Home Inspection Problem

My question to you is. After the inspector gave us his report on the house we found he missed many major things that were wrong with the house. The things that were oblivious to us he pointed out. One example was the electrical problems we have had . Plus the windows . We are now having to spend money on things we did not plan for. Also he said the bathrooms were in good working order and the faucets in the one would not work. Also the kitchen sink leaked.

We would have been better to have just bought the house and kept the money we paid him to inspect.

This has been over 2 years. What if any thing can we do? We were told it cost more for us to get our money back. I would just like to have it known he is not a very good inspector.

Rosemary

Our Answer

I'm sorry to hear about you problems with your home inspection. As a former home inspector for over 20 years, I know how hard most inspectors work to make sure that significant defects are revealed. However, in this case, it seems that perhaps some were not.
You should understand that the gold standard for home inspectors is the Standards of Practice of the American Society of Home Inspectors. These standards identify what must be inspected and just as important, set reasonable limits as to what can not be inspected. In general, the inspection is limited to what was visible and accessible at the time of inspection.
My suggestion would be that you contact you home inspector and ask for a meeting where you can present your concerns. You should be very mindful of what he/she is required to have identified and not expect that something which broke 6 months later could have been predicted. Make the case for his returning your fee. If he doesn't, then you may have to take him to small claims court. Sometimes even the process of that experience will lead to a return of a fee. Finally, if you do get the fee returned, most inspectors will want you to sign a release essentially relinquishing any further obligation they may have as a result of the inspection. Be sure to check with an attorney before doing so as you will be giving up the right to sue in the future.