Questions regarding terms: "certified", "licensed", and "registered"

New here, some questions:

Ontario specifically;

I was at the OAHI site, the CAHPI, and InterNACHI, and they all seem to have different terms used to grant a qualification on whomever successfully completes their course.

  1. To my understanding, there is no absolute, government mandated minimum requirement to become a home inspector, correct?

  2. InterNACHI, and I’m assuming the other providers, are making moves to get Ontario, and well as other Provinces and States, to the point where their governments have an actual minimum standard?

  3. Eventually this will be regulated, at that point, say another service such as OAHI ‘wins’, will this make an InterNACHI certificate void at that point?

  4. What’s the difference between, certified, licensed, and registered?

“Currently, anyone can offer home inspection services in Ontario, but only **registered **members of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors can call themselves a registered home inspector.”

  1. Any other information for a potential new home inspector, in regards specifically to Canada/Ontario?

Edit:

  1. I am also interested in doing Inspections for New Construction. Does anybody have any advice on where to start there?

That is a correct statement from the OAHI perspective however there is no way to enforce it outside the sanctum of the OAHI site. Now they can put pressure on you to remove registered from your stationary if in fact you do not qualify.
Same goes for CAPHI inspectors.
Will the Government intervene in the affairs of OAHI.
NO WAY!!!
What is best is for you to listen to what the plans are within the Home Inspection Industry sign up at Ontarioachi.ca and see what is already in progress.
Also as for Licensing listen to the webinar by Kim Smith at Hub InterNational as to the direction Ontario is going for Home Inspectors.
As for new home inspection this area is being controlled by TARION.
http://www.tarion.com/Pages/FAQ.aspx

Kevin… how about answering the man’s question now, without all the political posturing?!

Matt, I would provide an answer, but I am unsure if some of those words have a different context/meaning in Canada from the US.

Now you have me curious as to what this Ontarioachi.ca site is about.

What is the benefit of membership here? and If I’m reading this correctly, say I sign up for a year membership with Ontarionachi.ca, I am still required to maintain an additional membership at InterNACHI?

I’m new around these parts, and I’m really confused about how some things are setup.

Also, as someone starting fresh, is it recommended to go the way of OAHI for proper registration?

Nope!
You are best to go sign up as a signed in member to the MB and then you will clearly see the difference.
When you are ready then you can become a full member with all benefits.
You can then decide what Association best fits your plans and still be a member of OntarioAchi.ca
Any other questions you can contact me directly at the office, e-mail me and or chat on www.oovoo.com platform.

Bump!

Why should Matt sign on with ANY independent Organization if their “designations” don’t really mean anything outside of their respective Associations???

good question… a true statement though.

Don’t under any circumstances join OAHI. They offer no benefit to you what so ever, all they want is to take money from you for their overpriced training.

Kevin’s org. is supposed to be a chapter of InterNachi. It has been put in place so that Nachi members might get a voice in the set up of licencing in Ontario. Membership is separate from NACHI.

There is no licencing in Ontario at present, but it might be in the works.

hope this answers your question.

Cheers

Here goes, certified means that you have a certificate of some sort, registered means you are listed as belonging to an organization, or it could also mean that an organization is registered with a governing organization or authority, and licensed means that you you have been issued a license by an authority to do something.

The words by themselves mean little, unless there is a ‘right to title’ and or is governed by law. Ontario does not require home inspectors to be licensed, Alberta does. InterNACHI and CAHPI local chapters and some franchises register and certify paid up members. AB requires licensing but not that HIs are certified or registered. InterNACHI and CAHPI et al will sue anyone who claims to be registered & certified with them if they are not.

