A Bill to license home inspectors in Michigan is scheduled to go before the House
on Wednesday, July 23 for a vote. The major problem with the Bill is the possible
use of the NHIE (the "everyone passes" very minimum standard home inspector exam).
Use of the "everyone passes" NHIE would, as it has in other states, nearly triple the number of inspectors in Michigan at a time when the real estate market is
soft already. Do you want to have 3 times the competitors you already have...
almost overnight?
This would be followed by home inspection schools opening up on every corner
pumping out new inspectors, each waving their freshly printed license.
Then the agents, fearful of negligent referral suits, would begin pointing to
the state's list of licensed inspectors, thus diluting the markets established
inspectors have worked so hard to develop over the years.
It gets worse... the following amendment was added to the Bill:
"(2) A HOME INSPECTOR AND HIS OR HER FIRM ARE STRICTLY LIABLE FOR ANY AND ALL
DAMAGES OF ANY TYPE SUSTAINED BY THEIR CLIENT AS A RESULT OF A VIOLATION OF THIS
ARTICLE OR ANY ACT OR OMISSION COMMITTED BY A HOME INSPECTOR WHILE PERFORMING
ACTIVITIES PURSUANT TO A LICENSE UNDER THIS ARTICLE. THE DAMAGES ARE NOT SUBJECT
TO ANY LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN A CONTRACT FOR HOME INSPECTION SERVICES OR ELSEWHERE."
Please come to the session meeting on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 9am:
