I have a client that got a home inspection completed by another HI when they first bought the house. The insurance company the clients have had some issues with some of the things in the original report and had them fix the issues and have the report updated.
The problem is that the insurance company keeps finding random issues with the report and the home months later and keeps requesting updated reports. The latest issue they have is with the water heater. My client updated the water heater and the insurance company requested a professional inspect the heater and send the report to the insurance company. Again.
I know this sounds all over the place. My clients don’t want to go with their original inspector as they have had issues with him.
My question is, do I, should I, can I inspect just the water heater and write a report on that? If so how should I proceed?
You can do whatever you want. If you are only going to inspect the water heater what are you going to use as a reference? Why not have a licensed plumber look at it and recommend any repairs. Seems pretty simple.
I wonder how much of the issue with the original inspector comes from him being fed up with a the clients screwy insurance company. The clients probably don’t want to keep paying for the repeat visits, which is understandable, and the Inspector is probably done with what sounds like BS from the ins company. Be ready to handle their ire too if you take this on and get stuck in the same “inspect this, now reinspect that” loop. Anytime a client tells you that they have had issues with a past inspector/contractor be careful and keep your antennae up, often they are not a client who is worth working for.
Does the insurance company have the whole report and WHY do they have the whole report? The only report they usually get is the 4-PT… I tell my clients DO NOT give the WHOLE report to the insurance company. Just answer any questions they have about the home FROM the report. If they have the whole report then sure… they will knit pick all day long… and apparently just randomly!
Why not just use the plumber’s receipt if they used a pro? If they used Handy Manny, I think you can inspect it all day long… it’s part of your job so get to it. Charge accordingly AFTER you tell your client you will charge per trip so they need to get a complete list of items from the insurance company. Get paid UP FRONT and provide a simple memorandum type written report with your license. One trip… maybe two if they force the ins company to pull their heads out of their arses!
Save the client some money on this one. I am not aware of any municipality that does not require permits for water heater replacements due to their safety issues. Have the client pull the permit and approval and send it to the insurance company to see if that makes them happy.
As others have said it is probably time the client looks for another insurance company. However they should also pull their CLUE report on the home to ensure the current insurance company has not screwed them with entries regarding the ongoing issues. That could make it harder for them to work with the next insurance company.
Get a new insurance company. As a home inspector I check the house ONCE … After that if their insurance company wants more reports, they can have individual contractors provide them.
You can get an agreement JUST for this type of inspection in the Inspection Agreement System on InterNACHI’s website. “Individual System/Component Inspection Agreement”
NO. Do not get involved. There is a trend here either with the clients, the insurance company or the house itself. Not worth the little you would make on it to have your fingerprints in that house.