New law protects homeowners

"A home is the biggest purchase and investment that most New Yorkers will make in their lifetime. When you purchase a home you want to make sure it is safe for your family," said Assemblymember Susan John (131st District). "To ensure that safety and working across party lines for what is best for all New Yorkers, the Senate and Assembly negotiated, drafted and passed the Home Inspectors Licensing Act."

The purpose of the Home Inspectors Licensing Act is to protect the public. Part of the home purchasing experience includes making sure the home is in good physical condition. Homebuyers turn to home inspectors to make sure there aren't cracks in the chimney, roofs that need replacing or a furnace that is poisoning the home with carbon monoxide. Buyers worry about choosing the right location and the perfect house for their needs. It is important that the people homeowners rely on help make these decisions are trustworthy, qualified and ethical.

Home buyers deserve to know that the person hired to inspect a home has, at the very least, the background, qualifications and experience necessary.

John worked with other officials to pass legislation that requires home inspectors to obtain licenses to perform their duties. This provides greater credibility to the home inspection by established realistic qualifications for home inspectors and requiring a report to be written up by the inspector. It also sets up public oversight of the home inspection profession - increasing the reliability of reports.

Prior to this legislation, no requirement or qualifications existed for home inspectors in New York state.

Currently anyone can offer to inspect a home for a fee and advise a prospective buyer, renter or seller about the physical conditions of the home. In recent years, people without any credentials or qualifications have presented themselves as trained professionals who inspect homes. This left consumers without any way of knowing who has the capability to do a home inspection well.

Homebuyers pay for an inspection to get peace of mind and assurance about the condition of a home, but there is no assurance or peace of mind if the person who inspects the home is not qualified to do so and is not held accountable for the inspection on which the buyer relies in purchasing a home, according to John's news release.