Scope of Practice
Home inspectors, like many other professionals, must abide by a professional scope of practice. This scope describes exactly what they may and may not do in their line of work. Just as car mechanics are not licensed or insured to perform oral surgery or fly airplanes, home inspectors must work only within their scope of practice. In our case, that is limited to visual assessment of the condition of a home, and testing of systems using their normal operating controls.
Code of Ethics
As a member of the Home Inspectors Association of British Columbia, we are bound by the Code of Ethics in the HIABC Scope of Inspection. This code is designed to ensure that all members of the association act with honesty, integrity, and respect when conducting their professional duties. The list of 12 rules can basically be boiled down to this: always act in the best interest of your client.
Common Misconceptions
Many people misunderstand what home inspectors are allowed to do. Here is a list of common things that we are actually not allowed to do!
Cost Estimates
This is probably the most common misconception. HIABC members are explicitly prohibited from providing cost estimates for the work required to repair a defect that is identified in the report. The reason is simple: we are generalists. To provide a quote or estimate would be outside of what we are trained to do, and would be a disservice to the client, since we are not trained or experienced in estimating.
Testing for Hazardous Materials
A home inspection does not include testing for hazardous materials. While some inspectors may choose to offer this as an add-on service, to do so requires additional training, licensing, and insurance. Testing for things like asbestos actually requires a sample to be taken and examined under a microscope in a laboratory setting.
Seeing Through Walls
All joking aside, inspectors are limited to reporting only on what they can see. We cannot identify problems that are hidden behind finished walls, ceilings, or floors. In fact, we are not even allowed to comment on something unless we can observe it. We must simply report it as a limitation that we were unable to inspect it.
Testing Systems
We are only allowed to test systems using their normal operating controls - that means no testing emergency shutoffs or overflows. We also cannot start up systems that are shut down - there might be a good reason that the gas was shut off to the fireplace, or the power was shut off to a circuit!
Estimating Remaining Life
Something that we are asked frequently is "how long will it last?" This may refer to an old furnace or a deteriorated roof, and unfortunately we cannot speculate. We can offer general information about the average lifespan of systems, but inspectors can only report on what they can observe, if a 60 year old boiler is still working fine, it cannot be described as defective. Some roofs look terrible and keep the water out, while some brand new ones develop leaks. Some furnaces last far beyond their expected life, while others break down a month after installation. Speculating on when something might fail is a disservice to the client, because there truly is no way of knowing for certain!
Key Points
Inspectors must always act in the best interest of their client.
We can't give cost estimates.
We can't start up systems that are shut down.
We can't speculate on how long something will last.
We can't inspect what we can't see!