OF COURSE! But our SOP does create a path which one can follow… but I agree with you, it only tells you where the path is, not how to get down it.
Like it or not, here are some facts we can’t simply turn our heads away from:
“Nick”, as you put it, is the head of the world’s largest inspection association.
That association is no longer just a “home” inspection association and hasn’t been for many years. Like it or not again, we are into all sorts of inspections as are YOUR fellow members. These include:
Chimneys
Energy Loss
Green Building
IAC2 Certified
Lead
Log Homes
Mold
New Construction
Pools and Spas
Pre-Listing
Radon
Septic
Stucco/EIFS
Thermal Imaging
Water Quality
WDO/Insects
WETT
and yes… commercial inspections.
Our commercial inspection courses are getting state approval everywhere and the classes are packed. I’m not pulling this cart, YOUR fellow members are pushing it! I’m just trying to keep it from running into a tree.
YOUR fellow members, like it or not, are entering the commercial inspection field. I have almost no choice here but to act on their behalf.
Here is my problem… Gerry is right… right for him. You can author any agreement you want with your client. But in the real world our clients have existing expectations of what a commercial inspection entails… AND… YOUR fellow members are not going to be able to author a Scope of Work Agreement that comes any where near those expectations (what they have to do) or covers their as$ (what they don’t have to do). A strong SOP does both. And in lieu of a robust, all encompassing Scope of Work Agreement… the SOP they follow rules. A scope of work is merely a list of ways in which members and their clients agree to veer from that SOP. Therefore the SOP must exist and it must be bullet proof. I dare not even add up what we spent on legal fees on this pig for fear of throwing up.
Here comes the problem parts… until www.nachi.org/comsop.htm no commercial inspection path for our members existed, no exclusions existed, no limitations existed, no outside consultant agreement existed, no commercial contract existed, no optional thermal imaging contract existed, and no bullet proof SOP existed!
I agree it comes down to what you and your client agree to in terms of what the scope of work entails. I agree it’s best to be well prepared to perform commercial inspections, not just take a 2 day course, copy some agreement available online and away you go the next day :shock:
At some point does your agreement state some sort of baseline or standard?
Like this?
Unless otherwise inconsistent with this Agreement or not possible, INSPECTOR agrees to perform the inspection in accordance with InterNACHI’s International Standards of Practice for Inspecting Commercial Properties. Although INSPECTOR agrees to follow these standards, CLIENT understands that these standards contain certain limitations, exceptions, and exclusions. CLIENT also understands that InterNACHI is not a party to this Agreement and that InterNACHI has no control over INSPECTOR or representations made by INSPECTOR and does not supervise INSPECTOR. As noted above, this commercial building inspection is visual only.
Or does your agreement spell out every little item to be inspected and every little item not to be inspected?
I know home inspection totally different than commercial inspections but do we not at some point refer back to a standard or baseline for home inspections? And I would assume most refer some baseline or standard in their commercial inspection agreement. Most commercial agreements just refer to the ASTM.
My home inspection agreement does not just say - Inspector will inspect your home to the nachi sop if you agree just sign here.
Now you all have shed some light on this aspect. We as members of InterNACHI are an association of home inspectors, not commercial inspectors. It may be well served to berth an Inter national association of commercial inspectors. Then again maybe the industry does not have a need at this time for that.
Nick if that is the case those members should realy be concidering whether Commercial inspections are the right thing for their businesses, the iNACHI comSOP in its current form will not help them.