Originally Posted By: kelliott
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To avoid the insurance liability, you might consider simply connecting with a pest control company you know, and make a deal. When you get a call for home inspection and they say “you do termites too, right” you say, sure, but I have someone else perform my termite inspections, and it might not be scheduled on the same day." Then you call this company and schedule the termite, with the understanding that it is done for your client, but billed to you. You can then bill your client whatever you decide for the inspection, and you pay the bill from Joe’s Termite when it comes.
I know inspectors who do this, and charge whatever the termite inspection fee is, just as a courtesy to the client, and just to help nail down the home inspection.
If your termite man finds termites, he will give them his findings, along with an estimate of costs of treatment, and perhaps other recommended services. Those will happen after the sale, and it will be between your client and Joes Termite at that point, because nobody’s going to pay for to treat a house they haven’t bought yet. If you decide to call Joe and mark up his price, you can do that, but you have to be careful how you do it so you don’t get into an ethics problem with kickbacks. If you set the appointment, make the call and hire him, and collect for him, pay him yourself, and add a fee for that, you’re alright. If you simply call Joe and tell him to go to xyz address, he collects the fee, and he then owes you xxx$$$ then it’s a kickback, and you’re in trouble.
However, if Joe gets enough business from you, he “might” be persuaded eventually to give you a better rate, that will put you in a better position with your client.