Home Inspectors

For most people, buying a new home is one of the most important decisions they will make. There are many details to think about--whether selecting a price range, choosing the number of bedrooms or bathrooms or searching for the best mortgage rate. Purchasing a home should never be a decision made on a whim. Fortunately, consumers can take steps to protect themselves when purchasing a home by hiring a home inspector.

If you are choosing your own home inspector, or working with a real estate agent to select one, you should be aware of Pennsylvania's law regarding home inspections. The Residential Real Estate Transfers Law, which went into effect in December 2001, was intended to ensure a certain level of professionalism in the work performed by home inspectors - providing guidelines and requirements to regulate the performance of home inspectors within Pennsylvania.

Among the law?s highlights are:

• Home inspectors are required to be a full member in good standing of a national, not-for-profit home inspection association or must be supervised by someone who is.
• Members must comply with a code of conduct and attend continuing professional education classes as an ongoing condition of membership
• Home inspectors are prohibited from performing repairs on the same house he or she inspected within the preceding 12 months.
• The party selling the property that is the subject of the inspection has the right to receive a free copy of the report upon request.
• Home inspectors must maintain insurance against errors and omissions and general liability coverage.
• A violation of this new law amounts to a violation of Pennsylvania?s Consumer Protection Law.
  

Please click here to review the Residential Real Estate Transfers Law or contact the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555.