Creepy and awesome. 
5 Likes
Rick. I’ve had a couple incidents where sellers said I broke something. In all these cases the component was already broken/not functional before I arrived or were in poor condition and ready to break at any moment. In a few of the cases I decided it was better that I pay for it and move on. At the beginning of this year I started wearing a body camera to video the entire inspection. I actually talk out the inspection process while performing each task. That way if the body camera does not catch a view of the component at least I have audio to support my inspection process and observations at the time of the inspection. Some of my clients think I’m crazy for talking to myself but I don’t care. It’s a good way to CYA as well as helps to keep you on track with your normal routine. I will never again pay for an item I know I didn’t break as long as my video supports my innocence.
I live in Indiana. Indiana law says a person can record anything or anyone as long as the person doing the recording is part of the conversation. As far as taking video, I consider it the same as taking pictures.
You need to do what’s comfortable for you. If you think wearing a body camera is something you’d like to do you should check with your state laws say.
As far as paying this time. If the realtors involved are not ones who give you referrals than I would tell all them to pack sand. JMHO Good luck.
3 Likes
Bottom line is that the ice maker is not supposed to make solid blocks of ice, and therefore, it was defective when you inspected it. Most likely the plastic tray was cracked or the ejection / tilt mechanism was stuck or the fill valve was defective causing water to leak/overflow the tray during filling. You found evidence of the defect and put that into the report, even notified the owner - job well done. It is likely that removing the block of ice allowed water to escape more easily during the next tray filling. However, that does not change the fact that the icemaker was defective.
5 Likes
Just curious, would you have pulled the hopper and “dumped” the block of ice in the sink?
I am thinking I would not - too much time and not my problem to fix. I think I would have taken a look at the tray mechanism, if readily visible, to see if there was any noticeable issue and taken a picture of that for the report. If there was water on the floor, I would have wiped that up, of course.
1 Like
the issue is the chunk of ice damaged the icemaker, you did what you were paid to do by testing it, not your fault, I would not pay, the sellers negligence in leaving a chunk of ice in the ice maker caused the damage
I disagree.
Nope.
The question is… WHAT caused there to be a block of ice in the bin to begin with? Icemakers are not designed to make ‘blocks’, so how did it come to be??
The OP’s issue is a procedural one. He failed to inspect all components before operating the unit. That falls under the negligence section of law, which makes him culpable IMO.
1 Like
Turning on the water to a sink before making sure the pipes underneath are connected…umm…never happened to me. 
4 Likes
the ice thawed , typically in a power outage
Jean Paul Arseneau
Inspect NB
your local Pro Sight property inspection affiliate member
I dont inspect appliances unless they are permently installed. Break out the check book. My experiance that may be helpfull is make sure you dont trip the breaker to the fridge when inspecting the panel. I did that once, the ice melted and damaged the wood flooring. I broke out the check book and chalked it up to live and learn.
1 Like
If a light switch fails do you fix that, if the HVAC fails to turn on do you fix that, if a faucet drips do you fix that, If the water heater doesn’t work do you offer to fix that?
3 Likes
Do you inspect all components of the HVAC system before setting the thermostat to run in cooling mode??? What if the condensation pipe was cracked in the attic and now its dripping on the ceiling. Inspector’s problem??
1 Like
I’m NOT fixing anything. There was no one at the home but me. There is water dripping out of the ice maker. There is a chunk of ice melting away onto the floor. I merely tried to prevent secondary damage. You telling me that you would not try to stop the water from leaking and just leave the property? What happen to common sense and doing the right thing? The ice maker is broke and its going to stay broke, I was simply trying to remove the water…period. Gheezzz people!!!
2 Likes
the right thing would have been to not play with the ice maker in the first place,problem solved…
4 Likes
I have ONE bad review out of hundreds. Want to know what it was for? A dishwasher that wasnt working after they moved in.
Funny thing is, it worked fine during the inspection. Their friend was checking on the home before their final walk through because they were buying site-unseen, and said it wasnt working. I told them I would stop by again free of charge and check on it. This time, it wasnt working, so I simply unplugged it, and tried again, and it was fine.
Once they moved in, they said it didnt work, and had a repair man look at it. He told them the circuit board was fried, and had been for quite some time. (A lie), and it cost them $1000 to get a new dishwasher installed.
The only lesson I took from that scenario is that I should have taken a video of it working the second time I was there, to prove it was working.
Long story short, my one and only bad review (a 1 star) was from an appliance. Clients do not know the SOP, and they do not care…
They expect things to be brought to their attention. I personally choose to operate appliances.
6 Likes
You mean like informing them you don’t test appliances when you “set their expectations” prior to hiring them as your Clients? (Yes, you read that right)!!
1 Like
Money makes things very personal. If a client pays you $500 to inspect their home, and then find out the fridge doesn’t work after moving in, they aren’t going to care that you told them you don’t test appliances. They are going to be mad, leave bad reviews, and THEN go spend more money.
I don’t understand how we are supposed to test the fridge to make sure it’s cold, but then turn around and say we don’t need to test the fridge.
2 Likes
Appliances can fail suddenly. They also have a relatively short lifetime compared to other components of the house and many times the husband will say (in front of the wife) we’re going to gut the kitchen. So your report says you tested them and they fail a week after moving in. Then what do you do? Setting customer expectations needs to be done in your contract. This is JJs valid point.
This whole thread reminds me of the garage door operator thread. If you don’t inspect the door hardware BEFORE you operate the door your liable. I might add if you use a testing method other than the one prescribed by the manufacturer (2x4) it will be next to impossible to defend in court or elsewhere.
3 Likes
Regardless of State SOP’s, Real Estate Law defines Personal Property.
So, when many of them just say “Inspect all appliances” it is referring to those installed in a permanent fashion where they can not be removed by pulling the plug and walking out of the house with it.
We are not concerned if or how you do your work.
When things hit the fan, the question will be, should you have even been there, done that, when your the one who decided to do it, thinking everything will be fine. Well, here we are with the OP where things are not fine.
You are a guest in the sellers house. Your not Barney Fife or an AHJ with enforcement power. You have no business messing with their personal property with out permission. It IS PERSONAL PROPERTY.
A Home Inspection is an inspection of Real Property.
Suck it up and fix the problem. Your going to loose anyway. Just talking to lawyers about a complaint will run you at least $5k. You can buy a new refrigerator less than that…
4 Likes
Exactly!
1 Like