Hi,
I need to get this off my chest and this was the perfect place to do it.
I’ve been a licensed electrician since 1990, was a laborer (apprenticing) with my brother since I was 16 years of age, now (49), was a roofer for a great many years, worked in construction and renovations for/with my father who owned a very reputable construction and roofing company in Ottawa. I come from a family with a history in the construction trades.
I performed a few inspections for some friends and family over the years, and one friend actually paid me because I found $15,000 worth of immediate repairs on a house they really wanted that the last inspector missed. Last year, I decided to become a home inspector and started the, “what I felt should have been”, short journey to get there. So I did some homework and registered with Algonquin College in Ottawa and found the OAHI through their Carson Dunlop course outline. I then paid $2,000 for the Carson Dunlop books (a set of 11), and paid a total of about $5,000 for the courses. I completed 9 out of 10 courses since Sept of last year with almost straight A’s across the board and was exempt from electrical. The college states that a student can take up to 2 years to complete the courses, and I was certified in 8 months. I thought I was doing pretty good at getting where I wanted to, and knew that there were other educational requirements needed to get the full RHI status as displayed on Algonquin’s site. The balance of the courses stated were defect and recognition and reporting, Part 9: the House Building Envelope, and Part 9: Health and Safety, just a few weekender courses to make a better RHI out of me. Their site mentioned that the OAHI basically regulated things regarding HI’s, and if I needed exemption from any courses due to past experience it had to be done through them. At this point I was unaware that I had to complete 150 home inspections in one year or 200 in 2 years to become an RHI when I registered for the courses. So at this point I went with the flow and then registered as a student member with the OAHI during school, it was at this point I noticed the additional requirements. A multitude of levels from student to candidate, to associate, to RHI, and tons of homes to inspect with possible mentoring, et cetera. I wasn’t pleased about the aforementioned extras one bit as I figured my apprenticeship days were over. I paid my dues in the construction industry, and Algonquin just really filled the gaps and gave me a heads up as to how an inspector should inspect, communicate, and report.
I really don’t see an RHI status any time soon. To add insult to injury, when I start to perform inspections as a CHI being accredited by Algonquin and InterNACHI, and being that the art is unregulated in Ontario and RHI status is not mandatory, I may still have a very hard time performing inspections where I live. The CAHPI and OAHI sites are doing a very good job of demoting anyone in the eyes of the public that doesn’t have RHI status, even making candidates and associates out to be similar to something at the bottom of a food chain. Oh yes, and thank you Mike Holmes too, for your slanderous words regarding real home inspectors. I’ve easily outperformed RHI’s and they’re really no better than I as a CHI.
I believe in InterNACHI, and all that it represents and stands for. Being a part of this association has given back to me something I felt was stripped from me as a result of misrepresentation from Algonquin, the absolutely insane amount of time that it could take an individual with experience to become an RHI, and the loss of respect as a CHI amongst agents and clients in these here parts no thanks to absurd advertising regarding qualifications.
You’ve given some hope Inter[size=2]:nachi:,[/size]
Michel R Thellend
CHI and proud of it.