How many years are you keeping the older mit forms. Before the 1802
not. don’t have any.
5 yrs
We have everyone we ever did.
Mine are all saved electronically as well.
Bert
What was before 1802?
I “thought” even the 2 page form was 1802?
I too have every 1802 I ever did.
Before the 2 pg 1802 there have been many forms used by ins companies. At one point they all had a different forms, some were complex, e.g. counting windows, how many had temp glass, or protection, …
Personnally, I think 5 yrs is adaquate. If the 1802 can only only be valid for 5 yrs, then the state’s regulatory agency has established a retention time line.
Thanks for the feed back
How does the validity of the form relate to the Inspectors retention requirement?
If the state is saying the form is only good for 5 yrs, what is the purpose of keeping it for 7, 10 or 20 yrs. If the paper is worthless, somewhere a company needs to purge the files or …
Does anyone know of a law req these insp forms to be kept for a specific amount of time?
Maybe the insp co can destroy the form the next day, it seems to be a good business pratice for the co to have records for the homeowner as long as the form is valid.
W e keep an eloctronic copy of everyone we do. Have no plans on ever dumping them. Extra pics I keep for 1 year and then move to long term storage.
I am pretty certain there is no requirement of how long we have to kee someone elses stuff.
Once the report is delivered we should have the right to get rid of anything related to it. This should go for all work done. I am not in the record keeping business.
I do still have all the ones I have done but I sure as heck hope I am not required to do so.
For the OIR I am sure five years is long enough. What about the IRS, 7? How many people have been doing them more than 5 years?
Someone please show me where anything says we must keep them at all.
IRS biz records are not the same.
Depending on how you track you business, it could be. If you can prove that you did an inspection an hour away, it may prove the number of inspections you did that day. The number of inspections done can show a pattern which could prove or disprove your income. Not to mention that having the address on a form and the images show you did incur the expense of the travel.
Good idea to keep them for a while anyway to provide customer service and maybe gain a new client. Have had insurance co’s contact me months after an inspection because the client had trouble closing on the home I inspected. The way I see it every time an insurance co contacts me because a customer has lost it or sent it in a zip file that won’t open is just one more contact I have made from one customer. Customer service speaks volumes and digital storage is a non issue.
Fraud and customer service are my cheif concerns. We do alot of repeat business and helping clients get a new copy of their wm is an important service we provide. But fraud is another concern. One day one of us will get the call about an altered or fraudulent wind mit.
Yep I sure have.
Another scumbag InterNACHI guy still in biz straight up starting putting my signatures on his wind mits.
Guess what?
NO ONE GAVE A S H I T.
Not InterNACHI not the O.I.R. not no one.
So I really doubt anyone will ever have any issues.
I remember.
These are excellent points. Before the reinsp program began I had an ins co call and request info on 2 of my insp. After retrieving them, one had been changed. He said the red flag went up when the box to be checked for no opening protection was gone. Someone gave this homeowner class A, when they had none.
Today I set out 2 old insp from 3 yrs ago, even after explaining that the old insps wouldn’t help.
As per the OIR, there is no requirement from them for record retention, but that I should check with DBPR.
John’s point of the IRS, 7 yrs is another good point.
Customer service, fraud, and the IRS, good reasons to keep the files even if those boxes are a pain. The yrs back it was all hard copies.
Thank all of you for excellent feedback. May you govern yourself accordingly.