What Can a Home Inspector Not Do?

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Understanding what a home inspector can and cannot do goes a long way toward managing expectations when having a home inspection performed. 

A home inspection is defined as a non-invasive, visual examination of a residential property that is designed to identify material defects within a home’s structure, systems, and components according to the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) Standard Of Practice (SOP).  

In case you are wondering what home inspectors do not look for,here are a few examples. A home inspector shouldn’t perform any professional service they are not specifically licensed or certified to perform in their state. Although home inspectors may have backgrounds in other construction trades, or specialist trades, these services would not be performed as part of a professional home inspection in Texas.

Let’s look at some of the things that home inspectors are not allowed to do according to industry standards of practice (SOP). This is not an exhaustive list and may vary by state and the inspector’s certifications. These are 14 things home inspectors are not allowed to do during a home inspection.

Perform Destructive Testing

Most of the time, a home inspector is inspecting a home for a client who is looking to purchase the home or investment property.The home inspector has a responsibility to perform a non-invasive, visual examination. This means the home inspector can only examine the readily accessible areas of the home. A home inspector is not allowed to perform destructive measures such as removing drywall, siding, trim, paneling, floor coverings, etc. or move any personal belongings.

If a home inspector finds evidence of damage, they can examine it in a non-destructive manner and note the damage in an inspection report with a recommendation for the area to be examined by a licensed contractor or professional in that area. 

It’s important for a home inspector to respect the seller and their property by treating it with the utmost respect and professionalism. This includes leaving the property in the exact condition it was found.

Issue a Pass or Fail Grade

A home inspection isn’t a test with a pass/fail grade on the home. A home inspector is not allowed to make a buy or not buy determination for a client.

A home inspector simply examines the home and notes in their inspection report any items that are damaged, deficient or not functioning as intended in their professional opinion. Systems and components that are not functioning as intended should be examined by licensed contractors/professionals to determine if corrective measures are needed. 

Only the client can determine whether the property is an investment they are willing to make or not. 

Condemn a Property

Home inspectors are not allowed to determine if a property is livable or not. Home inspectors lack the legal authority to condemn a home. Only local building code enforcement officers have the legal authority to condemn a home and even that is limited to within their jurisdiction.

Enforce Local Building Codes

A home inspector is not a building code inspector. Sometimes a code requirement will overlap with a SOP requirement. Any code enforcement rests with the building code enforcement officers that are employed in their local jurisdictions. 

However, building code enforcement officers do not inspect residential homes unless it is new construction, an ongoing renovation project or a complaint regarding the living conditions.

Issue a Certificate of Occupancy 

In order to establish electrical power to a residence, the power company will need a certificate of occupancy authorizing them to install the electrical meter and establish power to the house. This happens with both new home construction and existing homes where the service meter has been removed due to a vacancy.

A certificate of occupancy can only be provided through an electrical inspection from the local building code enforcement office. Home inspectors are not allowed to provide this service because they lack the legal authority to do so from the local building code enforcement office.

Determine What a Home is Worth

Often a client will ask an inspector, “do you think this house is worth it?” Home inspectors are not allowed to determine what the market value of the house is or should be. 

Establishing market value or appraised value of a house is reserved for a real estate appraiser. A state appraisers loos at market conditions and establishes what a home is worth based on a number of factors including current market conditions.

Determine Property Boundary Lines/Encroachments 

Property boundary lines are used to establish the size of a parcel of real estate. Property boundary lines are sent by a land surveyor and outlined on the property plat. 

Home inspectors are not allowed to determine property boundary lines as this is outside the scope of the standard home inspection. If a home inspector is also a trained land surveyor, the home inspector can provide this service as ancillary services separate from the standard home inspection.

Repair a Home They’ve Inspected 

Home inspectors are licensed in most US states. However, there are some states in which they are not licensed. Even in states where no licensing is in place, home inspectors can and should be certified. 

There are two main certification organizations for home inspectors. They are the International Association of certified home inspectors (InterNACHI or NACHI for short) and the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and local (TAREI). Texas requires all inspectors to by licensed by TREC.

Home inspectors that are certified/licensed by these organizations are bound by a code of ethics which does not allow for a home inspector to repair any home that has been inspected, for a fee, for a period of one year, but requirements may vary by state.

