Undermining the Standards of Practice

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

There appears to be an evil trend forming; a blatant attempt to limit the home inspection profession from conducting home inspection to the nationally accepted and recognized Standards of Practice of our profession.

The state of Washington is considering forcing home inspectors into the pest control business by requiring home inspectors to become pest inspectors before they can inspect a home to our profession's standards.

This evil trend taken to its extreme conclusions will have home inspectors being required to obtain electrical licenses to open panels and plumbing licenses to flush toilets is this what we want for our profession?

The time is now to stand firm and fight to protect our right to perform all the duties and requirements of a home inspection to the Standards of Practice of our profession.

[rcooke]

Originally Posted by jburkeson1

There appears to be an evil trend forming; a blatant attempt to limit the home inspection profession from conducting home inspection to the nationally accepted and recognized Standards of Practice of our profession.

The state of Washington is considering forcing home inspectors into the pest control business by requiring home inspectors to become pest inspectors before they can inspect a home to our profession's standards.

This evil trend taken to its extreme conclusions will have home inspectors being required to obtain electrical licenses to open panels and plumbing licenses to flush toilets is this what we want for our profession?

The time is now to stand firm and fight to protect our right to perform all the duties and requirements of a home inspection to the Standards of Practice of our profession.

Good post Joe I agree .
A good home inspector with proper training should not need to know all about every thing this would be almost impossible.
I was an Electrician and purposely have not renewed my electrical License to remove just some of the liabilities associated with home inspections.
We should be generalists not specialists

For those who feel ( Yes - Every applicable license is required. ) Please give this some thought .
Do you know the complete electrical trade, the plumbing trade, the air conditioning, the roofing, are you a structural engineer? and how about the carpenter trade, could painting also enter into this and how about Chimneys and fire places...
.

Roy Cooke

[dcook1]

Originally Posted by rcooke

Good post Joe I agree .
A good home inspector with proper training should not need to know all about every thing this would be almost impossible.


For those who feel ( Yes - Every applicable license is required. ) Please give this some thought .
Roy Cooke

Roy,
Could Joseph not just get his pest exterminators licence and then exterminate the lawmakers?

[lcapaul]

Originally Posted by rcooke

Good post Joe I agree .
A good home inspector with proper training should not need to know all about every thing this would be almost impossible.
I was an Electrician and purposely have not renewed my electrical License to remove just some of the liabilities associated with home inspections.
We should be generalists not specialists

For those who feel ( Yes - Every applicable license is required. ) Please give this some thought .
Do you know the complete electrical trade, the plumbing trade, the air conditioning, the roofing, are you a structural engineer? and how about the carpenter trade, could painting also enter into this and how about Chimneys and fire places...
.

Roy Cooke

Nothing in the Washington SPI Law undermines the NACHI SOP, the law infact adds to the SOP, and of course to the liability.

Its intersesting the way Joe worded his poll, shouldn't there have been an option that asked if a NACHI Home Inspector should obtain licenses required by their State, wheter the Inspector agrees with the law or not?

The only way that the SPI Requirement in Washington could degrade the SOP would be if the majority of the NACHI Inspectors there performed their Inspections under the Law, as the COE States they must do, then the SOP would be nearly worthless seeing as no mention of WDO or Conducive Conditions could be mentioned.

The law is asinine, but it's been on the books for 15 years or more, the majority of licensed Home Inspectors here would keep their licenses even if the Law were repealed tomorrow, so you won't find many willing to take the issue to court.

[Joseph Hagarty]

Joe,

Which portion of the NACHI SOP is being undermined by the Licensing of Structural Pest Inspectors in the State of Washington?

[Thomas H. Dietrich]

I don't even know how to become a pest inspection certified in Pa let alone Wa.

tom <in left field>

[Joseph Hagarty]

Originally Posted by tdietrich1

I don't even know how to become a pest inspection certified in Pa let alone Wa.

tom <in left field>

Tom,

The Website is somewhat difficult to navigate. The program was previously administrated by Penn State University. The PA Department of Agriculture is currently revamping and developing their own website.

http://www.pested.psu.edu/applicator...brochure.shtml

https://www.paplants.state.pa.us/

[Thomas H. Dietrich]

So its typical, from PA example, to have an applicator license to do bug inspections? This seems to complicate the Home Inspection trade in WA, as the OP said.

