Who will actually benefit from Licensing?

Only a short time ago I read somewhere that the debt-ridden McGuinty Government had no intention to get involved in regulating home inspectors in Ontario.

The press release now issued by the current Minister of Consumers Services to the contrary gives reason to assume that the **Ontario Association of Home Inspectors **has been instrumental in persuading some politicians to change their minds, and to assist in protecting the OAHI turf. The timing could not have been better, since real estate activities are just starting to decline, and the competition from unaffiliated home inspectors might become more rigorous than ever before.

But if "Consumer Protection" is actually the main concern, the Ontario Government would be well advised to address first of all the conniving schemes under which the mighty real estate cartel is selling homes to consumers. It is illusionary to assume that the licensing of a few* **hundred ***home inspectors can protect the public against the tricks of the trade under which ***tens of thousands ***of real estate agents are trying to make a living in Ontario.

To single out the still fledgling home inspection industry to become ***the guardian for home buyers ***is nothing more than a gimmick to collect political “Brownie Points.

There is no documented proof that governmental licensing of home inspectors will actually improve their services. The number of legitimate lawsuits filed against established home inspectors is very low in comparison to the number of inspections they perform annually.
The reality is that ***unskilled or unethical ***operators have little or no chance to survive financially in today’s competitive marketplace.

It is very odd that neither the British Columbia nor the Alberta Governments have revealed whether their mandatory licensing process has in fact improved the quality of home inspections in their respective provinces.

The only people who will definitely benefit from the governmental exercise are home inspectors who were smart enough to turn Training Course Providers to sell their accumulated wisdom to others without liabilities or risk.

**RUDOLF REUSSE **- Home Inspector since 1976 - Retired

Truer words have never been spoken. The course providers are the benefactors in this whole scenario.

On another note with the government involvement:

Why does the government spend our tax dollars in re-training programes? You can retrain a 1000 people to become a home inspector and where will they find enough work to put food on the table?

Let’s be very honest. The art of inspecting a home cannot be taught in a few weeks. This service is best provided by individuals who have served years and years in the construction business. This goes back to the fundamental practice of apprenticeship, experience and trades. Today I am a salesclerk and next month I am expert in home construction? I think not!

The BM’s and CL’s and CD’s and AC’s are the only winners in this government action and the main benefactors will be the old boys club of OAHI and TREB.

There are many other training organizations/individuals than those to whom you refer:
-community colleges
-Inspect4u
-AHIT
-each franchise org
-The Home Inspectors Institute
-INACHI
-they go on and on and on

These folks can all train HI but the candidate for HI should still have to pass a standard proctored exam and meet other requirements. It’s an open market for education even to the point of buying books (???) to learn the profession.

The only ones in Alberta benifitting from licensing are the course providers. I get a couple of calls a month from guys breaking into the business. It ma not happen in some of the smaller area’s but I can definitely see a trend of new inspectors low balling and hurting the industry in the bigger centers. The government will always tell you how much it is helping but I think we all see the real truth!!

With InterNACHI providing all the approved courses, online, and for free… I can’t imagine that there are too many other course providers.

www.nachi.org/alberta.htm

Brian I actually agree with much of what you have said. My point and point of contention is this. A person such as myself who is basically unaligned with the groups actually seeking licensing in this province could be forced to go to school and sit through hundreds of hours being taught the same stuff I learned in the field.

If one desires to be a home inspector go out and build 60 or 70 homes and learn the trade in the mud and in the cold.

Licensing does bother me but I will gladly take a proctored examination. I have even challlenged some to do the TIPR. I have no problem with the above. I guess the answer for myself and others in the same boat would be some form of ‘grandfathering’.

No takers to date on the TIPR.

P. s. Many on this MB like little sayings after their name, well here is mine.

Licensing like Code will minimize the trade!

In addtion I fully agree with Nick. The absolute best instruction out there is provided free of charge by NACHI.

This provision, however has been abused by many NEWBIES who use this service to pass themselves off as experienced home inspectors. Evenually it will become apparent that ‘quantity of inspections has absolutely nothing to do with quality of inspections’.

Now how about that as a quote? Now that one I am definitley going to use for myself.

Bryce Jeffrey
FFYE
It is not the quanitity of inspections that count. Just the quality!

For-Profit Course Providors, For-Profit Testing Companies and the For-Profit Government…
Consumers are always the least calculated as beneficial and rarely mentioned in Govt. Licensing proposals…

It is a cash cow to many Ontario Colleges .