Report on Cosmetic Items

Home inspectors are not allowed to report on matters of aesthetic concerns or what could be deemed as a cosmetic defect. Texas home inspectors are looking for items deemed a material defect according to our TREC SOP. 

According to Standards of Practice, a material defect is defined as a specific issue with a system or component of a residential property that may have a significant, adverse impact on the value of the property, or that poses an unreasonable risk to people. 

The age of a system or component in a residential property in and of itself is not deemed a material defect.

The Insurability of a Home

Home inspectors are not allowed to determine the insurability of a home. The decision of insurability rests with the underwriter at an insurance company not the home inspector.

The Life Expectancy of the Property/Components 

Home inspectors are not allowed to determine future conditions or the remaining life expectancy of a property or its components. 

A home inspector can determine the current estimated age and current condition of a property or components if possible. However, no one can predict when a property or a component will need to be repaired or updated.

A home inspector may advise you that a system or component is nearing the end of its useful life but as stated earlier a property or component that is old in and of itself is not a material defect.

Determine the Presence of Hazardous Materials 

A home inspector is not allowed to determine the presence of potentially hazardous materials such as lead-based paint, asbestos, radon, or mold without proper laboratory testing to justify their findings. These are ancillary services that are performed for a fee over and above the standard home inspection. Not all home inspectors offer the services due to the fact that many of these types of test may require dismantling or destruction of materials that is above the scope of a home inspection.

Determine the Presence of Air Quality

A home inspector is not allowed to determine the indoor air quality of a residence without proper laboratory testing to justify their findings. Indoor air quality testing is an ancillary service that is performed for a fee over and above the standard inspection cost. Not all home inspectors offer the service.

Determine the Presence of Electromagnetic Fields

Home inspectors are not allowed to determine the presence of electromagnetic fields within a home. Electromagnetic fields are a combination of invisible electric and magnetic fields that is generated by both natural phenomena (such as the earth’s magnetic field) and through human activities such as the use of electricity and a specialist is required.

We hope that this helps you to gain a better understanding of home inspections and what a home inspector is not allowed to do. If you have any further questions regarding TREC requirements and SOP, you may also visit the TREC website at https://www.trec.texas.gov.

COVID 19 Update

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Due to the COVID 19 outbreak, we have made changes to our inspection protocols and procedures.  The best way for us to safely do inspections is to not have anyone present at the time, other than the inspectors, agents and/or clients. We are placing strict limitations on attendance of the inspection to protect sellers, agents, buyers and our inspectors during this difficult time. (No workers/contractors/etc. without prior authorization). If clients are requesting permission to bring a contractor or family member to the home during the inspection, the agent needs to be present as well. We will be more than happy to discuss the findings later after the report is delivered to anyone that has any questions. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

Are All Home Warranty Companies The Same?

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We get asked about home warranty companies often. We do not rate nor recommend any company unless we have personal experience with using it, no matter the type of vendor. However, we do hear feedback from time to time from happy or unhappy clients and agents who have experience with them. Here is a link to a recent consumer advocate group who did research and posted their findings:

https://www.consumersadvocate.org/home-warranties

I have had a home inspection, now what?

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Sometimes clients are not able to attend the inspection and sometimes they are present but want further elaboration. What are some questions to ask your home inspector after he’s finished the inspection and you have recd. your report? Knowing the right questions to ask a home inspector afterward can help put that report into perspective. Here are the big ones to hit.

‘I don’t understand [such and such], what does it mean?’

Just so you know what to expect, here’s how it will go down: An hour or two after the inspection, you should receive the inspector’s report (should be same day). It will be a list of deficiencies in the house per the SOP (standards of practice) as required by TREC, often along with pictures of issues if possible. Hopefully you also attended the actual inspection and could ask questions then; if so, the report should contain no surprises. If there’s anything major you don’t remember from the inspection in the report, don’t be afraid to ask about it.

‘Is this a major or a minor problem?’

Keep in mind, most problems in the house will likely be minor and not outright deal breakers. Still, you’ll want your home inspector to help you separate those issues and put it in perspective.

Keep in mind that ultimately it’s up to you and your real estate agent to determine how to address any issues and how important they are to you. “The inspector can’t tell you, ‘Make sure the seller pays for this,’ so be sure you understand what needs to be done,” says Frank Lesh, executive director of the American Society of Home Inspectors. They also cannot advise you to purchase or not purchase the property. They are there to give you the information for you to make the final decision.