Jeezzz...... I hope some bug dudes fight this, since much of new business comes from home inspectors outsourcing bug inspections, here in Pa.

tom

[David E. Helm]

Originally Posted by tdietrich1

So its typical, from PA example, to have an applicator license to do bug inspections? This seems to complicate the Home Inspection trade in WA, as the OP said.

Jeezzz...... I hope some bug dudes fight this, since much of new business comes from home inspectors outsourcing bug inspections, here in Pa.

tom

FYI: The Structural Pest Inspector and the Applicator licenses are two separate things. A Home inspector licensed to be an SPI is expressly forbidden to do application. I believe that when this law was put into place, it was pushed by the Applicators. They don't seem to want to do inspections (too much liability). No complications at all.

[Joseph Hagarty]

Thomas,

PA has one category of Pesticide Applicator unlike Washington which distinguishes categories of Applicators and Inspectors.

To Inspect for WDI in PA and complete the form NPMA-33, you must be licensed as a Pesticide Applicator in Category 12.

[Thomas H. Dietrich]

Joe,

Saw that, and I understand why so many people outsource it. You need to keep insurance to keep your cert. Sounds like insurance premium fodder. This is why I think Wa's change is probably lobbied by the Insurance companies.

Just a guess....

tom

[Joseph Hagarty]

Tom,

Licensure and Insurance is somewhat difficult to navigate. If you are doing volume you may find it cost effective to obtain the necessary Training, Licensing and Insurance to complete the requirements of the PA AOS Contract contingencies.

http://www.parealtor.org/content/***.../PDFs/AS-R.pdf

Call me if you need more info......

[Thomas H. Dietrich]

Originally Posted by jhagarty

Call me if you need more info......

Warning: Off Topic.

Don't need to call you, would like to attend one of the chapter meetings, since I can't find an active chapter covering the Bethlehem area.

Warning: Back on topic.

I understand the business requirements to meet the qualifications deemed necessary by realtors/buyers/sellers to complete a sales agreement. But, there is always a big butt, the OP seems to suggest that this isn't professional private parties coming to agreements, but big brother imposing what they think is necessary.

As for the SOP, well it is public information that NACHI's SOP doesn't supercede local laws.

tom

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by jburkeson1

There appears to be an evil trend forming; a blatant attempt to limit the home inspection profession from conducting home inspection to the nationally accepted and recognized Standards of Practice of our profession.

The state of Washington is considering forcing home inspectors into the pest control business by requiring home inspectors to become pest inspectors before they can inspect a home to our profession's standards.

This evil trend taken to its extreme conclusions will have home inspectors being required to obtain electrical licenses to open panels and plumbing licenses to flush toilets is this what we want for our profession?

The time is now to stand firm and fight to protect our right to perform all the duties and requirements of a home inspection to the Standards of Practice of our profession.

I think that now would be the ideal time to act in order to correct this idiotic application of a law that has been used as an attempt to control home inspectors in an unlicensed state.

The Washington legislature has spoken. A very popular senator with a widely advertised campaign to legislate home inspectors was told....simply....."no". Included in this bill was language that presently exists to govern SPIs - which was also defeated. It is clear to me that the Washington legislature does not intend for its home inspectors to fall under these ridiculous restrictive conditions that has been so creatively interpretted by an unelected official in an administrative department.

Perhaps Nick and Joe F. can put together some kind of high profile NACHI position on it that can force the hand of the legislature to formally disavow it.

[wforsyth]

Yes, anytime the WSDA tries to apply the laws in Washington to home inspectors, it is blatantly obvious that the laws they cite apply specifically to Structural Pest Inspectors performing inspections for the express purpose of inspecting for WDO's as a part of a real estate transaction. How they think they can stretch that to apply to home inspectors inspecting all aspects of a home as a generalist as a part of a real estate transaction is mind boggling.

The only time these laws should come into play is when a Structural Pest Inspector advertises his or her services without obtaining the proper license and financial coverage.