If you have not seen this, and it is pretty new, some of the inspectors making recommendations to the Washington State Legislature, are apparently making the following recommendations. See what you think, it will affect a lot of people if this goes in as suggested. In fact, it would alter the current WDO requirements. I know a number of ASHI members were involved in this, not sure about other representation.
The following ****Qualifications for a Home Inspector ****have been approved by The Washington Home Inspectors Legislative Advisory Group. They are presented in bullet format, in no particular order of importance. They are to be considered ****minimum standards ****for a candidate pursuing a license as a home inspector.
****Education ****
A candidate must:
- Possess a high school degree or equivalent.
- Complete 120 hours of live classroom education as approved by the governing board.
- Pass a nationally recognized, psychometrically evaluated, and legally defensible home inspectors’ exam. At this time there are two such exams available.
Mentoring
A candidate must:
- Perform 30 parallel, on-site, and fully supervised home inspections with a licensed home inspector who is performing a fee-paid home inspection as defined by the Standards of Practice.
- The final five parallel inspections must be submitted to the governing board with the candidate’s licensing application. The five inspections will be reviewed for competency by means of standards established by the governing board.
Exemptions
No other professional accreditation or license will exempt an individual who desires to be licensed as a home inspector from fulfilling the requirements of home inspector licensing.
Reciprocity
Possessing a home inspector’s license from a state other than Washington will not exempt an individual who desires to perform home inspections in Washington State from fulfilling the requirements of Washington home inspector licensing.
Citizenship
A candidate must be legally authorized to do business in the United States and the state of Washington.
Insurance
A candidate must carry $100,000 in Errors and Omissions Insurance or a $100,000 Surety Bond.
Grandfather Clause
Home inspectors currently practicing in the state of Washington must register with the governing board within one year of the establishment of the regulation. Established inspectors will be required to pay the initial registration fee, but will not have to meet the new education and mentoring requirements. Established inspectors will be required to provide proof of having been in the business of home inspecting for at least three years (by providing tax documents, etc.); and proof of having performed at least 250 full and complete home inspections as defined by the Standards of Practice; and proof of having taken and passed one of the nationally recognized, psychometrically evaluated, and legally defensible home inspectors’ exams as approved by the RCW.
Structural Pest Inspectors License
Possessing a home inspector’s license under new legislation will exempt licensees from having to hold a Structural Pest Inspectors License. If and when a home inspector observes evidence of wood-destroying insect activity, the inspector must defer to, and recommend further evaluation by a licensed Structural Pest Inspector or Pest Control Operator.
Limit of Liability
The limit of liability for a home inspector shall be one year from the date of the home inspection.
Governing Board
The following Governing Board makeup has been approved by the Washington Home Inspectors Legislative Advisory Group.
- Number and Makeup of Board Members: the Board will be made up of seven (7) members: six (6) home inspectors and one (1) member-at-large.
- Credentials of Board Member Home Inspectors: must have at least seven years of experience as a home inspector in the state of Washington; must meet current state licensing requirements; must have performed 1,000 home inspections as defined in the current RCW.
- Board Terms: terms for home inspectors will be staggered for the fist year at two inspectors for one year; two inspectors for two years; and two inspectors for three years; the term of the member-at-large will be three years; thereafter all terms for all Board members will be three years; all Board members will be limited to two consecutive terms as a maximum.
State Representation
We recommend that both the east and west sides of the state of Washington have representation on the Board.