Should home inspectors recommend experts?

Q: As a longtime Realtor, I recommend the most qualified home inspectors to my clients. Recently, a local inspection company criticized inspectors who advise their clients to “call an expert” when significant property defects are reported. They contend that home inspectors who are truly qualified should be able to evaluate problems without the need to call an expert. Because every other home inspector I know recommends experts, I would appreciate your comments and reactions to this inspection company’s unusual claim.A: Home inspectors typically recommend experts for further evaluation and repairs when conditions of concern are found in the course of an inspection. In some cases, the call for an expert may be unwarranted, but in most instances such advice is appropriate and essential. Let’s examine both sides.There are some home inspectors who recommend experts merely for the purpose of limiting liability. One inspector, for example, bragged to his colleagues that he recommends an engineering review of ground drainage on every property he inspects, whether or not he perceives a drainage problem. By crying wolf in this way, he feels protected from liability in the event that any drainage problem might become evident at a later time. This method of home inspection reporting is a questionable practice that merits neither endorsement nor respect.On the other hand, there are innumerable times when further review of faulty conditions by a qualified expert is appropriate and essential, such as when failure to recommend an expert would amount to professional negligence. Here’s why:A home inspector’s job is to function as a general practitioner — a diagnostician to discover conditions that warrant repair or further review. For example, when an inspector finds faulty wiring in a breaker panel, evaluation and repairs by a licensed electrician should be advised. This applies to numerous aspects of a home inspection.If an inspector finds a faulty flame pattern in a furnace, there are several probable causes. A conclusive determination in such matters may exceed the scope of a visual home inspection and could result in a faulty diagnosis. The appropriate recommendation is further review by a licensed HVAC contractor.When a large foundation crack is discovered, a determination must be rendered as to whether the crack indicates a significant structural problem. Because most home inspectors are not structural engineers, further evaluation by a licensed engineer is the appropriate advice — not because the home inspector is professionally unqualified, but for the same practical reasons that a primary care physician might recommend a podiatrist, dermatologist, oncologist, proctologist, etc.A blanket statement condemning the referral of experts in every case is baseless in its premise and suspect in its motives. There are more meaningful ways to determine who is truly qualified as a home inspector.• Email Barry Stone, certified home inspector, at barry@housedetective.com.Distributed by Action Coast Publishing