Why home inspectors don’t give estimates.
One of the things that frustrate my clients about home inspections is when the inspector tells them that he can’t give an estimate for the repairs. The reason he (or she) can’t is that the licensing laws in relation to inspectors forbids giving estimates. Here’s the line from the law:
266CMR 6.06: (6) [prohibited from] Determining the cost of repairs of any item noted in their Report and/or inspected by them and/or their firm.
Why is that rule there? Does it make sense to have it?
There’s an inspector in British Columbia who wishes Canada didn’t allow estimates. He was fined $192,000 for grossly underestimating a problem.
Another thing that frustrates my clients is when an inspector says that they need to get another inspection, be it a termite inspection or an engineering report or a chimney evaluation. That Canadian inspector was also held liable because he failed to recommend that an engineer be called in.
When the inspector in Canada showed a signed contract limiting the liability to the cost of the inspection, the judge threw out the contract on the grounds that the clients did not have sufficient time to read the contract and the contract did not properly highlight the clause limiting the inspector’s liability.
That is something that I think inspectors should change. A few send the contract the day before for review, but the vast majority pull it out right at the beginning of the inspection, then expect it signed at the end with the check. I do prefer that my clients get a chance to look at it before signing it.
What do you think about the rule of not giving estimates?
Did you inspector properly refer you to engineers, or did you feel like he/she passed the buck by recommending further inspection?
When did you see your contract? Did you think that you had time to review it and understood your recourse in the event of a problem later?
