Does an inspector pay for decay that was found because of probing?

[David A. Andersen]

Yes it does.

But in my opinion, the deterioration that was "suspected" was quite obvious even without probing.

The law says you should probe, but doesn't say how.
Remember the State law is an old ASHI SOP. Please don't push it!
We will end up like Texas.

[Doug Edwards, CMI]

The termite guys locally are very aggressive when they probe. But then, if they miss something they have to pay for the repairs so they need to be aggressive. Does not look like he went to excess when probing. Ive done worse with the tip of my finger. Ive seen sellers try to fill up holes the size of a softball with caulk. It looked like Fido's behind and didn't work. I do know not how it works everywhere else but if I discover rot, Im doing my job. I do not need to tear the side of the house off to report it. Like I said, the termite guys here will wallow out a hole you can put your arm in so the sellers can not just cover it up and they will not issue a letter until it is fixed to their satisfaction.

[Brian E. Kelly]

1 Pint Natural Wood Putty
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Fine I have reconsidered, give them 6 bucks.

[Doug Edwards, CMI]

If you had enough of that stuff you could make yourself a canoe. or a pair of wooden shoes, or......

[jkogel]

A good thought to keep in mind - my client hasn't bought it yet, so don't break it.

[psiposs]

There is a balance of doing a good job for the client which often means probing etc. Still, sometimes we look bad when something fails while we inspect it. Like for me recently an outlet in the kitchen that mysteriously died after the GFI nearby was tested. Several other outlets around it were fine.
Fortunately it was a pre-listing inspection and I dealt with the client who was the seller. They were ok as I explained it could very well be a fire hazard waiting to happen. But when something fails during the exam its just not good.

[David A. Andersen]

Inspections for the owner, you can do whatever they want. That's fine.

Failing GFCI's never bother me.
I tested, it failed the test, that's the job.

Some rot you can see from the street (literally).
I do not feel there is any reason to mess with what is known to be defective. If you find one significant spot, no reason to hunt for more. Report that one and have the repair guy (who has permission) to hut for more.

We are there to look and find stuff.
We are not responsible for things that break when run threw their "normal" operation. Sticking a tire iron through the siding or testing a loose handrail for a "true 200# point impact" when it is obvious it is about to fall down is not the proper scope of your job.

My state law says you will test garage door reversal. This will break some doors. We are just following the directive and it is not our liability.
In this case I always test to the lighter approach. I do not stick anything under the door other than my hand. Solid objects break things. If I can't stop it, that's what I report. The repair man can stick something under the door.

We are guests at the inspection site. We are not there as enforcers.
Leave only footprints in the crawlspace!
Otherwise you will get sued.

[Jeff Orcas]

Mark,

Good letter - I will add that to my library.

I have had a number of instances where item will fail under testing and only on two occasions have I paid compensation to the owners for the items. However I have had more issues with "missing" rot. Usually the missed rot is discovered when renovation occurr and the builder says to the client "inspector should have caught that". I have no problems jamming my 4 way screwdrive into suspect areas and getting a picture. We have an obligation to determine the extent of the rot and sometimes when your done the issue that the seller may have lathered with latex paint isn't so good looking anymore. Should you pay to fix it? No, because the damage was already there, we didn't cause the rot.

jeff

[Mark A. Timpani, CMI]

I'm with David. When I see rot or 1 of anything, I disclaim it. David has the right idea.

[Mathew Hawley]

Louis,

I would send him a letter like the one Mark wrote.

Nice letter Mark.