I am inspecting a home with the potential buyer present at the inspection. I notice that the roof is in poor shape and should be re-shingled. When I bring this to the attention of the buyer, they ask me how much I would charge to do a tear-off and re-shingle. I have to explain to them that I appreciate them considering me to perform the work but I am unable to do the work due to a conflict of interest. I could go on to further explain that there is a code of ethcs I must abide by as a NACHI Certified Professional Inspector and I would have to wait at least 12 months before I could do the work.
My home inspector code of ethics essay in reference to Duty to the Public 7
My working life of 30 years has been centered around either the fire restoration industry or as a claims adjuster. In either field, as well as the home inspection field, the privacy and personal information of each client must be held in high regard and not shared with third parties. The sharing of information, without permission, is a direct violation of not only individual company policies but also State and Federal privacy acts.
I as a building contractor entering the home inspection field, was asked by a realtor to perform a home inspection for a previous customer of mine. After the inspection was completed, I was contacted by the same previous customer to fix some of the small items that I had pointed out in the report. Even though this is a home I have previously worked on, I am no longer permitted to make small repairs that were pointed out in my home inspection report. This would be a violation of the duty to the public of the code of ethics for a home inspector.
I read “Electricity 101: understanding the panel box” most of the information was a refresher, as I just got done wiring a whole house for the first time. I thought it was a good overview of how the breakers in a panel box control the electrical system of a home. I would have liked to learn a little more technical knowledge or just seen some photos of how the breakers (single and double pole) are connected to the power buses on the panel.
Upon reading the AFCI tester article, I learned that testing arc fault protected circuits is a little more complicated than the more predictable ground fault protected circuits. The indicator device is more expensive and has a larger margin of error due to the device mimicking an arc using waveforms.
While performing an inspection for the purchase of a home the home owner asked me to avoid reporting the electric box manufacturer. It was a Federal Pacific box and difficult to insure. I explained to the home owner that I was hired by the potential buyer and my responsibility was to the buyer. I also explained it went against the code ethics of NACHI, the home inspection industry and against the moral obligations to my client. I did report the electric box and the difficulties that type incurred to the buyer. I also recommended that an electrical contractor inspect and determine the necessary actions for the electrical box.
Inspection of Residential Interior Doors
Although doors have been a part of homes for over 5000 years there are very few “code” requirements. SOP for interior door inspections requires inspecting a representative number of doors and windows by opening and closing. Any need of correction should be reported. There is less attention paid to interior doors than exterior due to no prevailing model building codes.
Statistics show that over 300,000 door related injuries are treated in emergency rooms every year. There is an estimated 45,000 injuries to children and 15,000 amputations due to door injuries.
Code requirements for interior doors generally rely on manufacturers recommendations.
While conducting an inspection I found the main electrical panel had burned main lugs and improper size breakers. The seller of the home told me if I could omit this in my report he would hire me to do the inspection on the home he was going to purchase. I politely told him that that would not be in compliance with the Code of Ethics and Standards of practice that I must adhere to.
Homes built between 1965 and 1973 have a high probability of using aluminum single strand conductors on the wiring for outlets, lights and switches. This wiring can have a higher fire hazard risk than homes wired with copper wiring. The risk is due to aluminum wiring characteristics such as higher resistance, oxidation and thermal expansion and contraction just to name a few.
drosales hypothetical Conflict of Interest Scenario.
The seller approaches me as I arrive on the property with a routine greeting. The seller begins to describe a proposition whereby he/she would offer me 100 dollars if I overlook defects inside and outside the house. I reply by saying that the type of offer he/she is making is in violation of ethical standards and that I cannot accept his/her offer. I ask the seller to please vacate the premises of the property so that I might condut the inspection free of any bias or disruption on the part of the property owner.
While doing an inspection, I am asked by the client to overlook several deficiencies regarding the water heater and it’s TPR valve and electrical connection. I politely told the client that omitting this information from the inspection would be a violation of our code of ethics and that I must report all deficiencies that I encounter. I suggested they immediately contact a qualified contractor to evaluate and repair the problem.
InterNACHI Code of Ethics Violation Example Essay:
Ethics Violations Example:
I think a valid example of an ethics violation would directly correlate with my other job.
I am a realtor, so if in the case, I list a house for a seller: it would be an ethical violation and conflict of interest to do a home inspection on my listings period.
Aluminum Wiring
As a general statement, single-strand aluminum wiring was used between 1965 and 1973 as a substitute for copper wiring due to rising cost of copper. Well maintained aluminum wiring and it’s connections are acceptable, however, most insurance companies tend to disallow its use. This is due to aluminum wiring overheating at the connections and becoming a fire hazard.
When performing a home inspection for a client, I was asked if I could fix a plumbing issue that I reported. If I were to fix this issue in under twelve months of the original report date, I would be going against the code of ethics.
A conflict and violation of ethics could be if a client thinks my review of an item at the home is less than fair and wishes for me to change the item. Changing the item so something would be forced to be fixed before the sale of a home is wrong and unethical.
My hypothetical thread is that I want to a customers home to do a inspection and I found out during the inspection that the deck boards were loose And the stairs did not have a handrail. The homeowner asked me if I would personally fix the deck and stairs so that they may sell their house. I told them that that was a conflict of interest
While learning about rise, run, and tread width of stairs in the library and gallery I learned that there are many deaths a year from falls. Having a standard correct measurement for rise, run, and tread width will help to ease this danger. Rise max is 7 ¾”, run min is 10”, and tread width is usually 1” more than the run. Nosing is the lip that hangs over on the stairs, which is usually 1”. What items should be inspected on stairs to help with a decrease in deaths?
I was just reading about ventilation distances from openings and I didn’t know that when two pipes are in close proximity to each other, the lower pipe can cause corrosion on the upper pipe. I also did not know that you can vent underneath a window.
My essay I decided to write is about, Hot Water Re-circulation Systems. Do they really save energy and do they save on water. From the research I have read, having a Hot water Re-circulation system is ideal for your home. It does save on energy and water. From the US department of energy and the US census bureau close to 2 million Olympic swimming pools are wasted nationally by homes per year just waiting on water to get hot. The doe says that 800 to 1,600 kilowatt-hours per year are used to pump the water thru households that get wasted while the person is waiting for water. From having experience in this field I was not aware of the facts. I am surprised that there is that much energy and water being wasted when there are ways to help reduce the loss of energy and water.