Question: Are there any recent changes to licensing or regulation of inspectors in Manitoba or across the country? How will this affect me if I am buying a house?
Answer: The short answer for these questions, which I have asked on behalf of readers, is status quo. There actually is some new action nearby, which may have little or no immediate bearing on our own province, which could certainly change in the future.
It is at this time of year that people are hunkered down in their comfortable homes, trying to avoid the bitter weather outside, where I often broach this subject, due in part to the lack of new topics or questions received.
This year is somewhat different, as I am about to join colleagues from across North America at Inspection World, the annual conference for the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). Despite being a member of this association for six years, I rarely attend this event for several reasons.
The conference is held at different locations across the U.S. every year, which makes it costly and difficult to regularly attend. This year’s event, in Orlando, Fla., follows a winter getaway, so it works out well for me. The reason I bring this up is to note the differences and similarities between what goes on with home inspectors north and south of the border.
In Canada, there are currently only two provinces that have legislation and licensing of home inspectors, Alberta and British Columbia. Ontario has recently passed legislation, but the details of the requirements have not yet been developed.
Just what will be set out in our neighbouring province is yet to be seen.
Regardless, much of the rest of the nation, including Manitoba, is still without any rules or oversight. This varies greatly with our southern cousins, as the majority of American states have some form of licensing or stricter rules and enforcement. One of the reasons for me attending the ASHI conference is to see what changes are occurring down south and to see if it will affect the lack of regulations back home.
Many homeowners and prospective buyers are not aware of this situation and naively think that home inspectors are somehow required to have certain training and expertise. Unfortunately, that is still completely false and any Manitoban with a flashlight and a ladder can currently call themselves a "home inspector." The previous government was looking into regulation a few years ago, but lost interest with other, more pressing issues and an impending election. The current administration has given no indication that they want to get involved, and I sincerely doubt that anything will happen in the next few years. For consumers, this means little protection from poorly trained individuals masquerading as experienced inspectors.
So, what can potential homebuyers do to avoid hiring some clown purporting to be a "certified" inspector?
First, ask lots of the right questions before setting a date with the inspector. One of the most important inquiries seems obvious, but is surprisingly not asked that often.
"How long have you been in business?" and "How many home inspections have you done?" While no guarantee of excellence, anyone who has completed several hundreds, or thousands, of inspections is certainly experienced enough to be doing something right. Also, anyone in a service-oriented business, like home inspection, that is still around after a decade or more must be providing a high-quality service or they would be gone.
The next question should be about the background of the inspector. Does the individual have a construction or trades background? While it is again assumed that most inspectors come from the building industry, that is far from the truth. Many home inspectors have varying backgrounds, which have nothing to do with house construction, at all. Some have simply bought franchises that purport to provide an easy-to-start business with quick returns.
There are many of these companies around, but often they last only a few months to a couple of years before disappearing.
A skilled home inspector should have many years of experience in construction, have a trade certificate, or an engineering, architectural, or other related background. While there are many good inspectors that don’t fall into one of those categories, my experience is that the best home inspectors are the ones who have many years in a related discipline.
Your next question should be about the education and affiliations that the inspector has acquired. Many inspectors take quick, one- or two-week training courses, which give them some sort of "certification" once completed.
These rarely have any hands-on training or mentoring components, so are not very comprehensive. There are good courses out there, but most are taught by accredited colleges, or are lengthy home study types, that take months or years to complete. Finally, ensuring the inspector is registered with the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (CAHPI) will prove they have met stringent standards. These include completion of comprehensive exams, mentoring, ongoing education, report verification, and a minimum of 250 inspections done according to the CAHPI standards of practice. While many other questionable organizations exist that claim stringent requirements, it is noteworthy that most will claim to "meet or exceed the CAHPI standards", which are the true test of a high-quality home inspector.
Changes to home inspection regulation in Manitoba seem to be at a standstill, with a bit of a Wild West mentality still existing, as neighbouring provinces and states enact varying degrees of licensing and regulation.
These changes may push local governments to raise the bar in the future, but making the right inquiries, and ensuring you hire a registered home inspector, may be the only way to avoid poor service and lack of protection when buying a house.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors — Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
