
That is correct that Virginia does not require anything to be a “Home Inspector” but does have at least minimum educational requirements, inspection requirements, contract requirements, reporting requirements, etc., for anyone that wants to claim they are a “Certified Home Inspector”. These minimum requirements are there to help protect the consumer and Virginia does appear to distinguish between a real “Certified Home Inspector” and a person just calling themselves a “Home Inspector”.
So in the eyes of the Virginia Legislature there is a difference between a “Home Inspector” and a “Certified Home Inspector”. Some of the Virginia requirements that protect consumers by having the “Certified Home Inspector” designation are the following.
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A certified Home Inspector must obtain minimum training as outlined in these standards whereas a “Home Inspector” does not have to have any training.
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A Certified home Inspector must pass a competency examination whereas a “Home Inspector” does not.
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A Certified Home Inspector must have completed from 50 - 100 inspections under the guidance of a Certified Home Inspector whereas a “Home Inspector” does not.
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A Certified Home Inspector must *"have a good reputation for honesty, truthfulness, and **fair dealing, and be competent to transact the business of a home inspector *in such a manner as to safeguard the interests of the public." whereas a “Home Inspector” is not required to be honest, truthful, and fair.
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A Certified Home Inspector must be honest and report if they have ever had a Inspectors license revoked or have been disciplined whereas a “Home Inspector” does not and can leave that part of their history buried from consumer protection.
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A Certified Home Inspector must report to the State DPOR any previous criminal history or convictions whereas the “Home Inspector” can leave consumers in the dark about their criminal or other illegitimate past.
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A Certified Home Inspector is under the control of the State DPOR and the laws and if they step out of line must answer to them if a consumer is wronged whereas a “Home Inspector” has little controls over them and a wronged consumer’s only recourse is a civil lawsuit.
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A Certified Home Inspector must carry at least $250K of General Liability insurance in the even they cause damage whereas a “Home Inspector” can damage what they want and a homeowner’s only recourse is a civil lawsuit.
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A Certified Home Inspector must have a written contract and scope of work as detailed in this entry "For the protection of both the client and the certificate holder, both parties shall* sign a legible written contract clearly specifying the terms, conditions, and** limitations and exclusions of the work to be performed."*. In contrast a "Home Inspector can say or do anything they want to obtain the inspection work and then perform completely differently afterward. Proving that would be difficult for consumers.
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The Certified Home Inspector must generate an inspection report with some very basic requirements of content to help ensure the consumer is receiving a properly performed inspection and report whereas the “Home Inspector” can create any kind of report they want with confusing and ambiguous entries and without sufficient information to be of use to the consumer.
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The Certified Home Inspector has ethical requirements they must follow like not working on a structure they inspected, not make a profit from referring other contractors to the client unless properly disclosed, etc. whereas the “Home Inspector” can do anything they want within any other laws Virginia might have.
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The Certified Home Inspector must protect the privacy of their clients by not providing the client information to others whereas the “Home Inspector” can sell the client’s information to other “Third Party Service Providers” (also called TSP’s) as long as they don’t violate the ridiculously minimal other privacy laws out there.
There are many other requirements that the Certified Home Inspector must follow and abide by to help protect the consumers whereas the “Home Inspector” is free to do and act as they wish as long as they do not violate any other laws and get caught!
Other than the training and GL insurance requirements the only real cost to become a Certified Home Inspector is a one time license fee of $80 and renewals of $45. It sure seems to me that in the interest of consumer protection anyone in Virginia wanting to perform home inspections would be happy to abide by these minimal standards?
It also appears that as long as a person has a pen, clipboard and pad of paper as well as a means of transportation (even City bus transportation) they can perform home inspections in Virginia as long as they do not hold themselves out as a “Certified Home Inspector”?
Again since you are a resident of Virginia I am sure you can correct anything that has been noted above as I would expect you have researched this already?
You’re correct except the certification harms consumers, it doesn’t help them.
Seems to me reading the certification requirements are there to help ensure consumers do not get harmed. So many people want to claim that placing even some small amount of consumer protection laws in place will harm consumers. How does the Virginia “Certified Home Inspector” laws/rules harm consumers?
In almost 2000 inspections, I can remember 3 people who have asked if I had the Virginia certification. Those poor saps actually thought it was a credential. I politely and professionally explained to them that it’s not a credential, and explained why the certifications we have are more valid.
It’s an easy explanation when the VA certification is run by idiots. It’s not a credential in any shape. Drivers licenses don’t make good drivers, fishing licenses don’t mean you’ll catch fish. I’ve had licensed mechanics mess up my cars, and I’ve reported probably close to 100,000 defects caused by licensed contractors not doing their job right.
Licenses arent credentials, but permission to perform a regulated activity. The problem is consumers think they are credentials which is harmful.
Do you consider all unsuspecting consumers to be saps (Merriam Webster: a foolish gullible person)? Do you treat all consumers as saps?
