As of 12/31 Inspector Warranty products can no longer be sold in Florida.
Ben said a while back he would honor any sold through the end of the year.
Be careful about leaving this on your websites, they can no longer be purchased. (Ben, correct me if I am wrong)
Maybe Ben can tell us more but that was the last word I got on it.
I also applied too American Home Warranty and they sent a letter explaining they could not sell them in FL because the Insurance Commission declared Inspector Warranties an insurance product and needed to follow rules of insurance. I believe that makes it too expensive for Ben or anyone else to supply the product they had at a reasonable price.
Call it what you like, but if it looks like a Duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a _____
Homeowners » Questions
Q: What is a home warranty?
A:
The standard home warranty is a one-year service contract that protects a resale home buyer or current homeowner against the cost of unexpected repairs or replacement of major systems and appliances that break down due to normal usage. Coverage is also available to home sellers during the listing and escrow period to help them keep unforeseen breakdowns from potentially delaying the close of sale.
With the assistance of Mark Cohen, InterNACHI’s legal counsel, I am re-vamping Mountain Warranty Corporation in order to comply with state regulations and laws.
Should be completed by the end of January.
All members of Mountain will be grandfathered in.
New members will pay a small fee.
We’re staying put in Florida, and moving into all other states and Canada.
I will honor all warranties to the end of their term, no matter when they were purchased.
If you feel hesitant about offering Mountain Coverage, don’t.
Remember, coverage is expensive at $17. There may be better ways to market your business and add value to your service. The general rule is “If the perceived value (perceived by your customer) is greater than your cost, then use it in your business.”
There are states like Florida, Arizona and Texas that have made it very difficult to operate.
Some states believe that we sell warranties or insurance to the general public. We never have.
Our intention has always been to simply support inspectors, particularly when they receive complaints of unexpected events.
To prevent potential conflict with state regulations, we have restructured our services. Every participating inspector who currently uses Mountain will be transitioned into our new service - as smoothly as possible. Clients of inspectors who use Mountain will never notice the transition.
Mountain Inspection Support Association
MISA is a non-profit organization whose charter is to help educate inspectors and help them prepare for and limit complaints, and support them in the case where a complaint was unavoidable.
Membership in Mountain provides the following benefits:
Articles on limiting liability and the likelihood of complaints;
Review and critique of inspection reports;
Articles on how to document inspections to prepare for complaints;
Access to online education and training;
Sample agreements that help to limit liability;
Inspection report narratives and disclaimers to improve report writing;
Other strategies to help limit your liability and minimize the damage of complaints, including several templates for guarantees that help release the Mountain member for any liability outside of the scope of the guarantee;
Free 30 minute consultation with a Mountain expert in the event of a complaint;
Up to $1000 reimbursement for expenses that are the result of an inspection performed as a Mountain member (some restrictions apply); and
much more.
Membership in MISA will determined by the number of inspections you perform per month (around $10-17 per). The more inspections you do, the less it will cost you to be a member.
Participating inspectors who currently use Mountain are already being transitioned to the new organization - as smoothly as possible. Inspectors will be updated in the weeks/months to come. Complete transition may take a while, but we’ll try to make it as smooth as possible so that your clients will never notice.
Feel free to enroll into Mountain today - It does not matter what state you’re in. Free enrollment here http://www.mountainwarranty.com/ - (click the “Sign In” button at the top right corner.)
Mountain is will soon be coming to every state and Canada.
I am sorry for the confusion. Let me try to clear things up in an email that I’m sending out to every inspector who uses Mountain. Expect it in a few days. Until then, continue…
Mountain Warranty Corp has provided inspection warranties - not home warranties. There’s a clear distinction (in our opinion), but many states, like Florida and Arizona, don’t see it that way.
So, as I’ve described in previous posts in this thread and other threads, we’ve changed Mountain Warranty Corporation in order to make things clear. We’re offering the same services, and much more to our inspectors. As members of Mountain Association, inspectors across the country and in Canada will be able to provide a 100-day, $1,000 inspection coverage (“warranty”) for their clients. We’re planning on offering a 200-day, $2,000 inspection coverage as well.
Marketing Tip: If the perceived value (perceived by your client) is greater than the cost (your business expense), then it’s a no-brainer.
I have nothing against these warrantees, I wish I could provide them as a part of my service, I have nothing against Ben being an entreprenuer and offerring this service. You can’t offer it in Florida, if you do the State OIR will be knocking on your door for providing an ILLEGAL service or contract. I hope Ben can straighten it all out and resolve this issue but since it is not resolved yet it would be best to keep it at arms length or maybe not even touch it with a ten foot pole. Liscensing is coming, do you want a problem with a state agency while applying for your liscense?
It is resolved.
Mountain Inspection Support Association does not sell warranties or insurance. In fact, we do not sell anything.
MISA is a non-profit organization whose charter is to help educate inspectors and help them prepare for and limit complaints, and support them in the case where a complaint was unavoidable.
It’s unfortunately taking some time to revamp the website to reflect the creation of the Mountain Association and the transition of its clients to the new system.
Mountain is simply an association of property inspectors that provides many membership benefits. Please feel free to call me at 303-862-2611.
