What are my obligations?
When producing Home Condition Reports, the Inspector's main responsibilities include:
- Examining the inside and outside of a property
- Giving each part of the building a condition rating based on a set scale
- Giving reasons for each rating
- Recommending further investigation of potentially serious defects.
In order to become a Home Inspector, you must hold a qualification in Home Inspection and be a member of a Government-approved Certification Scheme.
In addition to Home Condition Reports, certificated Home Inspectors are also able to produce Energy Performance Certificates. In this instance, the obligations of a Domestic Energy Assessor also apply to the Home Inspector.
There are also opportunities for Home Inspectors to carry out further training - in order to be able to carry out valuations, for example.
Conducting Home Inspections
Before carrying out an inspection, Home Inspectors have to obtain a unique property reference number from a central register. The assessment itself should be an independent inspection as governed by the certification scheme. Following the inspection, the Home Inspector must lodge the Home Condition Report with their certification scheme.
