Top Claims
To test or not to test? Examining the garage door pressure test | Part 1: The Standards’ Perspective
Part 1: The Standards’ Perspective During a routine home inspection for a home buyer, one of our insured home inspectors performed an auto reverse test to examine the reverse jam function of the property’s automatic garage door. The door failed the test due to a pre-existing defect, which the inspector wrote up in his inspection…
Read MoreTop 5 General Liability Claims Against Home Inspectors
If you’ve followed our series on the top claims against home inspectors, you know that most industry allegations involve errors or omissions, which mean they are filed against inspectors’ E&O coverage. (For those of you who’ve missed them, check our articles on the industry’s top claims here. We recommend starting with the Top 5 Claims.)…
Read MoreClaim 12: Windows
Four months after completing an inspection, a home inspector received a series of text messages from his clients, the home buyers. In the texts, the inspection clients alleged that their home inspector had failed to report wood rot and subsequent leaks in seven windows on the property. The clients did not provide any information regarding…
Read MoreClaim 11: Septic
Three months after completing an inspection, a home inspector received a letter from his client’s attorney demanding that he pay to repair “the failed septic system” and a number of other defects his clients had found in their new home. The letter ordered the inspector to inform his insurance company, so he did. But, since…
Read MoreClaim 10: Electrical
Four months after his inspection of an older home, a home inspector received a letter in the mail from his former clients, who, due to concerns about the age of their newly purchased and first home, had a licensed electrician assess the property’s wiring after the initial home inspection. According to the electrician, there were…
Read MoreClaim 9: HVAC and A/C
During a routine home inspection, one of our inspectors performed a visual inspection of the property’s furnace. In his report, he noted signs of condensation and a lack of proper maintenance. However, the furnace was functioning properly. A few days after the inspection, the inspector’s client—an attorney—claimed that the furnace had stopped working. As a…
Read MoreClaim 8: Wood Rot
While renovating the deck of their recently purchased home, some home inspection clients discovered wood rot plaguing their back deck. As contractors removed the old granite countertops (presumably for an outdoor kitchen) to replace them, the deck broke, revealing the deteriorated main beams and support stringers. Rather than continue with their deck expansion, the new…
Read MoreClaim 7: Pests
Note: The following is a condensed version of a longer article, which we created for The Managing Risk column. The column reviews the most common allegations in the industry and provides tips to make inspectors better equipped to prevent claims. For the full version, read the original here. Over two years after performing a home and pest inspection,…
Read MoreClaim 6: Structural Damage
Note: The Managing Risk column reviews the most common allegations in the industry and provides tips to make inspectors better equipped to prevent claims. In a recent claim, claimants alleged that a home inspector failed to detect structural deficiencies in the property. The claimants alleged that the inspector failed to identify that the wrong sized…
Read MoreClaim 5: Plumbing
Note: The Managing Risk column reviews the most common allegations in the industry and provides tips to make inspectors better equipped to prevent claims. Last fall, one of our home inspectors received a claim alleging that he failed to identify the existence of polybutylene pipes during his inspection of a condominium two months earlier. The…
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