The Voice Of The Home Inspection Profession In The Empire State
Poughkeepsie Journal, April 15, 2007
Newsday,
He's Licensed to Inspect and a
clarification from
Newsday
Home inspection licensing on the horizon
in New York State
The Journal News, Jan. 01, 2005
Home Inspectors Will Need a License
Syracuse Post Standard, Nov. 28, 2004
Licensing Home Inspectors
WIVB, Television in Buffalo, Oct. 24, 2004
Home
Inspectors to be Licensed
Buffalo News, Oct. 11, 2004
Please email articles from your local paper to our secretary for
inclusion here. You can contact Gregg Harwood at gregg@professionalhome.com.
Home inspection licensing on the horizon in New York state
By
NOREEN SEEBACHER
FOR THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 1,
2005)
Within the next 13 months, there will be some significant changes for prospective home inspectors in New York state.
For the first time, there will be statewide regulation of home inspectors. More than half of all states nationwide — 28 to be exact — already regulate home inspectors. That includes all of the states surrounding New York with the exception of Vermont.
In New York, however, the industry has remained largely unregulated. Although Rockland County passed the Home Inspector Licensing Law in 1999, no other counties followed suit.
As a result, in almost every part of the state — including Westchester and Putnam — anyone with the interest or desire could establish a home inspection business. That included people with little or no training in residential building codes or construction standards, real estate professionals said.
But there is a change on the horizon. Starting in early 2006, most home inspectors will have to get a license before they can do business. They'll have to demonstrate at least basic competency in residential construction and agree to uphold certain ethical standards. If they violate any of the provisions of the law, they can lose their license.
A license alone is no guarantee of quality, warned Frank Libero, president of the New York State Association of Home Inspectors and a Rockland County-based home inspector.
Libero compared getting a license to inspect homes to getting a license to drive a car: Simply having one does not prove you are an expert. It just shows that you passed certain minimum standards.
"It shouldn't give people a false sense of security," he said. "It's just a starting point. You still have to do your homework. You have to check references, ask questions, make a judgment about the person you plan to hire."
Libero is the owner of United Inspection Consultants in Garnerville and vice president of the New York metro area chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors, a non-profit professional society for home inspectors in North America.
The new law applies to everyone except state licensed architects and professional engineers, and certified code enforcement officers, who are specifically exempt from requirements of the newly enacted state Home Inspection Professional Licensing Law.
Other home inspectors have to obtain a license. To get one, they have to have at least a high school education and complete 140 hours of approved training, including 40 hours of unpaid inspection experience under the direct supervision of a licensed inspector, or have 100 hours of paid or unpaid inspection experience under the direct supervision of a licensed inspector. They must also pass an approved written exam and agree to abide by a code of ethics.
The state legislature passed the licensing act in the 2004 legislative session. Gov. Pataki signed it into law in September, contingent upon passage of a bill to amend a few provisions of the licensing act.
This bill, called a Chapter Amendment, involves changes regarding enforcement of the new law and the composition of an advisory council to oversee it. It is currently before the legislature.
Jim McCulley, of McCulley and Associates, a lobbyist for New York home inspectors group, said the amendment is expected to pass without opposition. Once it does, the state Department of State has to set up the regulatory system to maintain and enforce the law. Only then, will the law take effect. The likely date of full implementation will likely be January 2006, McCulley said.
Until then - and even after the law takes effect, for that matter - it is important to select a home inspector with the same care you choose any other professional.
A good home inspector can identify major defects in the house you plan to buy. A home inspection typically includes an examination of heating and central air conditioning systems, interior plumbing, electrical systems, the roof, attic, visible insulation, walls, ceilings, floors, windows, foundations and basements. Inspections may also include appliances and outdoor plumbing.
There is, however, a great range of subjectivity in home inspections. A home inspector is neither a code enforcer nor a repair specialist. Rather, a home inspector is a trained observer. Some home inspectors nonetheless will alert you if the house you intend to buy is not up to current building codes, even though the American Society of Home Inspectors does not require them to do so.
If having a house code compliant is important to you, ask the prospective home inspector in advance whether this is part of the inspection.
A home inspection can give you the ammunition you need to negotiate price reductions or repairs with the seller. When you make an offer on a house, it is a good idea to have a contingency clause based on the home inspection. In other words, if you find significant problems and the seller is unwilling to do anything, you want to be able to terminate the contract.
Reach Noreen Seebacher at
noreenseebacher@aol.com.Reach Noreen Seebacher at
noreenseebacher@aol.com.
Post-Standard, The (Syracuse, NY)
November
28, 2004
Section: Real Estate
Edition: Final
Page: I1
Column: REAL ESTATE NOTEBOOK
INSPECTORS WILL NEED A LICENSE
TIM KNAUSS
REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK
The recent
passage of a law
requiring home inspectors to be licensed by the state should
increase
traffic at American Building Inspection and Training Co., Inc.
, in
DeWitt. Joe Mahr, company president, trains home inspectors
there in
addition to inspecting homes and businesses.
