NWR - House vent

michelle11988

So as like many of the rest of you I recently bought a house at the end of April.  I am in the process of getting my real estate sales person license reinstated and was poking around the website trying to find information and stumbled upon the list of home inspectors in the state.  I noticed that my inspector's licensed was suspended and I called the board up to ask questions and they stated it was suspended at the beginning of May.  I'm totally sick to my stomach and am now worried that something was overlooked and I'm stuck with the house, I do have 3 years to file a report with the board for any overlooked items.  I asked the inspector about his license and status before booking an appointment and he failed to mention that he had a pending case against him.  I feel hurt and like the rug was ripped out from under me and I'm between tears and vomitting right now.  FI and I really don't have money to shell out for another home inspection at the moment but we want to obviously do that.  My boss was my broker so when he gets in today I'm going to talk to him about it but I feel like calling the original inspector and saying he will be getting a bill from me for a new home inspection. What would you girls do in this case? Also am I just over reacting?

ceglare4

Wow. I know next to nothing about buying a house but I would be mega pissed if this happened. That is a lie by ommission on your inspector's part and even if that's not illegal, that is so morally wrong. I don't know what your options are from a legal standpoint (if you can send him the bill for the second inspection), but I would at least get another inspection to put your mind at ease! What a pain!

AllyG303

I would for sure get another inspection.  I think it would be worth your money.  If something is found that the last guy didn't find, then I would see about taking further action with the first inspector.  

butterflyjumper1

In Indiana, we have an administrative code that governs professional licensing, license revocation/management, etc.. If I were you, I would call your attorney general's office and ask to speak with the department that deals with license revocation, complaints, etc. with regard to home inspectors.  That's what they are there for! I have friends who are deputy AGs and deal with issues very similar to this one.

I would speak to them prior to making any sort of threat to the inspector directly. All states have different laws and procedures. 

Also, just because his license is suspended and he has one other case pending against him, really doesn't mean anything imminent with respect to your house. Not to sound sickening, but I have worked on defending some license revocation issues, and lots of times, people file complaints out of spite.  Obviously, I would recommend getting a second inspection, but don't expect the worse from your house just because this creep had a suspended license. Hopefully, he still did his job well despite the suspended license! 

KatieK501

The first thing I would try to find out is if the inspector carries Errors and Ommisions or Liability Insurance.  If a company is willing to insure the inspector, that should be a big credit.  An insurance company wouldn't insure someone who makes a lot of mistakes and costs them a lot of money.

However, if he doesn't have insurance, I wouldn't panic.  Insurance is not required in every state (nor are licenses).

How did the inspection go?  Did it turn up anything?  Were you there to ask questions?  He should have given you a report, and it should have, at a minimum, covered the slope and drainage of the landscape (any storm water issuess), foundation, exterior envelope (roofing, walls, windows, flashing, etc), structure, any evidence of moisture inside the house, electrical, plumbing, and heating/cooling equipment. 

Inspections only cover what is visible, so in a way, no inspection can be 100% thorough.

I'm guessing nothing major was turned up since you bought the house. I'm sure that everything is fine with the house, but if he didn't report to you on any of those items mentioned above, I would consider another inspection.