For those that have “functioning as intended” wording included in their state SOP’s…
Have you ever wondered how that equates to the intended function as defined by the manufacturer, the items design engineer, the items repair person, the owner, a typical contractor, the buyer, the average home inspector or a detailed home inspector?
Just another glitch in the SOP if you think about it and understand technical details. 
Since the definition can be made up to suit anyone it can be used by minimal inspectors to report less to gain referrals from realtors that remember how little they report on houses.
Some quick examples:
Disposal runs and does not drip but has a rusty crack on the side of it or makes more noise than typical.
Garage door goes up and down with the opener but has no spring balance left.
Bathroom fan runs for 15 seconds then starts making noise.
Furnace runs and puts out heat but draft inducer has debris in it making noise.
Shower works but tub faucet still has some flow out of it with shower running.
Thermostat relays that chatter when changing modes.
Water heaters that are older than their design life.
Condensor fan with oil leaking and blowing across the side of the motor.
Toilets that are not leaking but loose on the floor.
A “vented crawlspace” that is actually not venting due to ducts etc in the crawlspace and bushes around the exterior.
A Zinsco or FPE Stablok that has not faulted yet.
Condensate pumps that are not wired to the low voltage HVAC control.
Never used that term.
I use “operational”.
Nathan,
They make all sorts of water heaters that have various life span ratings and warranties.
The problem is that they sell mostly the cheapest ones that will start to leak after 10-12 years. This is a fact that I have seen many times so now you need to adjust your opinion to be accurate.
I use operational as well.
Were not talking about what words you use in your report, this thread is about SOP wording and how it can create bad home inspectors when there are ones looking for loopholes to allow them to write up less than good inspectors.
If an inspector does not write-up those items that would be his decision. You could argue either way. If an inspector does not write them up the market will take care of them. I personally do not worry about other inspector’s reports, business has been growing for years, signifantly.
If something is functioning as intended the only thing needed is a material description.
Nothing said=nothing wrong.
New guys actually do need cloudy language to get out of a jam at times and this will never change.
As stated the market takes care of things.
So If there was a tarp nailed over a hole in the roof, is it functioning as intended.
Or the roof is not, but the tarp is, as its intended to keep rain out?
I don’t use that term, I say it like it is, satisfactory, marginal, repair/replace, or i write a custom status where required. Who knows how the installer intended it to work, i’ve seen items duct taped in place, and it was intended to be/work that way, but still wrong.
nice thread.
Most of these defects would be a required write up per TX SOP. I will write up the “fill in the blank” was functioning as intended, if no deficiencies were at all were noted. I do that instead of leaving the comment section blank. I could simply check the item as “inspected” and leave it at that but don’t like how empty the report can look in the appliance section.
I report defects not what’s working.
Exactly however there are places such as the light socket is operational however the bulb is burnt as an example off the top of my head.
My use of operational (OK similar in nature to topic) as a term also applies to certain items I tag with captions in my report as I like to document the same systems and components in every report as closely as practice allows.
“Reason” consistency…
“example” thermostat picture with caption “operational”
We all do it different but all should follow a pattern of “consistency”
This is the best way to protect your business.
A bulb I can’t turn on is a defect.
Do you check the fixture or just note the light is not functioning ?
I check to see if the base has electricity as my ticker is very sensitive compared to most.
I am not there to make them think there is an electrical problem if it is just a bulb.
Now we are talking semantics.
Do as you wish but using your ticker is just as likely to give you false positives.
I know your MO is to argue but no need to drag on “red herrings”
I use the wall switch …(too easy for you?)
Lets move on.
You want me to call you or your salespeople? I don’t think so…
Nathan, Does your warranty exclude water heaters that are older than 10 years?
Does it exclude them if the inspection report already warned the buyers about them?
Please answer both questions here for everyone to see.