Senate Bill 1332 - Home Inspectors Education, Experience, and Examination Requirements

By Liz Figueroa

Homebuyers are unaware that some home inspectors have little, if any, background in performing home inspections. Many inspectors claim to be "certified" when there is no legal standard for this claim. As such, consumers have little opportunity to choose a qualified home inspector and have possibly no recourse against a home inspector who provides a poor report on the condition of the home. SB 1332 addresses these problems.

BACKGROUND: Under existing law a home inspector can be anyone who claims they can perform a home inspection, and they do not have to disclose whether they have any specific training or experience requirements. It only requires that a home inspector conduct home inspections with the degree of care that a reasonably prudent home inspector would exercise. Also, current law specifies what amounts to unfair business practices for those involved in home inspections, but does not prevent home inspectors as holding themselves out as "certified" and misleading the consumer about whether they actually have any specific training and experience in home inspections.

PROPOSAL: This bill will require home inspectors to disclose whether they have professional liability insurance and/or general business liability insurance, the number of inspections made during their career, education and experience prior to and since entering home inspection business, contact information regarding the association who certified them, the date of certification and/or re-certification. It will also require that home inspectors who wish to call themselves a "certified home inspector," meet specified education, experience, and examination requirements -- have performed at least 200 home inspections and passed a knowledge, skills, and aptitude exam administered by a home inspection professional association such as the American Society of Home Inspectors or California Real Estate Inspection Association. It will be an unfair business practice for any person who fails to make the specified disclosures or to call themselves a "certified home inspector" if they have not met the education, experience, and examination requirements.