Module 1: Home inspection basics
Module Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will understand:
1. The attributes of a good home inspector – honesty, integrity and passion.
2. The importance of technical knowledge, experience and the powers of observation.
3. Why language and computer skills are essential.
4. How to compile a good inspection report.
Module at a glance:
Topic
Aptitude
You will learn:
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The qualities of a good home inspector.
Tools
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Which inspection tools are essential.
The essentials of report writing
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That a report is a documentation of the
condition of a property at the time of
the inspection.
The importance of both checklists and
commentary.
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Taking pictures
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The importance of a complete
photographic record of the inspection.
Equipping the home inspector
In order to maintain a uniform and consistently high standard of inspections across South
Africa, it is important that all professional home inspectors are properly trained and
equipped with the right tools.
Aptitude
Home inspecting as a career is a challenging and interesting job. The following attributes
can be considered essential for anyone to succeed as a home inspector.
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Honesty. The home inspector is often alone in other people’s houses. This means that that
the inspector’s employers, the client and the owners of the home being inspected need to
have confidence that the inspector is absolutely honest.
Integrity. Ability to work diligently without supervision. A client’s decision to commit large
sums of money to purchase a property is often based heavily on the home inspector’s
report on the condition of the property. It is therefore very important that the client, and
the inspector’s employers, should be able to rely absolutely on the inspectors diligence in
properly inspecting all accessible components of the house. The inspector needs also to be
transparent regarding any areas of the house which were not thoroughly inspected – for
instance an inaccessible roof.
People skills. It is important for the success of the home inspector to be able to instill
confidence and trust in the customer for whom the inspector is providing a service.
Language skills. In order to reduce the possibility of misrepresentation and liability for
alleged negligence, SAHITA recommends that all home inspection reports should be in
writing. The business language of South Africa is English and therefore in most cases the
client will receive the home inspection report in English. This means that the inspector must
be proficient to English, should also be able to write good English and express
himself/herself clearly and accurately, with good grammar and spelling.
Warning…
It is dangerous to provide only a verbal home
inspection report for a client.
Computer skills. Today all home inspection reports are generated on a computer and
delivered by email. Therefore the home inspector requires access to a computer and to the
internet and should have at least a working knowledge of a word processing programme,
the internet and email.
Enthusiasm: An enthusiastic interest in building and a practical, observant mind set. The
good home inspector is in many respects an observant detective, who must look for defects
in a house and evaluate these defects, using his powers of observation and knowledge of
the building process.
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Physical fitness: An acceptable level of physical fitness and a tolerance for heights. A home
inspector will need to access house roofs, roof cavities and other areas using a ladder.
Recommended tools for the home inspector
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Technical training in the building process – such as provided by this SAHITA course.
NHBRC Manuals Parts 1, 2 & 3.
Mobile telephone, preferably with email capability.
Vehicle to get to inspection sites.
Aluminium ladder (at least 3.8m).
Computer and internet access.
Hand held computer/tablet to record data on site, or a tape recorder.
Digital camera with zoom and memory card.
Laser measuring device or tape measure.
Moisture meter.
Spirit level .
Binoculars.
Torch.
Using a moisture meter
A moisture meter is a device designed to measure the moisture content of various building
materials, such as roofing, insulation, drywall, plaster, wood, tile and fiberglass. Structural
and safety hazards, such as mould, rot and decay are all potential consequences of elevated
moisture levels in these materials.
Moisture meters are useful tools to have during home inspections, because they can
confirm the moisture content in walls, slabs, timber or other surfaces without causing
damage. The pin type moisture meter is most practical for home inspections. This device
measures moisture on a scale known as the WME (wood moisture equivalent). The WME is
the theoretical moisture level that would be attained by wood that is in balance with the
material being tested. This instrument usually measures WME moisture content from 628%.
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The colour coded zones on the moisture meter signify bands of moisture levels:
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Material in the green zone is in a safe dry condition.
In the yellow zone moisture levels are higher than normal, but not critical. Further
investigation is recommended.
The red zone indicates excessive moisture levels, which if sustained, will lead to decay of
organic materials.
A moisture meter is an expensive device which assists the inspector to locate moisture that
would not otherwise be apparent.
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To determine whether a material is moist enough to allow mould to grow: Mould will
begin to accumulate on surfaces that contain approximately 20 per cent moisture,
although this value varies based on vapour pressure and other factors.
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A home inspector should use a moisture meter to test the moisture level of a section of
building material that appears to be dry, in order to establish a baseline from which
other measurements of damp, damaged areas can be compared.
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A moisture meter can also assist a homeowner in determining whether wood is dry
enough to be painted or stained.
