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I'm curious of how much a home inspector can do- such as can they take things apart to inspect? I'm not talking about removing a cover from the furnace to look but can they do any more then that? How involved are they with A/C units, do they hook up gauges etc or just visually inspect?
When they are inspecting a roof do they try to lift shingles or just walk around and visually look for hail spots etc?
Is there any recourse on an inspector if they damage any property or personal property?
We've had some real crappy inspectors inspect our homes before. We've even had one where he stuck a screwdriver through "rotten" wood on our door frames and along the fascia on the roof. The wood was not rotten, it turned out, but it just looked like it. We made that inspector pay for all that damage he did.
I don't know why he didn't just scrape it a little or just make a note about it. I guess he thought that if he put a hole through it, then it would have to be replaced. Too bad he didn't know that he had to pay for that!
One other inspector loosened the pipes under our bathroom sink for some reason. We had checked all the pipes before he inspected the place and when he left, they were loose. I'm glad we checked everything after he left or there would have been water all over the bottom of the sink cabinet.
Regarding your question about who pays for damage. It usually states in the contract on who is responsible for any damage the inspector does. Its usually the buyer.
When we hire an inspector, we put it in writing with the contract with the inspector that the inspector is responsible for any damage they do to the home we're thinking of buying.
They can vary. Some will go up on the roof, others do a visual. Some will crawl in a crawl space, others, not. Some will crawl in a low "attic" space above the house, some just give a visual from the access. And some will lie and said they did some of those things when they didn't.
That's when it's good to get recommendations. But you can't always trust that either and some realtors are actually told not to even refer with an alphabetical list because it could still be said they are favoring people.
I'm curious of how much a home inspector can do- such as can they take things apart to inspect? I'm not talking about removing a cover from the furnace to look but can they do any more then that? How involved are they with A/C units, do they hook up gauges etc or just visually inspect?
When they are inspecting a roof do they try to lift shingles or just walk around and visually look for hail spots etc?
Is there any recourse on an inspector if they damage any property or personal property?
From your line of questioning I would expect you are a seller that suspects a Home Inspector has caused some damage by exceeding his/her allowed actions. If you can provide more detail and a State the home is in then you might obtain more relevant answers. However I'll provide some answers but based on this expectation of suspected damage.
The level of inspection on a system or item will depend on your State laws for various licensed trades. You would need to read the licensing laws for the trades that are involved in the suspected damaged item to determine if the Home Inspector exceeded their allowed actions. In your example with the heating/cooling system (HVAC) there are some States that I have heard still do not license this trade. In Texas they are licensed which limits the Home Inspectors actions unless they also hold an HVAC Contractor's license. One of the licensing restrictions for HVAC is only a licensed HVAC contractor can attach refrigerant gauges to an AC system if they are contracting out their services and do not directly work under the employ of the owner of the system. The EPA is hot on refrigerant release into the atmosphere and that plays a big part in this restriction. That would leave a Home Inspector, without an HVAC Contractor license, limited activities they can do which is not really a lot over a visual inspection and operational test of the system.
The other trades involved that are typically licensed are electricians and plumbers with reference to a residential structure. What is interesting to not in Texas is that even appliance installation and repair (you know stoves, refrigerators, etc.) is actually a licensed function if a person is advertising and contracting out that function to homeowners. If they work for a company that supplies the appliance a license is not needed for them to install or repair such as a Big Box that sold the unit and comes out to install or repair it.
When the Inspector walks the roof they should randomly sample shingles to ensure they are sealed down properly. If the sealing strips have not properly activated or failed they can lift them and also check for proper fastener (nails) placement. In most locations there is no restriction if an Inspector was to lift the shingles and break the seals as long as they properly seal them back down. However I don't know any Inspectors who carry the proper variety of sealants required by the various manufacturers to properly seal them back down.
