Thread: Nevada is going to prohibit pool/spa inspections

By a show of hands....
1) Which States are neutral when it comes to pool/spa inspections?
2) Which States make pool/spa inspections mandatory? (Arizona just made pool/spa inspections mandatory at the end of July, 2010, pending the writing of the 'Regs'.)
3) Which States prohibit their home inspectors from performing pool/spa inspections?

The State is holding hearings on the subject, tomorrow. Here's the proposed language:

Sec. 9. NAC 645D.470 is hereby amended to read as follows:
645D.470 A certified inspector shall not, while making an inspection:
1. Offer to perform or perform any act or service that is unlawful.
2. Offer warranties or guaranties of any kind.
3. Offer to perform or perform any job function for which he does not have a license,
including, [but not limited to,] without limitation, the services of an engineer, architect, plumber
or electrician.
4. Offer to perform or perform an inspection of a pool or spa.

We're marshaling our forces and preparing our battle-plan to tackle this head-on and get them to do a 180 towards sanity. I'll post the results of the State hearings tomorrow evening. Stay tuned...don't touch that dial!

Similar Threads:

• Pool Safety Links
• Make pool safety a priority - Orlando Sentinel
• Home inspections key to helping buyers make sound decision - Chicago Daily Southtown
• Recent drowning calls remind us of child pool safety - AZFamily (subscription)
• Wrightstown approves change to swimming pool regulations

Sounds like the pool industry lobby must have their hand in the pie.

This has been in the works probably for some time. I heard this back when I took a pool course to be a certified pool inspector several years ago.

I'm sure more states will be jumping on this same bandwagon in due time.

rick

I'm happy not to inspect a pool or spa. Truth be known, I don't think I have ever seen a real spa! Are we calling "steam rooms/saunas" spa's or is it what I call a "hot tub"?

Pools in my neck of the hills can be kind of on the expensive side. I just finished a draw inspection for a bank on a home and the pool is listed at $180,000 on the draw line item AIA form. Granted this home is also over $6M.

IMVHO, I really think that pool experts need to be the ones doing the pool inspections and not the generalist home inspector. I can just see to many things that could be wrong that an experianced pool expert would pick-up on and an inspector might miss.

Originally Posted by Rick Hurst

This has been in the works probably for some time. I heard this back when I took a pool course to be a certified pool inspector several years ago.

I'm sure more states will be jumping on this same bandwagon in due time.

rick

Do you know what the motive behind the move is?

Why can't you be a "genralist home inspector" AND an "experienced pool expert" and a "licensed termite guy" and a "licensed doctor", etc.

Originally Posted by Jim Luttrall

Do you know what the motive behind the move is?

Probably the NSPF, who has been pushing it for years. They want only "certified" people to be doing pool inspections.

There is a CPO which is a certified pool operator and a CPI which is the certified pool inspector.

There are numerous items that a CPI must note which most HI's would not have a clue about. We're talking water conditions, equipment issues, pool volumes, pool finishes, numerous safety issues........

rick

Hi all,

For the record. Arizona is not "requiring" home inspectors to inspect pools and spas. Many folks are interpreting the statute incorrectly. The rules will require that IF a home inspector chooses to inspect a pool or spa THEN it must conform to the Arizona Standards of Professional Practice for the Inspection of Pools & Spas. These new standards are not yet completed.

We initiated this legislation because the arid regions of the state have so many pools & spas that local home inspectors must become competent in inspecting these systems. Virtually every home inspector in the Phoenix & Tucson areas offer a pool & spa inspection.

No pool industry conspiracy in Arizona, the majority of home inspectors here wanted the law changed so that we get a consistent set of standards written. No standards = greater lawsuit risk.

David Swartz
Designated Lobbyist
Arizona Home Inspectors Coalition

Hi David,

Originally Posted by David Swartz

Hi all,

For the record. Arizona is not "requiring" home inspectors to inspect pools and spas. Many folks are interpreting the statute incorrectly. The rules will require that IF a home inspector chooses to inspect a pool or spa THEN it must conform to the Arizona Standards of Professional Practice for the Inspection of Pools & Spas. These new standards are not yet completed.

We initiated this legislation because the arid regions of the state have so many pools & spas that local home inspectors must become competent in inspecting these systems. Virtually every home inspector in the Phoenix & Tucson areas offer a pool & spa inspection.

No pool industry conspiracy in Arizona, the majority of home inspectors here wanted the law changed so that we get a consistent set of standards written. No standards = greater lawsuit risk.

David Swartz
Designated Lobbyist
Arizona Home Inspectors Coalition

Are you saying the posted language is incorrect, incomplete, or that it does not say what it says?

