Good American Home Inspectors Follow Codes
If you are a homeowner or a real estate broker planning to hire a home inspector, look for American home inspectors who follow codes of conduct designed by national home inspection organizations.
It is also good if you first read about what are expected from house inspectors so you would know what to expect and you would know what to ask inspectors if you think they are missing something during the inspection.
A home inspection is a visual non-invasive examination of a house to determine the defects in the parts, structures, systems and components of the house. The house inspector will inspect only what is apparent and what is visible. He is not expected to inspect what he cannot access.
A defect is a condition in a part or parts of the house that reduces the value of the house or that puts the residents at risk or that reduces the capabilities and functions of some systems of the house.
In a standard home inspection report, you can see the parts or systems of the house that should be examined by the house inspector. Included are the roof, exteriors, basement, crawlspace, foundation, attic, doors, windows, interiors and fireplace and housing systems such as cooling, heating, plumbing, electrical, ventilation and insulation.
It is often assumed that the house inspector is professionally or legally bound to examine all the parts and systems of a house, but there are limitations to house inspection. There are situations where house inspectors cannot perform their examination such as lack of access or prohibition due to lack of professional jurisdiction.
Among the things that the house inspector is not expected to examine are the life expectancy of a housing system, the cause of a defect, the condition of a part that is not visible or accessible and compliance of systems to certain regulations.
The house inspector is also legally bound to examine the presence of lead-based paint, asbestos, mildew, rodents, molds, fungus, and other hazardous materials. They are also prohibited to move personal belongings or dismantle any system to be able to access a place to be inspected.
In multifamily housing complexes, house inspectors are also not allowed to inspect common areas and systems, such as intercom systems, law irrigation equipment and security devices.
Now that you know what house inspectors are expected to do and not do, you can make preparations and take actions so you can choose the best type of house inspectors that you need.
