Input from Albertans sought on regulations for home inspectors
 
Edmonton... Albertans are invited to provide input on whether the government should create regulations for the home inspection industry and what they should include. Currently, there are no specific provincial rules governing the industry.
 
“Home inspectors in our province do an excellent job and we hear few complaints,” said Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Service Alberta. “However, in the rare case of a negligent inspection, a homeowner could be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars so it is prudent to consider whether regulations are needed for the industry.”

There are currently 225 home inspection companies in Alberta. Inspectors perform an examination of a house and provide the client with a written report. However, there is little in place to ensure the accuracy or thoroughness of the report, or the actual qualifications of the inspector.

The consultation will cover the issues of licensing, standards, qualifications, insurance, and other matters.

“Getting a home inspection done before buying a house is a good step for any prospective homebuyer,” Klimchuk emphasized. “We want to ensure Albertans get what they pay for when they hire an inspector.”

Albertans interested in taking part in the consultation should visit: http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/pdf/Public_Paper.pdf In addition to the online survey,
the government will be gathering input from home inspectors, realtors, and other stakeholders. The consultation will run until June 30. 

Media inquiries may be directed to:
Cam Traynor
Communications
Service Alberta
780-415-6051 
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000. 

By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald May 15, 2009 7:21 AM
 
B.C. recently began licensing home inspectors, but it's still buyer beware in every other province.

Photograph by: Herald Archive, Getty Images, Calgary Herald

CALGARY - That crack in the house's foundation went unnoticed by your home inspector, despite all his years in home-building and those online courses he took.
It was barely visible--and completely invisible on the $400 inspection report--but it meant tens of thousands of dollars in repairs.

Or, it was the poison pill for when you tried to sell and the prospective buyer's more qualified inspector spotted it.

Mike Lancop has been in the business 15 years and seen many cases of shoddy work done by other people calling themselves home inspectors.

As the Alberta government launched public consultations Thursday on whether to regulate the trade, many Albertans might be surprised to know that no rules govern that crucial homeowners' service of checking for problems in a home's structure, ventilation and foundation.

"There's nothing stopping you from putting up a shingle and saying you're a home inspector," Lancop said.

"It scares the hell out of me that these guys are out there, giving me a bad name."

Until British Columbia brought in a licensing system in March, no jurisdiction in Canada had rules for home inspectors.

Everywhere else, it's buyer beware.

Service Alberta Minister Heather Klimchuk said the decision to look at regulating wasn't prompted by complaints-- her ministry handles only four or five a year.

"Most home inspectors out there do excellent work," she said in an interview.

"I think it's timely for this. . . . You want to make sure that the consumers are making good choices," said Klimchuk.

In its public consultation on the issue, the province is looking at creating minimum training standards, liability insurance and requirements on inspection contracts.
The ministry also warns that mandatory licensing, insurance and standards could push inspection costs to between $600 and $1,000.

The Better Business Bureau for southern Alberta fielded seven complaints about home inspections from April 2008 to March this year.

"Common complaints are people who are having a home inspection done and there not being any problems.

"Then they buy the house and there was a problem with a leaky roof or something that was missed," bureau spokesman Daniel MacDonald said.

The government has been pressured to develop regulations by the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors, a voluntary licensing group that has training, insurance and auditing standards for members.

Twenty-seven home inspectors are certified by the association in the Calgary area, and a handful of others are registered members of other industry associations.

But there are 46 home-inspection firms listed in the city's Yellow Pages, a number Lancop has seen rise in recent years.

"A lot of guys working in the trades feel they know a lot about how houses are built--and they do, limited to their area," said Lancop, a member of the association and other industry groups.

"They don't necessary know how to look for deterioration in a foundation.

"If you don't have a good inspector, you may as well have no home inspector."

If the province decides to develop regulations, they should be in place by next year, Klimchuk said.
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