I had two different agents call yesterday regarding wind mitigation inspections completed nearly two years.
Both homeowners were losing their FBC roof covering credit because the re-inspection found that no proof was available to verify when the roof covering was installed.
Both issues were resolved in a grand total of about 5 minutes.
HOW?
Both houses have re-roof permits issued.
Someone should really tell these clowns that the internet is a useful tool. Its only been around since Al Gore invinted it.
IMO… it is the homeowners responsibility to provide proof of these things, not the inspectors. If the homeowner did not provide this required info… his bad. I would never expect an insurance inspector to dig around for info to prove my case. Those of you that do, unless the homeowner is paying you for Permit Search Services, you are actually harming your clients in the long run. They come to expect this “free” service from everyone, and become lazy in their homeownership duties. You have created your own bad situations. The general public only knows what you teach them.
Since half the inspectors have no clue how to resolve these issue, how could anyone expect the homeowner to know how to do it?
I rarely do stand alone wind mits, but, I perform a permit search on every home I inspect. I consider it important and part of what my Client is paying for. Most of the time it takes less than five minutes to get the information I need.
It also allows me to let my clients know that we may have a problem with a certain portion of the wind mit so it can be resolved prior to me even doing the inspection.
And one other thing, I have done permit searches and helped many for free…some of whom have had inspections done by others.
And then two years down the road, they are S.O.L. because you did their work for them, and they don’t have any records to present to the re-inspecting inspector for the insurance company.
Many of these homeowners will do the leg work if they have instruction. This is the issue with re-inspections. Even though it is free the homeowners are not interested in participating.
You mean except for the permit number and application dates included with the wind mitigation inspection? :roll:
It is a moot point because all of the information was in the original report so there won’t be a need for a re-inspection…unless the reinspctor wants to try and commit fraud.
It goes to doing more than what is required and not being a “minimalist inspector”.
It has to do with the fact, that in the op, the first inspector didn’t do any research to back up what he wrote down on the old form. When the re-inspector came out, unless the documentation or labels or any of the other things are staring him in the face, he isn’t going to go looking for them. The OP was merely pointing out that he resolved the issues, that should have never come up in the first place, in a matter of minutes.
At the conference prior to the new 1802 coming out, either Russ or John asked everyone how many did a permit search. If I remember correctly, three people raised their hands. I have been doing permit searches for my clients for at least the last 5 years and probably more.
We have a lot of individuals here who like to do the work themselves, even if they have never done the work. The lack of a permit is a tool my clients can use for various reasons, to make sure the home is what they want, or to simply walk away.
The 1802 form asks questions. In order to get the answers to those questions, I feel that the inspector should do the research. If fees are incurred, then it is simply passed on to the client or the client can do it themselves.
I had an individual call me mad about her inspector. Seems he wrote on the old form the roof was compliant with the 94 code. She gets re-inspected and that discount went away, because the inspector never bothered to do a permit search.
I had a situation just like that copme up the other day.
Unlike a great many around here I admit when I have changed the way I do things and why.
Here is a hint.
Was she a real “PAYNE” ?
A great many things and accepted practices have changed over the years and I would bet most of us who do these things will run across ones we would do differently today.
Live and Learn and you will be ok.
You would at least think they would have been happy for the few years they got a discount they did not deserve :roll:
Sorry Mike, but you aren’t the only one who is doing wind mitigation inspections!
I told this client that she should get a copy of the permit, or if there are any bundles of shingles left over, to get the noa number and then that could be added to the new form as the roof was done in 94. Haven’t heard back yet.
Unfortunately making it right was exactally what she was pissed about.
I always compare past clients reports for changes and there was one.
There was a little more history but the bottom deal was at that time I put the wrong answer.
I cannot make the same mistake twice especially when I see I have made an error.
I was wrong the first time on the roof but not the home code for some reason.
Perhaps data entry on my part, perhaps something else?
The reason she was pissed was because I caught my passed error and would not say it again.
As I stated earlier I have changed and learned many things since I began doing wind mitigations. Anyone who has not either lies or has not been doing them very long.
I personally believe that if you accept a fee to perform the inspection it includes you performing the permit search. We performed well over 1000 of these Wind Mitigation Inspections last year and search for a permit on all as well as all of our Home Inspections and Four Points. Why do it any other way?
We charge $100 for stand alone wind mitigation services.
I did not charge anything to forward copies of the re-roof permits to the agents. It took about five minutes to produce. It exposed the inspector and the re-inspection program for what it is and most importantly it showed the agents that I provide a qaulity service.
