Terrible BC inspectors on Global tv News

[poliner]

I caught the show, this echoed an item earlier in the year. Its a shame Nachi came up in regard to the journalist "Cheating" the on-line exam.
If rougue Inspectors want to go out there with no training it seems a bit unfair to pick on an association that on the whole promotes professionalism and ongoing education.
The Organisation highlighted BCIPI, who are pushing along with CAPHI(BC) for legislation in BC, however it now appears the Ministry is looking to formulate its own program.
Also the Journalist made reference to Inspectors being taught building code legislation, which itself is misleading information for the general public to digest.
On the whole the only pertinant information was perhaps the confict of interests that exists with realtors "recommending" their particular Home Inspector to clients.

[Vern Mitchinson, CMI]

Originally Posted by Norm Bushman

Vern,
But doesn't the association have a duty of care to set up their system of verification in such a way that news reporters can't become Certified Home Inspectors? Or here's a better question: Name one other instance when a news reporter managed to become a Certified (full member, Registered or whatever) Home Inspector with any other professional home inspection association? To my knowledge, that has never happened....because all other asosciations put in place checks and balances to ensure it can't.

I think that's why they were picking on NACHI. It's not the first time and won't be the last.

Norm

We all carry the responsibility to police our own and fellow members activities. If we find someone that has misrepresented themselves then we must take the appropriate action. Unfortunately in jurisdictions that do not have any laws governing Home Inspection standards that action is restricted to training or removing the unqualified from our membership.
Only last summer the present provincial government found out that the lawyer they used over the past several years for advice and guidance on parliamentary procedure turned out not to be a lawyer at all.
That reporter also misrepresented the facts because she did not include the other requirements for certification. COE test, Procedures test. etc.

Maybe NACHI should move to proctored exams.

[Michael Masney]

Well put Paul, and by the way I'm a Clash fan too.

[Nick Gromicko]

NACHI, which requires 4 courses, over 30 quizzes, 4 exams, and 4 mock inspections within the first 60 days of membership plus annual testing and 24 hours of continuing education per year, soon to increase to 30 hours per year, can only determine competence. But just as one can have a valid driver's license and drive drunk, so can a competent inspector fail to do things correctly, unintentionally or intentionally, and there is not much that a private trade association, or anyone else for that matter, can do about it. There is however a strong correlation between good inspectors and the fees they charge. Our advice to consumers is to remind them that in general, they will get what they pay for.

[Nick Gromicko]

A home inspector can take all the courses out there and pass all the exams in the world and agree to abide by the toughest COE and SOP... and still skimp on the job and not inspect the attic. Being able to do something doesn't mean you will.

[rwand1]

But doesn't the association have a duty of care to set up their system of verification in such a way that news reporters can't become Certified Home Inspectors? Or here's a better question: Name one other instance when a news reporter managed to become a Certified (full member, Registered or whatever) Home Inspector with any other professional home inspection association? To my knowledge, that has never happened....because all other asosciations put in place checks and balances to ensure it can't.

I think that's why they were picking on NACHI. It's not the first time and won't be the last.

I fail to see the relevance of a reporter wanting to be an inspector. Just because somone is able to pass the test does not demonstrate these people actually go on to inspect. There is only one person that I know of that may not actually have gained proper admittance requirements in NACHI, but thats another issue...

Regardless no one has proven to the contrary that Nachi is turning out unqualified, unprepared, unethical, contrary to the opinion of our guest.

Mr. Gilmore has been an outspoken critic of Nachi on his website. Someone asked earlier if there maybe a conflict or bias? Gee just maybe, eh? HELLO! TV report = Ted Gilmore BCIPI, good advertising for BCIPI, .... not so good for NACHI regardless of the spin put on by the news piece, and no so good for realtors!

[Norm Bushman]

Originally Posted by vmitchinson

We all carry the responsibility to police our own and fellow members activities. If we find someone that has misrepresented themselves then we must take the appropriate action. Unfortunately in jurisdictions that do not have any laws governing Home Inspection standards that action is restricted to training or removing the unqualified from our membership.
Only last summer the present provincial government found out that the lawyer they used over the past several years for advice and guidance on parliamentary procedure turned out not to be a lawyer at all.
That reporter also misrepresented the facts because she did not include the other requirements for certification. COE test, Procedures test. etc.

Maybe NACHI should move to proctored exams.

Proctored exams would certainly be a good start. I think the issue of someone misrepresenting themselves is different than the issue exposed on the news piece. They were showing how anyone, even people with no knowledge or experience, can become a Certified Home Inspector, not how some Certified Home Inspectors are misrepresenting themselves as such. I'm not disagreeing with you. I also think we have a responsibility to police our own. I'm just saying that with the proper checks and balances, news reporters or any other neophytes would be unable to get certified as easily as they do here. Just my opinion here, but I think no one should be certified in any field prior to receiving a proper education in their chosen vocation.

