My home inspector missed something. Now what?

So you think your home inspector missed something important about your home, and you're not sure what to do about it. Well, you've come to the right place. Let's evaluate some of the possible scenarios that would lead you to believe that your home inspector was either negligent or just made a mistake (it happens).

To truly understand whether the inspector was negligent or made a mistake, we must first identify the systems/components that are part of the home inspection process. There are typically 10 systems/components of the home that a home inspector is required to evaluate. They are as follows:

• Roof and Chimney

• Garage

• Electrical System

• Heating and Cooling System

• Structural Components (i.e. foundation to attic)

• Plumbing

• Insulation and Ventilation

• Exterior

• Grounds

• Interior

These are the systems/components of the home that we would consider 'within the scope of a home inspection'. Often times inspectors will go outside the scope of the inspection by detailing other various parts of the home as well, but that is purely a personal decision on their part. Let's also note that a home inspection is a 'visual inspection'. If the item is not visible or is blocked by personal property or an access limitation, the inspector cannot be held liable for missing it. This is why it's so important for sellers to have their home ready for the inspection before it begins. We should also note that inspectors cannot see through walls, do not have x-ray vision, and CANNOT predict the future. We can only identify defects that are present at the time of the inspection, not ones that pop up 6 or 12 months down the road.

Now that we understand what systems/components are involved in a home inspection let's discuss your inspection report. Now, obviously, I don't know what your report looks like, and I'm not familiar with your inspector. However, there are common themes in this industry, and we'll take those into account here.

The first mistake that I see homeowners make when reading their inspection report is not reading the entirety of the report. Often times reports can be split into summary and full report sections. The summary section is great for identifying the known defects of the home, but there can be other information lying in wait in the full report section that should be identified as well. For example, there might be a component of the home that is showing signs of moisture staining. When tested by the inspector, there may not be any active moisture in the home. Therefore, the inspector might list this item as a monitor and follow up item within the report as there was no active defect at the time of the home inspection. This may not show itself in the summary. Therefore, one would need to read the entire report to identify the item that needs monitored.

Now let's say that you've read the entire report, the defect is within the scope of the inspection, it was visible, and your inspector just didn't mention it at all. Well, that's why you're here. As home inspectors, we have contingencies for this exact scenario. If your inspector doesn't, get a new inspector! The first and most common contingency that EVERY inspector should have is E&O insurance. E&O stands for errors and omissions. Simply put, if we miss something, we have insurance to cover it. This is a MUST in this industry, but not all inspectors carry it.

Secondly, every InterNACHI Certified Inspector has access to InterNACHI's We'll Buy Your Home Back: Guarantee program. This program is huge for home buyers and is not utilized as often as it should be. It's exactly what it sounds like. If your inspector participates in this program and you are not happy with your purchase because of a defect that should have been identified during your inspection and wasn't, InterNACHI will buy your home back at the price you paid within 90 days after closing. Now, there are stipulations. Your inspector must be participating in the program, the defect has to be within the scope of the home inspection, and you have to notify InterNACHI within 90 days after closing.

What a fantastic offer, right? Now, I understand that this might not be appealing to everyone because after all, you picked your home for a reason. So what do you do? Well, you need to first contact your inspector and discuss the issue. If the inspector has any shred of decency, they will admit to the mistake and attempt to make it right with you. Hopefully this is the stage at which the issue is resolved. If not, attempt to identify if they can file an insurance claim to offset yours and their cost for the repair. If that doesn't work, you can take even more drastic action and contact InterNACHI about buying your home back. If none of this works and your inspector is giving you the run around, you may decide to take legal action. Now, I believe that all genuine disputes should be resolved before this stage, but there are people out there that just won't admit that mistakes are made and won't help you. If you make it to this stage, I can no longer offer advice. Contact a legal professional and move forward from there.

Odds are you'll never have to make it this far because most inspectors are honest good people. On the off chance that you don't get one, I wish you the best of luck and good fortune moving forward. Remember, we're here for you!