The State of Virginia does not “license” “Certified Home Inspectors” but instead issues a certificate to be used as a “credential” (Merriam Webster: warranting credit or confidence) to help install confidence with consumers that the person using the title of “Certified Home Inspector” has met specific requirements and will abide by the rules and laws set forth by the State as dictated in the links provided above. For example why is it so bad that a “Certified Home Inspector” must divulge any prior criminal background before they obtain their “Certified Home Inspector” certificate? Doesn’t that instill at least some confidence in consumers that the person providing this important service to them has not been convicted of deception and swindling other consumers? That is just one of the examples from the long list of examples above.
On the other hand a “Home Inspector” can be a mass murderer or child predator or one of the many other vial criminals out there and still enter a home and perform an inspection. Which would you rather have in your home the one that has been “Certified” as a Home Inspector or the one that just decided to one day change professions from being a psychopathic killer to just a lowly “Home Inspector”?
You speak about the Virginia “Certified Home Inspector” “credential” is not really a credential and that what ever other credential you have is more meaningful. Yet even “credentials”, no matter whose they are, do not guarantee that the person holding them can perform the job they are claiming they can. This is repeated time and again in unlicensed/uncredentialed States where Home Inspectors are failing to perform a very important service for consumers.
Please try your answers again and possibly you might actually hit on something that makes sense?
Yes it does. And that’s the problem. Licenses, or in this case, a certification, shouldn’t instill confidence in consumers. It should only allow them to see that the licensee is legally allowed to perform a regulated activity. It shouldn’t make them feel safe, confident, or assured that they got the right guy. That’s not what licenses are for.
Manny, you are correct and there is more to getting Certified in VA then is being mentioned. Also of course it is a good/Great thing to have since it is offered and the marketing advantages are countless.
I personally am Certified in VA and have been from the 1st day I started expanding into VA for Inspections…
Most Realtor’s don’t even know their is a State Certification for Home Inspectors. Once they find out they love it and even started informing their clients.
All the jaw flapping is nonsense, the bottom liner is the State of VA does have a Certification for Home inspectors and their are those inspectors that are actually Certified Virginia Home inspectors, and then their are those inspectors that are doing home inspections in Virginia but are Not State Certified.
Jim
Juan, right or wrong the fact is still that a state issued license or cfertification DOES** “make them feel safe, confident, or assured that they got the right guy.” They know that at a minimum the inspector at least has met some state requirements as opposed to some guy who could actually not know the difference between a light bulb and a door knob.
Just sayin…
Jim
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Exactly. That’s the problem.
Exactly, so why not use it to your benefit?
Better to be certified and all your other skills etc… then to not be certified and the same skills? Doesn’t take a genius to see that.
Jim
There is no benefit. Like I said, I have been asked three times by people who just didn’t know any better. I still got their business by explaining what it really is.
It will probably be mandatory soon though.
No benefit ??..LMAO who are you trying to fool…
Hey I am not a fan of licenses for the most part, but since they are there, you may at least use them to your advantage,
Oh and the inside word is yes they will be, well it may turn ojut that VA goes with licensing, and those with Certification already will be grandfathered in…<<< coming soon.
Also when Realtor’s are made aware that a non state certified inspector is being recommended they will cease the recommendations and go with a certified inspector, it’s kind of liability issue that they would rather get involved with sop will go certified. It has already started with a few large reactors in Northern va, and will be spreading…:shock:
Jim
Juan you pick parts of a post to answer instead of all questions and yet you still confuse the Virginia “Certification” program with a licensing program. From the laws and regulations with a direct link here http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/uploadedFiles/MainSite/Content/Boards/ALHI/A506-33REGS_HI.pdf .
If you read this regulation there is absolutely nowhere in it that the State of Virginia refers to the “Certified Home Inspector” as a license category but instead many references to a “Certification”. Through the remainder of the document the State of Virginia does specifically speak of other “Licensed” functions.
In your post here you state that a “certification” should not instill confidence in consumers and yet in previous posts you indicate that your “certifications” are valid and Virginia’s is not. Yet nowhere in any of your responses do you provide a coherent explanation of any of your points. All of your responses leave an impression that you are angry against the State of Virginia for some reason?
You also claim that the Virginia “Certification” program is not a credential but your “certification” program is. What makes the Virginia “certification” program so inferior to some “certification” program you claim to have achieved?
You continually harp on how other “licensed” trades, professions, and other licenses don’t ensure that the holder can perform the duties required of that license. There are plenty of other Home Inspectors with “certifications” from various places that obviously can not perform to the same “certification” program requirements you are alluding to. Why do you believe that some private “certification” program can do any better?
If you can provide logical reasoning for your points then you might have a valid argument?
So are you saying that it is a problem and that consumers should not feel safe and confident that an Inspector has at least met some verifiable requirements to obtain their “Certification” and that the consumer has a government agency overseeing those Inspectors?
What a coincidence, I just got todays mail and low and behold my renewed Virginia Certification, I Love to show all of my clients that James Keilson of Maryland Home Inspection Services is Certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a State Certified Home Inspector and that there is a difference3. Also to all of the Virginia Realtors, agents that refer Non Certified Home Inspectors in Virginia you are doing an injustice to all of your clients, so do yourself and your clients a big favor and be sure to hire only InterNACHI inspectors, and only those that are Virginia State Certified.
Jim