Far too many for me to list

http://www.inspectsupport.com/

http://www.pcdi.ca/home-inspection.html?code=N8199&kw=home%20inspection%20courses&camp=4P-PP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=home%20inspection%20courses&utm_campaign=N8199&gclid=CLaX99q877ICFYVFMgodVXIAsw

http://www.studyhomeinspection.ca/

http://www.canadianhomeinspection.com/training.php

http://www.sheridancollege.ca/Admissions/Apply/Continuing%20Education/Distance%20Learning%20and%20Online%20Courses/Current%20Online%20Programs/Canadian%20Home%20Inspection%20Program.aspx

http://canadiancareertraining.com/home-inspection-classes.html

http://www.scitraining.ca/Default.htm?AF=HG0157&gclid=CP-ln9W977ICFYw-MgodtQsAnQ

http://www.capilanou.ca/ce/north-shore/business-skills-management/home-inspection-training/

http://www.academyoflearning.com/on/Home/Programs/HomeInspection.aspx

Expected soon another http://www.ahi-ns.ca/
[FONT=Times New Roman][size=1]CALL BRIAN MACNEISH NOW AT: 902-225-0877 He is training now on the NACHI forum See post #3[/size][/FONT]

Consumers are protected by the free market place. Ask for recommendations for crying out loud. Canadians are too damned protected by the government as it is. Even the big MIKE tells the consumer to choose an inspector with construction experience, a retired home builder, then ask for referances and check out the referances then ask for referrals. But Oh NO we want to go further and have the government say this one is OK! But guess what? The bad apples will always get through the system.

Licensing did a lot for the optometrists in Ontario. Gave them a closed shop and forces the buying public to pay twice what they should for a pair of glasses.

If the consumer is too damned lazy to do his homework then I guess ‘caveat emptor’ should reign supreme.

I took and passed the proctured exam from INTERNachi but there are others out there Nick. I agree that the Nachi training is the best but many others starting up do not know this and will get sucked into another course. Even GPI got accredidation after I went through everything to become a CCHI.

Greg we have one GPI here and I have heard nothing bad about his reports or services. That is what counts in the minds of some of the Real Estate Agents and the public. However there are others that are on the list you have displayed that there are problems. So I think it is not what they have learned or where they are CERTIFIED, it is the applications, how you do the report and what you say on an Inspection that make a big difference.
A license will not change anything for the Client and may even create more problems than it is worth as mentioned by Bryce.

Bryan Leblanc, the minister’s communications director, said the ministry received just three written complaints last year but that doesn’t reflect the problem since complaints are going to other groups.

“The push came from all over the place,” Leblanc said.

Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/business/Homeowners/7353896/story.html#ixzz28eClbfJE

BBB 2008 Inquires… Complaints… Rank… settled… Not Settled
----------12,542------27-----108----14…51.9%--------13…48.1%
BBB 2010
----------13,358------33-----151----29…87.9%--------4…12.1% .

I still say we do not have the big problem ,the few nay Sayers are our problem .
Looks to me like they want to make a name for them selves and carve a niche to be in control???

BBB 2008 Inquires… Complaints… Rank… settled… Not Settled
----------12,542------27-----108----14…51.9%--------13…48.1%
BBB 2010
----------13,358------33-----151----29…87.9%--------4…12.1% .

I still say we do not have the big problem ,the few nay Sayers are our problem .
(" “The push came from all over the place,” Leblanc said. ")
Looks to me like they want to make a name for them selves and carve a niche to be in control???

Problem with “Lobbyists”

paid to promote a cause where a perceptual need is often not warranted…
and if cash is flowing along with the endorsed ideaology…
… the need is easily viewed and promoted as necessary…

Thanks Joe we have had a couple pushing for years .
Unfortunatly get others convinced their’s is the only way.
It aint broke so why does it need fixing .

Remember Whistler
http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4935
Bill has a big anouncement comming soon
http://www.nachi.org/forum/showpost.php?p=166560&postcount=103

http://www.cannachi.org/forum/Themes/red/images/icons/modify_inline.gif

Roy,
… rarely is a Politician “Convinced” without a Payment attached…
Follow the money trail and the “need” will be found…

Yes Joseph that is exactly right!

If that’s what its like in your neck of the woods, I’m really glad I don’t live there.