But my Home Inspector didn't.....................................

But my Home Inspector didn't...............

Have you had a home inspection and later read the report only to find that the home inspector did not check over what you thought they were going to look at? Maybe some items include: Sewer Lines, Mold, Radon, Permits for additions, structural load, and HVAC capacity and efficiency to name a few.

Lets start with this: 

Did the inspector prepare and have you sign a "Pre Inspection Agreement" or PIA? In this "contract" it should have spelled out what what they were and were not going to inspect. In Illinois and most states, there is a statute in which it defines what the inspector shall inspect, if receiving compensation. In Illinois that SOP can be found here. If an inspector cannot inspect an item, they should have explained why in the report. Most non-inspected items are for lack of access or weather and safety.

Does the inspector have the training and qualifications for additional items to be assessed. This could be mold, radon, asbestos and many more. Some of these items also carry an additional liability for the inspector as well. 

If you had an inspection on a house that obviously had an addition put onto it, did the inspector check for permits being issued for said addition? Many inspectors do not do this service as it could take weeks, in some jurisdictions, to find out the results. This can needlessly hold up the process of selling the house. In most instances, the seller will readily provide that information. Remember this: if you go to sell that house that had an addition put on and permits were NOT issued and there is a deficiency, you are ultimately responsible to bringing up deficient items into code.

Speaking of "code". Home Inspections are this: a non-destructive evaluation of the house and its systems. Although inspections are performed to do this through "common construction codes", this does not mean they are necessarily "code compliant". Authority having jurisdiction, or AHJ, is simply stating that each county, township, town, city, village will each have their own building codes the follow. Many will be similar, but some may be more stringent than others. For example: if the waste plumbing is determined to be ok having PVC in one town, the other town may still require cast iron waste plumbing. That is not a defective issue then in one inspection.

To sum up: do your due diligence. Ask the inspector what they will inspect. Make sure they give the PIA and have time to review it. When in doubt, ask. A truly trustworthy inspector will anser your questions. If they do not have an answer, they will find the answer for you. 

Until next time

Check out my website at: www.righthomeinspect.com