The essentials of a good inspection report
Inspectors deal in facts. They report what they can see. But generating an understandable
and professional written inspection report can be a challenge. For many inspectors, report
writing constitutes the most writing they’ve ever done, and challenges their sometimes
minimal language and writing skills. Report writing is riddled with difficulties, including
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problems with spelling, punctuation and grammar that can easily slip through the net of the
average word-processing programme.
Observation and reporting
The best home inspection reports are a mix of checklists (to ensure that the inspector does
not miss anything) and customised text (specific to the actual conditions found in that
particular housing unit), where the inspector is able to provide a clear commentary on a
specific aspect of a particular house.
Home inspectors need to communicate clearly and precisely. Details are what constitute
precision. When going beyond the checklist and writing a narrative, the inspector provides
the client with accurate and valuable information that they can rely upon.
Home inspection reports should be comprehensive, yet “easy to understand.”
Observation vs. opinion
One weakness of reports that lack detailed observations, is that the information sounds
more like an opinion. “The roof is in good condition” is arguably the opinion of the
inspector, but that type of statement is all too often the sort of default language that is wide
open to interpretation. And that leaves the inspector open to liability
A roof that appears "in good condition" to a lay person may mean one thing to him, but
another to someone else. Furthermore, a "good" roof may still be compromised by
secondary issues. While the roof may appear to be generally sound, the inspection may
reveal potential leaks and loose flashing - both of which can compromise the roof at some
point.
Even if the roof is in good condition with no defects, the inspector still needs to explain
what that entails, in order to convey basic information to the client to prove that you
performed the inspection with all diligence. The inspector should avoid overwhelming the
client with minute detail, but should still strive to educate the client as to the true condition
of the roof
Example: “I saw four missing roof tiles and the mortar in the ridge capping was cracked in
places. Although the gutters were clean, water was accumulating in the gutter on the south
side due to gutter misalignment. The flashing was generally in good condition with the
exception of the flashing around the chimney which had begun to pull loose. Although the
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roof could be described to be in generally good condition with no serious defects and no
leaks noted, the missing and broken tiles, the ridge capping, the chimney flashing and the
gutter alignment should be attended to.”
Use the past tense wherever possible
InterNACHI recommends that all inspection contracts and agreements include language that
specifically states that observations made and reported were true for the time and date of
the inspection, and that there is no guarantee or implied warranty of any future condition.
SAHITA also recommends that inspectors use the past tense in all their inspection reports.
The reason is simple. It reinforces that the observation was made in the past and does not
reflect a system's or component's current condition.
In the event of a legal challenge to an inspection report,
use of the past tense provides sensible protection for the
inspector. The report should make clear that it is a
“snapshot in time” and that the report documents defects
which were observed by the inspector at the time of the
inspection.
When an inspector writes, "The swimming pool pump is in functional condition," a client
may interpret that as a warranty of some kind. The inspection report should rather state
that: "The swimming pool pump was in functional condition."
The inspector’s recommendations
The details that that the inspector observes and records during the site inspection then
direct the inspector’s recommendations in the written report. The goal should be to help
the client plan the way forward and to provide a roadmap for necessary repairs.
Example: “An inspection of the roof cavity and interior of the house did not reveal the
presence of any active roof leaks. However, the damaged and dislodged roof tiles, together
with the deterioration of the ridge capping and the chimney flashing, indicates the
probability of roof leaks developing. It is recommended that these issues should be
attended to before the onset of the next rainy season.”
Photographs
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It is said: “one picture is worth a thousand words”. Digital photographs cost nothing to
take and record. The inspector should photograph all aspects of the house – and not just
take sufficient pictures to make the report look attractive.
Photographs do two things:
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Ample and sensible illustration of the report makes it easier for the client to understand
the defects under discussion.
Filed photographs provide an accurate record of the actual condition of the house at the
time of the inspection, and also provide proof as to which components were inspected.
These pictures should be stored for several years as a safeguard against any possible
legal challenge to the report.
How useful is your report?
The product of your inspection is your inspection report. A great inspection report is packed
with relevant observational details.
Ben Gromicko of InterNACHI (International Association of Certified Home Inspectors), who
provided valuable input for this Module, states: “Newspaper reporters are often called “the
eyes and ears” of a story. They put their readers in the room, so to speak. The good ones
rely on their senses, because their credibility hinges on their impartial accuracy. By using
observational details, inspectors can accomplish the same goals. Always keep in mind that a
party who uses your inspection report may never see the property. So, be their eyes. Put
them in the room. A clear and concise inspection report is a good product, and a good
product leads to more business.”
Before you take the online test, please……
Make sure that you are thoroughly familiar with the material in this
module before completing the online test. The more familiar you make
yourself with the information presented in this Module, the better you
will be as a professional home inspector. Review thoroughly all areas
of this module before and during the open book online test.
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