Oregon Home Inspectors Are Held To High Standards
Portland home inspectors, and in fact all Oregon home inspectors, are expected to know and keep for their records the Home Inspector Standards of Behavior and Standards of Practice. This list of standards is attached to each Home Inspector Application Packet provided by the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB). The CCB is the state organization that certifies Oregon Home Inspectors.
In Oregon, when you apply for your home inspector license, you are required to know the standards of behavior and standards of practice. Also required is passing the National Home Inspector Exam (NHIE). Twelve percent of the national exam is focused on professional behavior, testing a home inspector’s understanding of the purpose of an inspection contract and clarifying the client’s rights as well as the home inspector’s rights. This part of the test also addresses an inspector’s ethical and legal responsibilities.
What Are Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR)?
According to Wikipedia, “Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) is the official compilation of rules and regulations having the force of law in the U.S. state of Oregon.” This is where we find Oregon’s Home Inspector Standards of Behavior (OAR 812-008-0201). There are four main sections to the Standards of Behavior. Below is a listing of all four sections.
(1) An Oregon certified home inspector shall not:
(a) Engage in dishonest or fraudulent conduct or undertake activities that are injurious to the welfare of the public, which result in injury or damage to another person.
(b) Disclose any information about the results of an inspection without the approval of the client for whom the inspection was undertaken.
(c) Accept compensation or any other consideration from more than one interested party for the same service without the consent of all interested parties.
(d) Directly or indirectly compensate realty agents, or other parties having a financial interest in closing or settlement of real estate transactions, for the referral of inspections or for inclusion on a list of recommended inspectors, preferred providers or similar arrangements. This paragraph is not intended to prohibit any discount, credit or add-on service made directly to an inspector’s client.
(e) Accept financial or other consideration, such as material or equipment, from suppliers for suggesting the use of, or promoting a specific product in the course of performing an inspection.
(f) Accept compensation, directly or indirectly, for recommending contractors, services, or products to inspection clients or other parties having an interest in inspected properties.
(g) Inspect properties under contingent arrangements whereby any compensation or future referrals are dependent on reported findings or on the sale of a property.
(h) Express, within the context of an inspection, an appraisal or opinion of the market value of the inspected property.
(i) Allow his or her interest in any business to affect the quality or results of inspection work that an Oregon certified home inspector may be called upon to undertake.
(j) Misrepresent any matters to the public.
(2) Opinions expressed by Oregon certified home inspectors shall only be based on their education, experience, and physical evidence observed by the inspector.
(3) Before the execution of a contract to undertake a home inspection, an Oregon certified home inspector shall disclose to the client any interest in a business that may affect the client.
(4) Nothing in OAR 812-008-0201 shall prohibit a business offering home inspection services from advertising services or for the purpose of recruiting employees and personnel. All such advertisements shall not be misleading or deceptive. A business shall not advertise home inspection services unless the business is properly licensed.
About Check It Out Home Inspection
I started Check It Out Home Inspection to apply my 15 years of carpentry experience to home inspections. I worked in both new construction and remodeling, so I know houses inside and out — framing, foundations, plumbing, electrical, windows & doors, HVAC, you name it. I am proud to serve the entire Portland metropolitan area as well as the southwestern Washington/Vancouver area.
Full-Service Home Inspection Services
At Check It Out Home Inspection Services, we offer all the home inspection services you would expect, for example electrical, plumbing, roof, structure, interior, exterior, garage, and grounds, etc. (Go to the Check it Out Home Inspection homepage for a full list of home inspection services). We also offer One-Stop Shopping Home Inspection Services so you can schedule sewer scoping, radon testing, and oil tank searches 24/7 with a single click or call.