Norm

[Norm Bushman]

Originally Posted by rwand1

I fail to see the relevance of a reporter wanting to be an inspector. Just because somone is able to pass the test does not demonstrate these people actually go on to inspect. There is only one person that I know of that may not actually have gained proper admittance requirements in NACHI, but thats another issue...

Regardless no one has proven to the contrary that Nachi is turning out unqualified, unprepared, unethical, contrary to the opinion of our guest.

Mr. Gilmore has been an outspoken critic of Nachi on his website. Someone asked earlier if there maybe a conflict or bias? Gee just maybe, eh? HELLO! TV report = Ted Gilmore BCIPI, good advertising for BCIPI, .... not so good for NACHI regardless of the spin put on by the news piece, and no so good for realtors!

That's another issue altogether, but your right about the bias part. Regarding the reporter, I think your missing the point. They are trying to show the public that you can't trust your home inspector to be competent just because he or she is certified. To prove it, this reporter took the quiz and got 91%. The message they wanted to put out was: Watch it. Check the guy out before trusting him. Make sure he's been certified through a legitimate professional association. (I'm not saying we aren't, onlty that that's what they were trying to make it sound like.)

Norm

[Nick Gromicko]

A reporter can become a certified home inspector if she fulfills www.nachi.org/rigorous2006.htm and there is nothing NACHI can do to stop her.

Insurance actuaries will tell you the same thing, most poor inspections are not due to inspector incompetence, but rather on-site inspector laziness and there isn't an exam invented that can predict that.

[Nick Gromicko]

Prior to joining NACHI anyone in B.C. can legally hold themselves out to be a home inspector and charge their first unsuspecting client, but if someone joins NACHI, they may not do their first inspections for consumers. They have to do 4 mock inspections as per www.nachi.org/membership.htm

I don't know of any other association that prohibits an applicant from doing his/her first inspections for actual consumers.

[Nick Gromicko]

I spoke with the reporter Ms. Yong today on the telephone and she confessed that she did not pass NACHI's entrance exam nor did she fulfill NACHI's entrance requirements www.nachi.org/membership.htm . In other words, she confessed today by telephone that she had in fact committed a fraud when she signed her affidavit.

[Norm Bushman]

Originally Posted by gromicko

A reporter can become a certified home inspector if she fulfills www.nachi.org/rigorous2006.htm and there is nothing NACHI can do to stop her.

Insurance actuaries will tell you the same thing, most poor inspections are due to inspector incompetence, but rather on-site inspector laziness and there isn't an exam invented that can predict that.

But there are exams that can greatly lessen and even prevent cheating. No offence, Nick, but you are making excuses for something that is your fault and that you do not wish to fix.

Do you think that reporter could become a certified member of BCIPI? She could, but it would take a lot longer than the hour it took her to get into here. That's the problem, and that's always been the problem, and that will always be the problem until you decide to recognize and repair it.

How to Become Certified as a House or Property Inspector
http://www.asttbc.org/bcipi_index.html

Norm

[rwand1]

Dave Stated:

I also think we have a responsibility to police our own.

Thats the problem. There is no self policing because home inspectors over seeing themselves from a governance point of view has failed misrerably administering their own rules. You cannot have members adhering to stringent rules while on the other hand the governance is rotten. No outside oversite results in abuses, this has been proven time and time again in the corporate world. And we have documented proof of other lapses.

Even CAHPI and the national is self regulating and self governing, just as Nachi is.

Entry requirements are different between the two associations. There is no proof indicating this is a concern.

Niether association can assure the consumer will receive a good inspection that is the inspectors responsibility. Look no further than the medical profession, realtors, and lawyers. Professionals have disfunctional members too. To equate Nachi of having a disproporationate number of unqualified is not found in statiscal data. We know that CAHPI and OAHI have had their fair share of members being sued for negligence and/or breach of contract.

The issues of inferiority do not bare well under closer scrutiny in my opinion.

Complaints to both Associations are likely very minimal, at best, otherwise the government would have stepped in long ago. This is not the case.

[Norm Bushman]

Originally Posted by gromicko

I spoke with the reporter Ms. Yong today on the telephone and she confessed that she did not pass NACHI's entrance exam nor did she fulfill NACHI's entrance requirements www.nachi.org/membership.htm . In other words, she confessed today by telephone that she had in fact committed a fraud when she signed her affidavit.

Ya, that sounds totally believable. Reporters often admit to their frauds to perfect strangers who call up out of the blue, especially to those who could sue them. Happens all the time.

I guess she fudged the "91%" passing score from NACHI that was showing up on her computer screen.

Come on, don't insult our inteligence.

Norm

[rwand1]

I spoke with the reporter Ms. Yong today on the telephone and she confessed that she did not pass NACHI's entrance exam nor did she fulfill NACHI's entrance requirements www.nachi.org/membership.htm . In other words, she confessed today by telephone that she had in fact committed a fraud when she signed her affidavit.

Affidavitt?

On the show the screen showed, I believe 92 percent as a score? Whose score was that? Are you suggesting a member of BCIPI assissted in the fraud?