‘Should I call in another expert for a follow-up inspection?’

Expect to have to call in other experts at this point to look over major issues and assign a dollar figure to fixing them. If your inspector flags your electrical box for issues, for example, you may need to have an electrician come take a look and tell you what exactly is wrong and what the cost would be to fix it. The same goes for any apparent problems with the heating or air conditioning, roof, or foundation. An HVAC repair person, roofer, or engineer will need to examine your house and provide a bid to repair the problem.  Why is this so important? This bid is what your real estate agent will take to the seller if you decide to ask for a concession instead of having the seller do the fix for you. Your inspector can’t give you these figures, but he can probably give you a sense of whether it’s necessary to call somebody in.

‘Is there anything I’ll need to do once I move in?’

Wait, you’re still not done! It’s easy to forget the inspector’s report in the whirlwind of closing and moving, but there are almost always suggestions for things that need doing in the first two to three months of occupancy. Inspectors sometimes gets calls from homeowners whose houses were inspected several months after they’ve moved in. Although certain issues were noted in the report, the buyers neglected the report entirely. Minor issues can need repair further down the line and turn into major or more costly repairs if not fixed in a timely manner.

What’s New in 2019

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Coming Soon! For roof systems with too steep of a pitch or height, we are adding an extra pair of eyes in the sky. We have recently added a DJI Mavic Pro drone to our arsenal of tools.

What Services DO We Provide?

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  • Apartment Complex Inspections
  • Builder Warranty Inspections (for 1 yr. warranty)
  • Clear comprehensive computerized report with digital photos 
  • Condo/Townhome Inspections
  • Crawlspace/Pier and Beam Inspections
  • Electrical Inspections
  • Foundation Inspections
  • Home Inspections
  • HVAC Inspections
  • Insurance Inspections
  • Investor Property Inspections
  • Irrigation System Inspections (Sprinklers)
  • Multi-Family Inspections
  • New Construction Inspections
  • Plumbing Inspections
  • Pool / Spa Inspections
  • Pre-Listing Inspections
  • Roof Inspections
  • Structural Inspections
  • TREC Licensed/Standards of Practice

Looking Forward in 2019

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It’s a New Year and we are still here, serving Austin since 1984. We are looking forward to helping you in 2019 and meeting your home inspection goals.  How can we help you? Give us a call at 512-259-8642!

Garage Safety Tips

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Here’s a great blog on safety tips for Garages put out by ASHI and the DIY Network:

http://www.homeinspector.org/HomeInspectionNews/12-dos-and-donts-for-a-safe-garage.3-5-2018.2057/Details/Story

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Even though it’s March, temperatures are starting to heat up. When it comes to the Texas summer, we all know having a fully functioning air conditioner isn’t an option, but how does it work? Here’s a quick rundown on how your system operates and how your HVAC refrigerant plays a major part.

Many people think that your air conditioner is blowing cool air into your home and over time, that’s what cools your home. Instead of introducing new cold air into your home, your system is extracting humidity and reintroducing the (then cooled) air back in. You’re actually removing the heat from your home rather than just adding cold air. Paired with this understanding, you should know that your home is cooled by the coolant changing form from gas to liquid and subsequently back to gas, starting the process all over again.

The warm air in your home rises towards the ceiling and is drawn into your system through a vent. The warm air is routed through your ducts and passes through coils filled with coolant, rapidly lowering the temperature of the air before it is reintroduced back into your home and cycling the HVAC refrigerant. So allow us to explain:

  • The coils within your air conditioning system have coolant that is being constantly cycled through them.  This refrigerant evaporates within the coils, resulting in the rapid drop in temperature.
  • The HVAC refrigerant (now in gas form) is pumped to the compressor, normally located outside of the residence.  The gas is compressed into a liquid, raising the temperature even more, and is propelled into the condenser.
  • While passing through the condenser, the heat dissipates through the vents you see on the outside of the external unit, and the coolant drops in temperature.
  • After being condensed, the coolant then passes through the evaporator.  The liquid is forced through a very small opening into coils and is subjected to a drastic drop in pressure, allowing the liquid to return to its original gas form.
  • Once the coolant has evaporated, it rapidly cools the coils housing it, and the cycle begins once again.

HVAC refrigerant is what makes it possible to keep your home comfortable in the middle of a Texas heatwave. An efficient and well-maintained system keeps your home comfortable when the heat moves in.