Originally Posted By: jbushart
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Licensing has not proven to be an effective means of protecting consumers or ensuring qualified inspectors.
a. A New Jersey inspector botches a job for a State Senator’s secretary causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Her boss pushes the toughest legislation known, at the time, and gets it passed. Among the very first inspectors to be licensed under the new law is the very inspector who botched the job initiating the whole mess.
b. Massachusetts passes a licensing bill that highlights the actions of one inspector who is constantly sued for fraudulent business practice. The law passes and a board is established to oversee Massachusetts home inspectors. The first president of that board is the man whose shoddy business practices is what brings the law about.
c. Texas has a pretty tough law which is regulated by the Real Estate Commission which has chosen to be tough on home inspectors and easy on home builders. It is no accident that the headquarters for “Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings”, a national organization that is fighting for tougher accountability for contractors, has its headquarters in Texas. Politics, as usual.
While ASHI opposes licensing (it would prefer that people rely upon its so-called assurances of quality than a licensing board) it fights to seek that laws that do pass match their standards, for when the laws do not, they have a difficult time recruiting people. Why is that? Is it because when one becomes licensed in a state, the incentive is then lost to improve or to exceed the minimum basic standard? Possibly.
Read through the message board at debates on qualifications and count the number of times you read "It doesn't matter much to me. I'm in a licensing state."
When the market drives the need to compete for skills and credentials, those seeking a greater share will often try to acquire as many as possible. When the state sets "minimum basic standards", many will meet them and stop, with the exception of what CEUs are necessary to maintain a license (when required).
More examples of this are happening as we speak. Why? Because the catalyst behind licensing laws is NOT the consumer but certain factions within the home inspection industry who feel that licensing will help to limit competition and neutralize the differences between inspectors who can market themselves and those who cannot.
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Home Inspection Services of Missouri
www.missourihomeinspection.com
"We're NACHI. Get over it."
www.monachi.org