Until now,
the training Mahr
provides has been optional. Under
the law
signed recently by Gov. George Pataki, beginning in January 2006 each
new home
inspector will have to undergo 140 hours of training, including 40
hours of
supervised home inspections, and pass a written test
before applying
for a license.
When that happens, Mahr expects students to come from all over the state. He is aware of other training facilities outside New York, but no others in this state.
"As far as I know, we're the only one in New York state," he said.
Sponsors of the new law said it would help root out inconsistency and incompetence among home inspectors, who have not been required to obtain any training.
Veteran home inspector Martin Carrado, 83, of Rome, says the law will help consumers.
"It weeds out all the incompetents that are out there," Carrado said.
Some details of licensing requirements will be established over the next year by the Department of State, which will administer the law, said Peter Constantakes , speaking for the department.
Existing home inspectors will be grandfathered if they meet certain requirements.
A license
will be good for
two years. The fee will be $250, and $100 for each renewal.
WIVB (Television news in Buffalo)
Licensing Home Inspectors
(October 20, 2004) - - Consumers often rely on home inspectors to give them an extra measure of confidence they buy a home. Right now, anybody can be a home inspector. But Call 4 Action's Al Vaughters reports that will soon change.
Randy Bolam is the guy homebuyers call on to make sure the biggest investment in their lifetime doesn't turn out to be their biggest mistake.
"That's a safety issue right there."
Randy is a home inspector, a service most banks require before approving a mortgage, and many a deal hinges on what he uncovers.
Randy: "For automobiles, you have a lemon law. For homes you have nothing."
So Randy supports the idea of licensing home inspectors.
Randy Bolam of Pillar to Post Inspections said, "This is the biggest investment that a consumer will make."
Elma State Assemblywoman Sandra Lee Wirth and Rochester Assemblymember Susan John sponsored the new law that requires licensing of home inspectors, beginning in 2006.
The new law requires home inspectors to have a high school diploma, or GED, a minimum number of hours in training and be insured.
Eventually a state advisory board will devise a test.
Randy: "I love it. It's something we have been fighting for, as home inspectors."
Buffalo News
|
Buffalo News, The (NY) October 21, 2004 HOME
INSPECTORS TO BE LICENSED Author: Matt Glynn - NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER Edition: FINAL Estimated printed pages: 3 Article Text: Prospective home buyers often count on a home inspector to identify problems that could affect the purchase. Until now, home inspectors have not needed a license to work in New York state. But that will change under legislation signed by Gov. George E. Pataki that will take effect at the end of 2005. Backers of the law say it will protect consumers by ensuring home inspectors they hire have met basic training requirements. It also establishes state oversight over the profession. Home inspectors will be licensed for two years and must pay an initial fee of $250. The bill says renewals will cost $100, but that amount could be set higher under final changes to the law. The state Department of State offers different routes for inspectors to obtain a license, based on training and passing an exam. Applicants who can meet state requirements based on their experience can receive a license without training or testing. Home! inspectors will also be required to go through continuing education, which some of them already do. The law also creates state oversight in the form of a board that will advise the Secretary of State on areas such as standards for training, continuing education and a code of ethics. "It's going to mean credibility within the home-buying process," said Gregg Harwood, a home inspector in Binghamton and an American Society of Home Inspectors member. "We're really the only professionals that home buyers encounter in the process that aren't licensed." Home inspectors will be required to provide customers with a written report. The law also sets rules designed to prevent conflicts of interest on the job. The new law will also bring more accountability to the industry, Harwood said. Currently, consumers who have a problem with a home inspection have to go to court; under the law, home inspectors who are accused of violations can face fines or even revo! cations of their licenses. Richard Pezzino of Accu-View Propert y Inspections in Buffalo welcomes the law, saying it will prevent people with no training in the field from presenting themselves to consumers as home inspectors. "Any good inspector who's been out there for a while knows the type of people we are trying to keep out," he said. Pezzino said he especially likes provisions requiring home inspectors to carry insurance and to go through continuing education. As a certified real estate inspector with the National Association of Home Inspectors, he already needs to pass a proctored exam and take credit hours to keep his designation with that organization. New York is the 29th state to regulate either home inspectors or the home inspection industry, said Robert Kociolek, director of chapter relations and state affairs for ASHI. The vast majority of the laws were approved in the past seven or eight years. "It's a reflection of the maturity of the profession," Kociolek said. While ASHI does not take ! a pro or con position on any of the state laws regulating the industry, the group does offer input what it believes any legislation that is adopted should include. ASHI grades the laws that are in effect in 29 states -- New Jersey gets its top rating -- but the organization has not yet had time to evaluate New York state's law, Kociolek said. Nick Gromicko, executive director of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors in Pennsylvania, said New York's law is "fine," but he said whether an inspector is licensed should be only one factor home buyers use in choosing who to hire. The law's backers included Assemblywoman Sandra Lee Wirth, R-Elma, and state Sen. Dale Volker, R-Depew. e-mail: mglynn@buffnews.com Copyright (c) 2004 The Buffalo News |