If you have some random certificate like maybe the world’s greatest dad, are registered as a member of the Moose Club, and have a drivers license, you could call yourself ‘certified’, ‘registered’ and ‘licensed’ but the next words you use would have to be carefully chosen to make sure there is not a legal claim on them. So you might be able to call yourself a Registered, Licensed, Certified Defective Detective (RLCDD) PROVIDED some organization somewhere has not already claimed that term, but if you called your self a licensed, certified master home inspector in Alberta, you could be charged under the Fair Trading Act, AND sued by the Master Inspection Certification Board, unless it was all true.

Because we are one of the Associations that has the full backing of InterNachi in Ontario.
We also have the most stringent requirements to be members by adding POLICE CHECKS a COMPLAINTS DEPARTMENT for the public plus other PROFESSIONAL conduct rules to the MB that gets moderated and protects Home Inspectors from Attacks.
We in essence have a ZERO BULLY policy.

Thanks Doug & Erik!

As an outsider looking in… you guys (generally speaking) tend to ignore providing USEFUL information to new inspectors. How the heck are they supposed to understand what is what if you long term guys don’t educate them? Instructing them to go read this website, or that Org’s propaganda, does NOTHING to help them understand.

And then you wonder WHY there isn’t more active participation from them when you need it!

Quoted for truth.

This is the situation I’m in right now. There’s already a lot to take in when transitioning to a new profession.

In regards to Alberta, are InterNACHI Home Inspectors recognized as “Certified” or “Licensed” or “Registered” according to that Provence?

Can you just clarify?

OK I can do that.
Like any MB it does not cost you a dime to sign in. I do not have enough room or time to show you all the benefits so far to doing so.
I do know this since you are new to the Association there is great deal to learn.
You have a choice to pay for it or not pay for it.
You have a choice to be either a CERTIFIED Home Inspector or a REGISTERED at least in Ontario.
When and if the license comes in you will either have the minimum qualifications or not.
At this point it will not matter however what Association you belong to will cost more in the long run.
I would say the benefits of being both InterNachi and OntarioAchi are your best avenue for success, than after 5 years in the business plus mentoring you may want to go further and get recognized as a Certified Master Inspector.

Kind of sounds like some kind of “Secret Society”, doesn’t it?! :twisted:

Nope it would be if you did not have access. Everyone has access you just have to sign in follow the rules or you will be banned.
You also cannot come in with fake info as we screen every individual and the location they are from so before long you will be removed.
Remember this also we don’t care what Association you come from just leave your attitude at the sign in and help Ontario Home Inspectors. If you are new ask questions and we will find answers for you.

And you wonder WHY the Industry is so F—'ed up in Canada! Your “Club” is no different than all the rest.

WHY does someone need to “sign-up” to see what you have to offer? You like to throw around the InterNACHI connection, but you are NOTHING like InterNACHI.

WHAT are you hiding that you can’t or WON’T show the general public?

Same old, same old.

Good luck Matt (and others). I tried. :neutral:

Sign in not sign up!!!
Sign up requires payment signing in prevents people that should not be trolling on our MB and InterNachi has the same thing.
Called NON MEMBER status.
We have nothing to hide from the public and you can ask any question from any member if this is not true.

OK, thanks for clearing some things up.

InterNACHI = Certified, OAHI = Registered. Is this correct? And these words again, don’t mean anything outside their own bubble?

The second point I bolded, what do you mean by “**When and if the license comes in you will either have the minimum qualifications or not.” **Is this in regards to when Ontario regulated a baseline with say OAHI, InterNACHI Home Inspectors will be SOL? (Or vice-verse)

I just want to state, that I’m looking for the least headache. I don’t want to start heading down a road that will soon be a dead end.

I’m not trying to stir anything up, just get informed and make an educated decision.

We are in Consulting with this right now along with other Associations. I would say look at AlbertaNachi to get an Idea where that minimum might be.
I believe it was set at 202 hrs Ontario may take that into consideration as a possible bench mark.

Oh OK, so AB Home Inspections are regulated by the government then? (and by InterNACHI too?) That was a question I had earlier that went unaddressed.

And thanks Kevin for your help is much appreciated. I’ll head over to your forums a little later.