As for recourse everyone is responsible for their actions. There is always some form of recourse from reporting them to their licensing agency just to report without the intention of recouping cost of damage all the way to a lawsuit if the issue is serious enough. Just keep in mind that fist you will need to demonstrate a reasonable case that the Inspector did damage something. Also, and not to try dissuading you from it, if you're the seller and complete the deal before pursuing any recourse then that can make your actions tougher but not impossible. Some times it is best just to weigh whether the aggravation is worth it or not since it can potentially cause issues with selling the home Vs. pursuing some small damage amount.
We've had some real crappy inspectors inspect our homes before. We've even had one where he stuck a screwdriver through "rotten" wood on our door frames and along the fascia on the roof. The wood was not rotten, it turned out, but it just looked like it. We made that inspector pay for all that damage he did.
I don't know why he didn't just scrape it a little or just make a note about it. I guess he thought that if he put a hole through it, then it would have to be replaced. Too bad he didn't know that he had to pay for that! One other inspector loosened the pipes under our bathroom sink for some reason.We had checked all the pipes before he inspected the place and when he left, they were loose. I'm glad we checked everything after he left or there would have been water all over the bottom of the sink cabinet.
Regarding your question about who pays for damage. It usually states in the contract on who is responsible for any damage the inspector does. Its usually the buyer.
When we hire an inspector, we put it in writing with the contract with the inspector that the inspector is responsible for any damage they do to the home we're thinking of buying.
I'm curious about these two statements in bold above. Not an attack just curious. If your door frame/trim was properly installed it would have most likely been solid lumber. Using even a very pointed awl would be near impossible to shove it through the lumber, even a solid trim piece. What type of frame material was the door made of?
Why did you feel a need to check the tightness of all the piping in the home before the Inspector came for the inspection? Did you approach the Inspector to ask why they loosened the piping? What piping did they loosen? I can't see where even the bad Inspectors would touch piping in that manner. There's just no reason to and that would make more time requirement for the inspection if they were doing something beyond what they were required to do.
we exhorted you before to check your contract, and you would know what they can do, and what the liability is for damage.
I am sure that each state treats inspections in their own way. In NC, they could rip all of your sheetrock off to see what was behind it, though the buyer would be responsible for repairing that damage should they terminate the contract.
we exhorted you before to check your contract, and you would know what they can do, and what the liability is for damage.
I am sure that each state treats inspections in their own way. In NC, they could rip all of your sheetrock off to see what was behind it, though the buyer would be responsible for repairing that damage should they terminate the contract.
As I posted in another thread, one inspector drilled holes in a vinyl floor to check on water damage. That constitutes destructive testing and is not permitted under most home inspection rules (and their insurance carriers' rules). In my case, he could have just gone in the crawl space to check the sub floor. It was damp, a fact we had disclosed. He declined to do so. That also meant he did not check the HVAC ductwork, most of which was down there, along with a good bit of the electrical wiring.
As for hooking up gauges to check the HVAC, that is a perfect example of why a home owner should witness the inspection. Unless he is a qualified HVAC person with a valid EPA Refrigerant Handler's Permit, the inspector has absolutely no business touching the system beyond visible checks and monitoring inlet/outlet temperatures.
As I posted in another thread, one inspector drilled holes in a vinyl floor to check on water damage. That constitutes destructive testing and is not permitted under most home inspection rules (and their insurance carriers' rules). In my case, he could have just gone in the crawl space to check the sub floor. It was damp, a fact we had disclosed. He declined to do so. That also meant he did not check the HVAC ductwork, most of which was down there, along with a good bit of the electrical wiring.
As for hooking up gauges to check the HVAC, that is a perfect example of why a home owner should witness the inspection. Unless he is a qualified HVAC person with a valid EPA Refrigerant Handler's Permit, the inspector has absolutely no business touching the system beyond visible checks and monitoring inlet/outlet temperatures.
Are you the OP (oneslip) using a different name? What is the other thread being mentioned here?
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