Scary you don’t know it’s code to vent to the outside, but I was referencing internachi standards requiring it.
Venting to the soffits IS venting to the outside. Here in the northeast, my roofer prefers that fans be vented either through the wall (dryer vent for example) or through the soffit. We get so much snow that roof vents get clogged and with warm air trying to expell on the snow the vents get iced up.
Even if the soffit is used as a vent?
Not sure- my soffits are vinyl and the whole soffit is vented into the attic (all 44 ft of roof line) so this is only taking up the distance of one opening between rafters. It was done last year and i did not notice any icing at the soffit area and no ice backup on my roof. It actually made good sense and he was able to purchase a soffit vent kit from local hardware store. Not that that is saying that makes it right, just that it makes the job a lot more professional.
The vented soffit is designed to suck air in and blow it out at the ridge vent (because warm air rises). What do you think would happen if you keep dumping moist stinky air from a bathroom exhaust under a vented soffit?
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Who cares how it looks, it’s wrong. From my experiences, it’s actually worse than venting into the attic as it’s now “localized.” In other words that heat and moisture is now directly discharged at that bay/ section of attic sheathing.
Besides, Tom doesn’t like it either. Be like Tom.
Josh I see what you’re saying, I have seen them with the vent caps that are installed through the soffit and also where the pipe hangs over the exterior wall and expected to breath through the soffit. The air movement will blow the moisture back up into the attic I did not give that a thought, but the builder in this development had bent aluminum flashing in between rafters so when the steam was to rise it would not hit the under side of the roof sheathing. But I agree with you now that it is still not right.
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As mentioned by others if approved by the AHJ years ago it is not a material defect unless you can see damage such as *old. It becomes a recommendation unless it is a new build or you know that it was required at the time of construction.
We see many homes not meeting current ventilation requirements with no damage to the structure.
NACHI is NOT a legal requirement… All that can happen if you don’t follow NACHI is they can kick you out of the club…
How do you know it is code?
Your client has a problem. Venting to the outside, outside will not correct the moisture if you don’t fix the roof. The roof ventilation design handles more CFM than a fart fan…
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bull 
Everything in a HI report is a recommendation.
Among other things, you have no idea how the previous owner used the ventilation! If the new homeowner starts using the same shower 5 times a day instead of 1s a week and or using hotter water (more steam) and or 30 minutes instead of 10 (longer), etc… like its previous owner, improper ventilation could develop an issue in a short span! By claiming there was no damage and therefore everything is good, you’re assuming and doing a disservice to the client.
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Agreed.
The majority of it should only be facts. I’m there for facts and i try to keep recommendations to a minimum.
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Josh,
Looks great!, watch the experts claim there was not enough 1:300 ventilation 
Some folk never cease to amaze no matter their age or experience.
Bathroom exhaust vented to soffit. I noticed the dark spot on the exterior side of the soffit, before I even looked in the attic.
You are allowed to vent to the soffit in SOME AHJ’s, but not all. They key is proper termination of the ducting. You can’t just terminate it close to the soffit and hope it all works out. It needs a proper vent fitting at the end and must be secured. Not all AHJ’s allow it this way though. For instance, I’m in Lakeland, FL and they do it all the time, and it is permitted here. But next county over (Hillsborough/Tampa) it’s a big no-no and they require it through the roof. Just sharing!
When I was building, I liked to vent the bath fans out the gables with a slight tip downwards. That way I could run the ductwork under the attic insulation cutting down on, or eliminating, condensation build up.
Going up through the roof exposes the vent pipe, even if it is insulated, to the cold air outside which can then condense and run back down and into the fan unit and surrounding drywall.
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Great point. Perhaps it only works fine that way (through the roof) down here in the tropics, lol.
Touché!
Stephen, if you got to your profile (click on your face in upper right of this page and click on gear} and fill out your signature, it will help your SEO and more potential clients will see it.
And, we will know how to answer questions more accurately.
Just a thought… 
Funny enough, I was just trying to figure that part out before I read this! Great advice!
I’m seeing a rash of homes with bathroom fan venting through the ceiling and directed to the soffit. Not venting to the exterior of the soffit, but just laid down on the ceiling floor on top the soffit vent. Even found dryer vents and kitchen vents doing the same thing. I call it out every time. I don’t care what the AHJ approves, it’s not a safe situation. IMO, there is a lot of lazy building construction going on, even on new homes. Either they don’t want to go the extra step of cutting holes in the roof or they think it’s ascetically nicer to not have vent caps sticking up all over the roof. What is truly sad is that most homeowners have no clue as to what is happening when they turn on their vent fans. I feel it is my responsibility to educate them as best as I can.
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