FAQ

How much do you charge?

Often this is the first question people ask us. And we’re always surprised at how many people don’t ask anything else.

If you’re in need of a doctor, lawyer, or even a contractor for that matter, would you assume that they’re each as good as the next? Of course not. Wouldn’t you rather hire the best qualified person you can reasonably afford?

Hiring a home inspector is like purchasing almost any other service: you get what you pay for. The trouble begins when people gamble hundreds of thousands of dollars (for some millions) because they’re trying to save a few dollars on the cost of a home inspection.

We hope you’ll spend some time reading the rest of our FAQ which will give you some insight into the home inspection industry. Then, maybe your first question will be, “How qualified are you to do my inspection?”
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Isn’t one inspection as good as the next?

No. Not all inspectors are the same nor are all inspections the same.

Inspectors, excluding franchises or large companies, are usually sole proprietors who choose how they will go about their business. If they belong to an association, they will abide by the association’s Standard of Practice. However, they decide on their own which tools they will use, which reporting system they will use and how much time they will spend at each inspection.
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What’s the difference between Certified, Licensed and RHI?

There are no such designations as Certified and Licensed in Ontario. They sound good, but the inspectors who use these titles are usually not members of any association and, consequently, you cannot verify their credentials.

RHI stands for Registered Home Inspector. This is the highest level of accreditation with the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI). Inspectors must perform a predetermined number of paid inspections, usually a minimum of 200 in their first year, along with all the educational requirements before being considered for the RHI designation. As with all associations, inspectors must also complete annual educational updates to maintain their designation.
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What’s an NCA number?

The National Certificate Program is an initiative designed to bring about a uniform standard of initial qualifications to the home inspection industry, currently an unregulated field, across the country. The National Certification Authority (NCA) is the governing body that oversees the National Certification Program in Canada. An NCH number is assigned to qualified inspectors meeting all of the requirements to become a National Certificate Holder, including a Test Inspection with Peer Review (TIPR).

Rob Hermann is one of a small group of examiners that facilitate the Test Inspection with Peer Review (TIPR) portion of the process whereby new candidates for the program must pass a test inspection of a house with known defects to receive their NCH number. Candidates reach the final TIPR stage only after successfully meeting a host of both technical and practical requirements verified by an extensive background review.
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Are credentials necessary?

We’d like to answer this one with a real life story. Rob met a fellow while taking an electrical course at Humber College. They became friends. Only this fellow failed the electrical course. Because this fellow dropped out of Humber they started to lose touch. He then dropped out of the OAHI. But this fellow does do inspections. He does cash only deals to supplement his full time job. Unfortunately, the requirements of the associations are too stringent for many wannabe inspectors and they simply give up and go on to practice with incomplete or no formal training. If you agree this is wrong, click here and sign our petition to stop it.
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I’m safe hiring from a franchise, right?

Not necessarily. You want to know that you can check on someone’s qualifications. You can’t necessarily do that with a franchise. We’ve already said if they aren’t members of an association, you can’t verify their credentials.
Companies cannot be members of any association, only individuals. That means if the inspector they want to send to you is not a member, you are in the same boat as with other non-Association members: you just don’t know. Also, because the inspection pie has to be cut into more slices with a franchise, they tend to attract only the very junior inspectors who are looking to gain experience.
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A pre-list inspection was already done on the property. Isn’t that good enough?

It depends on several things. The first thing to check is whether or not the inspector who did the inspection is qualified (see questions 3, 4, 5). If the inspector checks out, then you need to compare the summary sheet with the report. Some inspectors and companies will gloss over things to make the house more appealing. There should be a summative page withing the actual report outlining the major problems and you’ll want to ensure they match up with the narrative summary being handed out, if applicable. There are some inspectors who work by the adage “talk soft, write hard”. Significant deficiencies are often glossed over or even omitted from the take home summary, hiding behind the excuse if called later with “well, it’s in the report”.
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Are your inspectors engineers?

No. There are some companies who advertise that their inspectors are engineers and it all sounds great. The truth is there are many types of engineers out there, not only structural engineers, which is the type we automatically think of. The other truth is that you are not getting an engineer’s report. You are going to get a regular inspection done to whichever standard of practice they choose. Go ahead, ask them.
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What’s done on a typical inspection?

Inspectors should look for significant or major deficiencies that have the potential to cost you a lot of money, typically within the first five years of ownership. An inspector should look at the property in terms of its operation as a complete system; that is, how all the individual components work together to form the system that makes up your home.

In addition to items of potential significant cost, your inspector should also look for and point out issues of a safety nature – regardless of cost. At the exterior, your inspector should check and report on the roof, flashing, chimney(s), soffit, fascia, eaves, downspouts, walls and finishes, windows, doors, foundation, and lot grading. Inside, you should expect your inspector to review the heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical systems. Interior finishes, doors, windows, and attic insulation should be inspected and reported on as well. Please refer to our Residential menu for more details on each type of inspection.

A knowledgeable inspector should be able to alert you to the most common insurability issues too. Many homes today encounter problems with availability of insurance unless first undergoing significant and costly upgrades. No insurance means no mortgage.
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What should I ask a prospective inspector?

After reading all our Frequently Asked Questions, you should have the basic information to help you with your search – assuming we haven’t swayed you yet to hire us; if not, have you checked out our Testimonials page?

You can start by asking them what services they offer. If they haven’t mentioned some specifics such as whether or not they go on the roof, what tools they bring or when will you receive your report- and what kind of report they use – these would be a good place to start.

Of course, you’ll also want to know their level of experience in the industry. They should belong to at least one association to ensure they are maintaining their experience level through ongoing training.
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Do you have Errors & Omissions insurance?

Yes.
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How thorough are your inspectors?

Even with properly qualified inspectors, not all home inspections are equal. You need to ask some rather pointed questions before making your decision. You may be surprised to learn how many inspectors – even fully qualified ones – don’t actually get on a roof or open electrical panel covers.
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Why don’t you give a discount?

We do not offer discounts because it just isn’t fair to anyone. It isn’t fair to all the others who do pay full price, and it isn’t fair to expect the inspector to subsidize your expenses. Full time professional inspectors are business owners: they have overhead office costs, expensive tools that need replacing, report books to purchase, automobile costs, uniforms, and on and on. Professional qualified inspectors are worth their rates.

Usually inspectors who are willing to give discounts are inspectors who aren’t getting enough business – they’re hungry. And they’re likely banking on someone else to charge more to to balance the discount they gave to another. Our prices are posted for everyone to see under the Residential menu and vary between inspection types.

The only discount we do offer is when someone does not buy the house we inspected for them, either because the deal fell through or they were not the lucky bidder in a multiple-offer scenario. When they book another inspection, we can swap the report pages in their binder. This $25 discount saves them from having to “buy” a second binder. Good for the environment, good for the client.
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