Thread: American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) ethics assures quality ... - Eworldwire (p

Originally Posted by Joseph P. Hagarty

An Association, in and of itself, lacks the capability to actively verify compliance with any ethical standard.

The alleged published Standard has the appearance of verifiable accountability but is only Verifiable / Deficient after the fact if and when a claim is made.

Good point Joe. There is no way an association can ensure membership compliance. Requiring members to submit 5 reports for review is better than nothing but at the end of the day, abiding by any association's standards and code of ethics is up to each individual inspector. Much like the home inspector law in PA and Philadelphia. Nobody checks up on inspectors around here to ensure compliance and there's nothing to prevent anybody from handing out a falsified compliance statement.

These statements look good on paper but without direct supervision to ensure compliance, it is up to each of us to hold ourselves accountable.

I. To be assured the inspector is objective in his or her reporting and will not knowingly understate or overstate the significance of reported conditions.

Who is to make this type of determination? If our reports are to be based on honest conviction, who is to say an inspector is wrong if his/her recommendations for repair vary from other inspectors in regard to something like knob & tube wiring or a roof showing wear and age?

I have been watching this thread and re-reading my own posts as well.

I truly came to this site because I new I was getting a little out of touch with the rest of the inspection world and truly wanted to see the replies to threads on any topic and see how folks answer and or deal with inspection issues, association issues and or licensing issues as well. I guess when it comes down to it the inspector groups, individuals, associations all have there own opinions at about anything.

This thread intrigues me to know end because I am always asked "what is a home inspection"? The answer I give is getting a little foggier all the time reading these posts.

If it is quite literally every man for himself, "what is a home inspection " Granted, most SOP"s or ethics from associations and state licensing are all pretty much the same. In saying that I am getting even further away from the questions being asked me all the time. What is a home inspection? What can a client hold an inspector accountable for? Can a client hold an inspector accountable for anything?

If you hold yourself accountable, what are you holding yourself accountable to? What guidelines shall you follow? What is the absolute minimum a home inspection is? Where does a home inspection stop? Do we all become ICC certified and every client that ever has an inspection that ever finds anything in his home not up to the code of the day have the right to sue you? Do we all buy IR cameras and then inspect every single square inch of wall, ceiling and floor in every home we inspect and then be held liable for any slight hic up or false reading?

Please, especially you Joe, don't beat me up on this one. With out a serious set of rules and regulations that all home inspectors must follow, period, for a minimum and or maximum extent of what a home inspection is or is not, who can tell anyone what a home inspection is and how could anyone hold you accountable for anything.

They are all just questions.

Just looking for serious opinions.

Ted

Jerry Peck

just using you as an example after going to your website. I hope you don't mind. By the way, holy s__t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great respect Jerry.

Do we all need the amount of certifications that Jerry Peck has just to go out and give home buyers a general overview of there home to "reduce their risk" in the home buying process?????????????????????????

Ted

Originally Posted by Ted Menelly

Do we all need the amount of certifications that Jerry Peck has just to go out and give home buyers a general overview of there home to "reduce their risk" in the home buying process?????????????????????????

At one time that was the specs that Jerry presented to the state for licensing requirements, yep, had the state adopted his recommendations Jerry would have been the only state licensed inspector in Florida, they are still chuckling down at the DBPR.

Ted, the thing you gotta understand about licensing is that it has never been about standardizing the profession to a minimum competency to secure reasonable consumer protection.... If that were the impetus it would have been orchestrated by public consumer protection groups.

No, all of the legislation thus far has come from the home inspection profession instituted and promoted by home inspectors in a vain attempt to protect their market, bolster their association and expand the territory where their exam is utilized for licensing.

In all that hot air and babbling in my overly large post, what I was trying to say is, in Texas we are state licensed already. In Florida, where you are about to have licensing required it just sounds like you folks should be trying to protect yourselves with particulars. Yes it should be about standardising and competency, apprenticeship and yes protecting your market. If you and every living breathing inspector in Florida do not go that route it is only going to bite you in the a_s sooner or later. The changes that are going to be in the new front page of our report are to protect the client and yes a lot about protecting the inspector from clients stray thoughts in what an inspection is and isn't. I actually read it as mostly protecting the inspector.

And you have got to be kidding me about Jerry and specs that Jerry presented to the state for licensing requirements.

Jerry, tell me it ain't true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you really think that little about us lowly, fairly well edumicated and experienced home inspectors.

Thanks Joe

Ted

Originally Posted by Joseph Burkeson

...all of the legislation thus far has come from the home inspection profession instituted and promoted by home inspectors in a vain attempt to protect their market, bolster their association and expand the territory where their exam is utilized for licensing.

Joe,

Don't forget the states where the Real Estate "professionals" pushed for licensing of inspectors in an effort to dump all the liability on the inspectors and control what they can and cannot do.

Gentlemen,
I'm a little late on responding to this topic but I just joined the Inspection News forum and found this thread. I'm commenting because I'm the person who wrote the ASHI Client Bill of Rights so maybe I can shed a little light on what it is and why ASHI adopted it.

Development of personal and professional ethics is an ongoing process. As we mature, learn and grow physically, mentally and spiritually we evolve. Most of us can say that we are not the same person we were 20 years ago. I know that physically I am much different (not for the better) and hopefully I have grown (for the better) mentally and spirtually.

Most HI associations have Codes of Ethics and there is evolution in those as well. I don't know much about the other associations but I have extensively studied the ASHI CoE which was originally adopted in 1976 and was revised in 2005 by a vote of the membership.

Inspectors should be familar with the codes of their respective associations. When I was reviewing the ASHI CoE however it occured to me that this code was written as a set of guidelines for inspectors and that clients might read them and not understand how they were of benefit to them.

In researching the web I found that associations in other professions had developed Client Bill of Rights aimed at their clients, attempt to provide the client with an understanding of how the Ethics and Standards of the professional translate to benefit them. With that in mind I extrated element of both the ASHI Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice and placed them in the ASHI Client Bill of Rights. So these are not knew rules, just a look at some of our values in a new way.

Hopefully the publication and distribution of the ASHI Client Bill of Rights creates an opportunity for all of us to give a little thought to where we are and where we are going on our individual ethics journey.

I know that many feel that a code of ethics should be used as a club to beat their competitors over the head. We all know that we are ethical, it is always the other guy who has the problem. Really though our ethics are more of a personal issue that guide us in our daily activities and day to day on a personal and professional level we are the only one who will know when a situation creates a conflict and we are the only one who will know if we passed the test.

I hope this helps clarify this for everyone. You can also go to the ASHI website and look at the article in the June issue of the ASHI reporter for and article on the subject.

Bill Loden