It can also become a two-edged sword when it comes to liability for the home inspector, as it goes to having special knowledge.
It can also become a sticky thing, as an inspector who calls out something as not meeting code, may find himself sitting across from a municipal building inspector in court, where the BI is testifying that he is the AHJ, and the nspector is not. Imagine calling out code violations on a home that had been on the market for a year, with no real offers. A client comes along, makes an offer, and you are hired to inspect it. Your inspection is chocked full of “code issues”. The deal is killed, and the homeowner calls the local building inspector in, who states that nothing is wrong, and he is the person who legally makes that determination. Next thing you know, you are being sued by the homeowner (it can happen).
As to insurance companies standardizing on ICC certs as a qualification, I have not seen it. Insurance companes are primarily interested in cost of replacement inspections. Banks still dont even require pesticide licenses when accepting WDI inspections, so I think they have a ways to go. HUD doesnt require ICC certs of any of their licensed inspectors Appraisers will likely never be required to have an ICC cert.
So, is having one beneficial? It depends on your market (competition has it, you should too), and it depends on how you plan to use it. Not a bad thing to have, I suppose. Its up to the individual inspector. Also, look into having that “special knowledge”. It is a legal term, with very real legal ramifications.
As an example, here n NY, I have a pestcide applicators license. I therefore have special knowledge in the field. As such, I am obligated to perform a WDI inspection on every structure I inspect, regardless of whether I charge for it. And, I do. I just do not include the NPMA-33 in the report for free. If you want that form, you have to pay for it.
So, what if you have the ICC cert, and miss something. Could you get sued, especially if you advertise that you have an ICC certification? You bet. So what, you say. Inspectors get sued all the time, right? Not for building code related issues, as a home inspection is not a code compliance inspection. But now, you have special knowledge…