Sec. 9. NAC 645D.470 is hereby amended to read as follows:
645D.470 A certified inspector shall not, while making an inspection:
1. Offer to perform or perform any act or service that is unlawful.
2. Offer warranties or guaranties of any kind.
3. Offer to perform or perform any job function for which he does not have a license,
including, [but not limited to,] without limitation, the services of an engineer, architect, plumber
or electrician.
4. Offer to perform or perform an inspection of a pool or spa.

Seems pretty plain to me that a certified inspector shall not perform a pool or spa inspection.

Hi Jim,

I am responding to the reference in the first post to this thread that indicates that pool & spa inspections will be mandatory for home inspectors in Arizona.

David

Originally Posted by David Swartz

Hi Jim,

I am responding to the reference in the first post to this thread that indicates that pool & spa inspections will be mandatory for home inspectors in Arizona.

David

Maybe I read it wrong but seems he was saying and the proposed standards support that they are prohibiting those inspections.

3) Which States prohibit their home inspectors from performing pool/spa inspections?

My question would be...What is a pool inspection? I wire pools for a pool installer and I know for sure he is more qualified to do a complete pool inspection than I am. There is a lot of buried stuff that gives most of the problems that can't be inspected by just looking at it.

To my knowledge the Nevada Division of Real Estate has just abandoned the push for eliminating pool inspections by certified home inspectors. May not be dead forever but its dead for now.

Originally Posted by Jonathan Cartwright

To my knowledge the Nevada Division of Real Estate has just abandoned the push for eliminating pool inspections by certified home inspectors. May not be dead forever but its dead for now.

The proposed 'prohibition' was dropped the day before the hearings were held. I was in attendance and have re-submitted my proposal for a section to be added to our current 'SOP' anyway. I agree with previous-posters, that HI's should have a 'Standard' if they're going to do pool/spa inspections but the inspection should be 'optional' for each HI. I've trained enough HI's to know that some/many/most of them should not be doing these inspections...(here in my back-yard anyway) without substantially more training.

Back to my original question...at the beginning of this 'thread': I've yet to hear from the 'gallery' as to how many States require or prohibit pool/spa inspections, or just remain neutral, leaving it up to the inspector. If your State requires it...do you have a 'Standard' in-place for pool/spa inspections?

I don't see how a state can "prohibit" anyone from offering Pool and Spa inspections.

I once had an agent get miffed with me because the client requested a pool inspection and when I got to the property and found the heater stripped out, the piping missing and the pool in generally poor to damaged condition offered to save the client the pool inspection fee by not doing it. Obviously it all needed a lot of work so what was to "inspect"? The clients agreed to pass on the pool inspection but when the agent showed up he insisted it be done. After a bit of discussion, it became clear the agent needed "official" documentation in order to go back to the negotiating table and demonstrate to the seller the types of damages to the pool via the photos as well as the report. This was especially important to him since the seller had never been to the property and lived out of state.

However, I am trained by NSPF and agree with previous posters that one needs to be properly trained in the realm of pools and spas in order to do a thorough job and keep liability as low as possible. It's akin to formal training vs. none and becoming a home inspector. It's surprising what one does not know until professionally schooled in the subject.

Originally Posted by Jim Luttrall

Maybe I read it wrong but seems he was saying and the proposed standards support that they are prohibiting those inspections.

Yes, or skipped over the numbered (2.) question and comment specific to Arizona, which was what the gentleman was responding to. It appeared immediately before the #3 you (for whatever reason) chose to selectively quote in your post above.

From the original post:

2) Which States make pool/spa inspections mandatory? (Arizona just made pool/spa inspections mandatory at the end of July, 2010, pending the writing of the 'Regs'.)

The next statements below the list were specific to proposals in Nevada, the titled post topic.

HTH.

What if your a pool contractor & a HI?

Originally Posted by Glenn Curtis

Back to my original question...at the beginning of this 'thread': I've yet to hear from the 'gallery' as to how many States require or prohibit pool/spa inspections, or just remain neutral, leaving it up to the inspector. If your State requires it...do you have a 'Standard' in-place for pool/spa inspections?

GC,

Texas - Optional item to inspect per the TREC SOP.

Back to my original question...at the beginning of this 'thread': I've yet to hear from the 'gallery' as to how many States require or prohibit pool/spa inspections, or just remain neutral, leaving it up to the inspector.

None. How could a state prohibit an inspector from offering a non-licensed ancillary inspection?

do you have a 'Standard' in-place for pool/spa inspections?

The checklist is in our free, online How to Inspect Pools and Spas course and book.



Give me your shipping address and I'll send you the book at no cost.