Report limitations practice questions

There have been cases where an inspector who reported a limitation was still held liable for the condition of the item that went uninspected. Advising the client to have the item inspected, and warning that it may have costly deficiencies, answers that risk. Neither addition changes the scope or the seller's obligations.

The sample statement for a furnace whose access covers are sealed lists the heat exchanger and the automatic safety controls among the unobserved internal parts. It also names the inside of the evaporator coil and the condenser parts behind sealed panels, and notes that ducts, vents, control cables, and coolant tubes are partly hidden.

The manual's typical statement notes that Federal Pacific panelboards also go by the names Federal Electric and Challenger. These are known problem components, and full inspection or a full list of their problems is often impractical, so the report should carry a statement about the panelboard together with a recommendation for evaluation.

The barn statement explains that ASHI standards do not require the structure to be inspected, that the home inspector performed only a limited safety inspection, and that reporting visible deficiencies leaves the scope as agreed. Its closing sentence finds no apparent hazard of that immediate and significant kind, except where the report says otherwise.

The manual's environmental hazards include air and water quality, fungi, lead, asbestos, and animals that are dangerous, damaging, or annoying, along with their feces. Such hazards fall outside a home inspection; however, the usual practice is to report significant environmental hazards that are visible and to recommend evaluation, with a limitation statement that this reporting does not widen the scope.

According to the sample statement for areas where fungal growth is common, fungi can almost always be found on crawl space materials and within HVAC ducts and equipment. The statement then says the home inspector offers no finding on fungi, visible or concealed.

Experienced home inspectors have found certain information useful in reports, such as the inspection times and the parties present. Most of it matters only when questions come up afterward about how the inspection went. Some items may also be required in regulated jurisdictions, but that is not what makes them useful.

Every report should give some way to identify who was present. The manual prefers names but accepts titles in their place, such as client, seller, or buyer's agent. Titles alone do not make the report deficient.

Weather such as temperature, recent rain or snow, and snow on the ground or roof can help document inspection conditions; however, the same information can be looked up afterward from available sources. Changing weather does not prevent reporting it, since the home inspector should report conditions representing a fair average over the visit.

Some home inspectors add general statements about conditions typical of houses in their area, drawing on the type of house and when it was built. Common examples are asbestos where a house dates from before about 1980, and lead paint where it dates from before about 1978. No laboratory testing is involved.