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| Regulatory News For New York State Home Inspectors |
SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 |
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Welcome to NYSAHI NEWS!
Our goal is to keep NYS home inspectors informed on statewide issues. Of course, you can easily unsubscribe by clicking the "Safe Unsubscribe" link below.
The mission of the New York State Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. is to promote the interest of its members and the home inspection profession in New York State with respect to regulation affecting the practice of home inspections. Membership in NYSAHI is open to all home inspectors in our state. |
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| Dollars and Cents
This newsletter is free to any home inspector. However, the knowledge that makes it possible and the advocacy that NYSAHI provides for our profession in Albany is not. The cost of these activities is hundreds of volunteer hours per year by the NYSAHI board of directors and an annual budget of $16,000.00.
Two thirds of our budget goes directly to your lobbyist. Without his advice we would not have anywhere near the access or the success that we have been able to achieve on your behalf in the past few years.
If you are receiving value from our efforts, please support us. Membership is only $75.00 per year and con be done easily and securely online by clicking here.
Thank you for your support,
The NYSAHI Board of Directors
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 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
LICENSE RENEWAL & CONTINUING EDUCATION
It is almost time for the home inspectors that received their licenses in the first wave of applications in December of 2005 to renew. As this is new to all of us, I thought it would be a good idea to review what we know.
According to the Department of State web site, renewal applications will be sent to licensees approximately three months prior to their renewal date. That means that those of us who were "grandparented" in should be receiving our renewal applications soon.
For this first round of renewals we only need to show six hours of continuing education credits. After December 30, 2008, the full 24 hours of CE will be required for each two year renewal.
As far as I know, there is not one place where inspectors can find the entire list of approved courses. However, the DOS does provide a list of approved continuing education schools with phone numbers. If you still need CE credits check the list at this link: http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lcns/homeinsp-contedschools.htm
Continuing education is being offered by both for-profit businesses and non-profit professional organizations. If your non-profit organization has a course offering, you can post it by following the link in the "Upcoming Events" section at the end of this newsletter.
The DOS also has a form entitled "Home Inspector Continuing Education Equivalency Education Credit Application". This form can be used to claim credit for courses that were taken out of state and that did not have prior DOS approval. According to the form, you need to show proof of attendance and submit an official course outline. I do not know anyone who has applied for this credit yet, so I don't know how stringent these proof requirements are. This form can also be used to claim credit for teaching a CE course. The instructor gets two credit hours for each hour taught (once per license renewal cycle). This form can be found here: http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lcns/pdfs/1746.pdf It is probably a good idea to file your CE certificates away where you can find them in the future if you need them. While the licensing law does not specifically address the issue, I believe that at one of the DOS meetings the staff mentioned that they review "hardship" cases on an individual basis. If for some legitimate reason you are unable to complete the required CE for a license renewal , it will probably be easier to make your case if you have excess credits from previous years.
Helpful Reminder: if your mailing address has changed you should contact the DOS to have their database records changed. Otherwise you will not receive your renewal application.
The continuing education requirements are one of the provisions of the licensing law that, over the long term, should raise the level of expertise and professionalism among our profession.
I hope your license renewal goes smoothly. Let me know if you have any information that the rest of the NYS home inspectors should know.
Gregg
Gregg Harwood, NYSAHI President 2006-07 |
| WHAT'S NEXT ON THE AGENDA? (reprinted from last month)
The Home Inspector Advisory Council has scheduled a "work session" for October 10 to revise the Standards of Practice. The comments that have been received have been compiled into a 50 page handout by the DOS for the Council's review. This will be an open meeting that can be observed by the public. However, I do not believe there will be a public comment period.
The next full meeting is slated for November 28. At that time the revised COE and SOP should be ready for a final Council review and, if approved, will be sent to the Governors' Office of Regulatory Reform (GORR). It will probably take weeks or months for GORR to review the documents and send them back to DOS. Once DOS has them back, the documents will once again be posted for public comment for a couple of months. The documents will receive a final review and modification based upon the comments received and will then be adopted as regulation by the DOS and carry the force of law.
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| Next DOS Meeting:...
All home inspectors are encouraged to attend. There is a public comment session at each full meeting, but not at work session meetings.
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New York State Home Inspection Council
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| Location: |
Alfred E. Smith State Office Bldg., 80 South Swan Street, 10th Floor Exam/Conference Room, Albany |
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Wednesday, October 10, 2007 (work session to revise the Standards of Practice. There may not be a public comment period during this type of meeting)
--and--
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 (Full meeting) |
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9:30 a.m. |
| Contact: |
Carol Fansler, (518) 486-3857 |
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PROTECT AND ADVANCE YOUR PROFESSION, JOIN NYSAHI
Here is the deal: If you believe that NYSAHI has provided you and your business with at least $75 worth of information and representation in Albany recently, we ask you to send in a membership.
It is imperative for our profession to have a voice in Albany. Three quarters of our annual budget of $16,000.00 goes directly to pay your lobbyist. Yearly membership in NYSAHI is only $75.
Your membership will make a difference.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Submit an announcement of your upcoming NYS inspector training event by clicking here. Non-profit & not-for-profit organizations only please.
5th Annual Historic Homes Seminar
Ramada Inn WestPoint/Hudson Valley of Newburgh
September 18, 19, 20, 2007 8:30am
Up to 22.5 NYS CEC's
24 ASHI MRC's ,22 NAHI CEC's
Central New York ASHI Fall Seminar 2007
Barbagallo's Restaurant, 6344 E. Molloy Rd. East Syracuse, NY 13057
Saturday Oct 6 2007-8:00 AM registration
NYS 7 CE (pending)
7 ASHI CE (pending)
$85 for ASHI membership (all categories), $110 for others (all welcome)
Sponsored by: Central New York ASHI
Contact: Peter Apgar
315-2783143
Educational Seminar
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 66 Hale Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601
Fri. 10/19/07 & Sat. 10/20/07
NYS CE pending, application submitted
15 ASHI MRC's: CT, NJ, MA 15 CEU's.
ASHI Member/Associate $325.00, NY Metro Member/Assoc. $300.00; Non-ASHI Inspector $350.00 before 9/27 Early Bird Special
Sponsored by NY Metro ASHI
Contact: Victor J. Faggella 845-628-0941
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