Hello all,
I am in the process of filing the PA-DEP application for radon certification and one of the last pieces of a very convoluted Commonwealth of PA puzzle that I need is a document that I will provide to clients prior to the inspection with the ‘Notice to Clients’ verbiage that the State requires. I have this verbiage that I can add to the radon inspection report, but need some sort of document to distribute prior to the test as well. Here’s the required text:
NOTICE TO CLIENTS:
Pennsylvania law requires that anyone who performs radon testing, mitigation or laboratory
analysis activities must be currently certified by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP). Any person providing these radon services shall present
to the client a current Department-issued photo identification card upon request. If you have
questions, you may contact DEP at the Bureau of Radiation Protection, Department of
Environmental Protection, P.O. Box 8469, Harrisburg, Pa. 17105-8469, (717) 783-3594.
Just curious if any of you all already have a sample pre-inspection document…
Is this a notice for the homeowner or a notice for the client? In MN, the state gives us a notice we are required to attempt to have signed by the homeowner (whether they are your client or not). If that is what you need, maybe you can modify ours to suit your needs. See link below…
Thank you, Ryan. I was able to come up with one to use that should meet the state’s requirements.
2 Likes
mrife
(Michael Rife, MD Home Inspection License # 33975)
5
I am certified to perform Radon testing in PA. I also rent my radon CRMs from Radalink. They provided a form for me similar to what Ryan posted. If this is your initial certification the PA DEP will definitely let you know if it’s right or not. Lol. I just got audited right after the new rules went into effect and they had no problem telling me what was wrong.
Fortunately Radalink is great to work with and helped me with some of the paperwork the required. After a few painstaking emails back and forth with PA DEP they were satisfied.
Also as Roy has said, it’s hard to make any money off of doing radon. Hopefully you will have better luck.
Thank you for the reply and insight, Michael. I am definitely not looking to make extra money from radon testing, more so trying to provide “one-stop-shop” services for home inspections versus subbing it out and managing others schedules. After going through the initial and advanced radon courses, NRPP & NRSB testing and DEP applications process, I’m spent! I appreciate the heads up about satisfying the DEP requirements. I sent in my application packet yesterday, so we’ll see how it goes. Thanks again!
Likely a matter of perspective and market conditions. My perspective, I typically cover my truck payment and insurance each month just by adding on the service. I’m satisfied. But, when I’m covered up with inspections I don’t sell it as much because there is better money to be made.
I agree with Michael. I am certified in Pa and use Radalink monitors. First you get everything the state requires, and been told by the state I was smart to use them. Just send in the information. I went through an audit 3 months ago, and contacted Radalink. They sent me everything needed for the audit. The state auditor stated that my audit was the best prepaired audit she has done. Oh by the way other radon testers said she is tough on her audits.
I have been shadowing a radon specialist in my area, and can definitively say that this is incorrect (where I am at least). The person I have been shadowing actually contributes to the guidance documents that InterNACHI courses are based on. There is a great deal of money to be made in the radon testing industry - potentially significantly more than the home inspection industry. Radon testing can be recurring whereas inspecting is typically one and done. Commercial testing is also a side avenue that is available, lucrative, and typically not offered by many people at all.
Charlotte, NC. This area is not considered a hot spot on radon maps, but there is still prevalent testing and issues pop up all over the place. In the commercial space, schools and federal buildings require recurring testing. Someone in the radon testing profession alone could easily bring in significantly more money than a home inspector due to the nature of the work. Additionally, when you get to a retirement situation, recurring business (radon testing) is going to be much more valuable to an investor than a one and done inspection business. With inspections alone, your value is YOU. If someone else is inspecting, the value is uncertain. All things to think about with regard to ancillary services. The same goes for termite inspections. That can branch off into recurring services as well.
[quote="Glenn Carroll, post:16, topic:214020, username:gcarroll6”]
Additionally, when you get to a retirement situation, recurring business (radon testing) is going to be much more valuable to an investor than a one and done inspection business.
[/quote]
Ancillary services…most all services…especially recurring services…will bring value when one wants to sell a business.
