I researched this one but could not find out: is licensing required for commercial inspections in Florida?
Thanks.
No…
Thanks, Russell and Nick.
Your location is listed as WI, why are interested in FL requirements?
Also, the state of Florida approved InterNACHI’s commercial inspection course which is based on the International Standards of Practice for Inspecting Commercial Properties.
That course, based on www.nachi.org/comsop.htm has also been awarded many other governmental accreditations and approvals including:
Alaska Department of Commerce Community and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Home Inspector Program
Alberta Government, Service Alberta
Arkansas Home Inspector Registration Board
Delaware Board of Home Inspectors
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), Bureau of Education and Testing
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation*
Indiana Real Estate Commission, Home Inspector Licensing Board
InterNACHI
International Association of Professional Contractors
Kansas Home Inspectors Registration Board
Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors
Master Inspector Certification Board
Mississippi Home Inspector Board
Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Real Estate Division
New Hampshire Home Inspector Licensing Board
New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Division of Consumer Affairs, State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, Home Inspection Advisory Committee
Oregon Construction Contractors Board
South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Residential Builders Commission
South Dakota Real Estate Commission
Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC)
West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, State Fire Marshal’s Office
Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing
The International Standards of Practice for Inspecting Commercial Properties is the definitive SOP for commercial inspectors, used around the world.
Nick,
To clarify, COMSOP is but one standard that may be ised, buut it is far from being a defacto standard.
I perform commercial inspections for banking institutions and a majority either require, or base their in-house inspection criteria on the ASTM E2018 model.
Most insurance carriers do so, as well. I know that the majority of architectural and engineering that perform these inspections of commerciial and industrial properties also use the ASTM model.
Most lending institutions require it.
Samuel:
In my golden years I am looking for warmth. I am very tired of the Midwestern winters and I am looking for a nice alternative. Florida is one of the places that I am looking into, but it has a huge disadvantage: the number of HI’s is very, very large.
The only reason that Florida is still in the running, for me, is that I am trying to move into the area of marine electrical inspections, so any major port will do. Any port, storm or not. Home and Commercial inspections will have to keep me afloat until I am settled into the Marine field.
Presently, I am looking for contacts in the marine field. I will be thankful for any that I can get.
ASTM E2018 is not an inspection standard (despite its misleading title). It is an ambiguous (doesn’t form a baseline for you and your client to agree to veer from) scope-of-work permission form at best. Furthermore, it doesn’t come with any of the necessary ancillary standards, sample forms, or legal contracts (like www.nachi.org/comsop.htm does) And furthermore, you can’t read it or share it (without paying a usage fee each time), or even post it on your website for your potential clients to review (LOL). It’s crap on a plate. It was written in the 70’s I think, so it’s nearly half century-old crap on a plate.
It’s why engineering firms who specialize in commercial inspections have all been switching to www.nachi.org/comsop and why most home inspectors who offer commercial inspections use www.nachi.org/comsop and why our course which is based on www.nachi.org/comsop has received so many governmental approvals and accreditations, and why our industry’s reporting software companies included templates based on www.nachi.org/comsop.htm , and why our industry’s E&O insurance companies like that you use www.nachi.org/comsop.htm , and why our hard copy http://www.inspectoroutlet.com/international-sop-for-inspecting-commercial-properties-book.aspx is our industry’s best selling book* by far (not even a close second).
- www.nachi.org/now.htm is technically our industry’s best selling book, but only because inspectors purchase it by the case and give them to their clients. http://www.inspectoroutlet.com/international-sop-for-inspecting-commercial-properties-book.aspx is the best selling book that is not used as a marketing piece.
Please substantiate this statement:
I work with A/E firms nationally. Your statement is not accurate. Not even close.
LOL. I suspect my international data are a bit more robust than who you “work with.”
Most commercial inspections are one or two stories (not small, but not skyscrapers)… because most commercial buildings are only one or two stories (small apartment buildings, strip malls, warehouses, restaurants, etc). There just aren’t that many skyscrapers in the world.
The reason www.nachi.org/comsop.htm is so popular with the inspectors who perform these commercial inspections is because www.nachi.org/comsop is designed specifically for such inspections. It already has built-in ancillary standards, reporting forms, and necessary contracts. It’s the the perfect document to use for those projects.
The only other commercial SOP that I know of… isn’t. It’s It is an ambiguous (doesn’t form a baseline for you and your client to agree to veer from) scope-of-work permission form at best. It doesn’t come with any of the necessary ancillary standards, sample forms, or legal contracts. And you can’t read it or share it (without paying a usage fee each time), or even post it on your website for your potential clients to review (LOL). It’s crap on a plate. It was written in the 70’s I think, so it’s nearly half century-old crap on a plate.
And BTW, http://www.inspectoroutlet.com/international-sop-for-inspecting-commercial-properties-book.aspx didn’t become our best selling book from home inspector sales (there just aren’t that many home inspectors out there who also offer commercial inspections). Sales to engineering firms are what made it our best-selling book. I confess that I market the book to engineering firms who end up buying multiple copies again and again. I market to them because the markup on them is over 1,000% profit 
(they can afford it). I give them away free to InterNACHI members: http://www.nachi.org/forum/f53/order-your-free-big-64-page-commercial-standards-practice-book-now-no-charge-39979/
Wrong Nick. Once again, you cannot substantiate your claim.
Why not just state your opinion, and the opinion that many of our members like COMSOP bettwr than ASTM E2018 because they find it more useable and easier to produce a more meaningful work product for a majority of their clients, iin the classification of buildings they inspect as “commercial” establishments.
COMSOP is much closer to a residential standard of practice than its competitor. For light commercial, inclusing restaurants, drycleaning establishments, and delis I agree that it is a better fit.
Just cut the crap with regard to the ASTM model and engineering firms. Your claims hold no basis in fact, and diminishes the valuie of COMSOP to the average inspector doing the occasional commercial inspection.
Joe suggests:
OK.
Our members like COMSOP better than ASTM E2018 because they find it more useable and easier to produce a more meaningful work product for a majority of their clients, in the classification of buildings they inspect as “commercial” establishments.
According to me, Yes it is required.
Isn’t I am right?
No, there is no license for commercial inspections. Home Inspectors licensed in Florida is for Residential inspections.
That is the cool thing on doing com’s !
No licensing required.
However, you better know what you are doing when you do one…Ah Yuh!
I would assume a CBC or CGC license is the real answer
Why?
Because it’s Florida and they regulate everything…if they (DBPR) didn’t care why would they have specifically limited HI’s to 4 units or less and residential? Actually as I am sitting here thinking back to when I did some condo conversions , the buildings had to be inspected and the reports signed by a PE…so that may be real answer
Just curious- who mandated that the buildings in the condo conversion be inspected and reports signed by a PE? I do not believe that there is anything in statute that mandates a PE perform an inspection in the example you are citing.