FAQ - What does a home inspection cover?

Standards of Practice from the Commonwealth of Virginia establish the minimum standards for a home inspection in Virginia. The two primary professional associations for home inspectors, InterNACHI (International Association of Certified Home Inspectors) and ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors), also have Standards of Practice which govern their individual members.  

The “How We’re Different” page on our website has a link to the Virginia and InterNACHI Standards of Practice as well as a slideshow with photos from some of our inspections.

In addition to what the inspector should do, the standards note some things the inspector is NOT required to do as part of the inspection. A diligent inspector who wants to protect themselves from liability and help you manage expectations should note limitations and exclusions in the inspection agreement, which should always be signed before the inspection.   

So this means all home inspections are done exactly the same, right? Yes and no. “Yes” in that the inspector should at a minimum check the areas and components that are spelled out in the Standards of Practice. “No” in that some inspectors adhere strictly to the SOP and others choose to go beyond them. For example, the InterNACHI SOP only requires the inspector to check a “representative number” of electrical outlets and switches. Most inspectors check every accessible outlet and switch for obvious reasons. If the inspector chooses to exceed the SOP, it should be done consistently and never in a way that exceeds the inspector’s knowledge or skill level. The choice of whether or not to exceed the minimum standards is one each inspector must make for themselves.

Conclusion:
If you’re considering hiring a certain inspector, check out their sample report (hopefully they have one) and see how it stacks up against the Standards of Practice. As we suggested in our February, 2022 blog post “How to Hire the Right Home Inspector,” you can call them and ask some questions. Any home inspector who wants your business should be happy to talk about their process with you.    

Call us – We’re happy to talk about home inspections!