New International Standards of Practice Released

March, 2003

InterNACHI's International Standards of Practice for Performing a General Home Inspection is the world's largest, most comprehensive set of guidelines available to residential property inspectors.  First developed in 1995, the International Standards of Practice is the definitive standard for the home inspection industry.

The purpose of these Standards of Practice is to establish a minimum and uniform standard for home inspectors.  A home inspection is the process by which an inspector visually examines the readily accessible systems and components of a home and operates those systems and components utilizing these Standards of Practice as a guideline. 

Home inspections help provide the client with information regarding the condition of the systems and components of the home.  The inspection is based on the observations made on the date of the inspection, and not a prediction of future conditions.  A general home inspection will not reveal every issue that exists or ever could exist, but only those material defects observed on the date of the inspection.

"The home buying public has long been under the false assumption that inspectors are negligent if every defect in a home isn't revealed," said Nick Gromicko, Founder of InterNACHI.  "Though we may be far from correcting this public misconception, we are committed to providing our membership an iron-clad document to point to, should a claim arise."

"InterNACHI's position as the world's largest inspection association required us to consider the welfare of consumers as well.  We can now provide home buyers with a clearer understanding of what to expect from a home inspection," said Gromicko.  "Like our Code of Ethics, InterNACHI's Standards of Practice are a win-win for inspectors and consumers alike in that they succeed at protecting both."

Standards of Practice