?As a profession, home inspectors have an ethical obligation to the public. This obligation includes integrity, competency, honesty, confidentiality, objectivity and an interest in public safety. Fulfilling this obligation will promote and preserve public confidence in the profession. In recognition of this obligation, we hereby promote and proclaim these rights for our clients.
I. To be assured the inspector is objective in his or her reporting and will not knowingly understate or overstate the significance of reported conditions.
II. To be assured the inspector’s opinion is based on genuine conviction within the scope of his or her education and experience.
III. To be assured the inspector stays current with the industry’s body of knowledge through continuing education.
IV. To be assured the inspector will not disclose inspection results or client information without client approval.
V. To be assured the inspector has not accepted any form of compensation for recommending contractors, services or products.
VI. To be assured the inspector will not offer to repair or replace for compensation any component covered by the ASHI Standards of Practice for one year after the inspection.
VII. To be assured future referrals to the inspector from real estate agents are not dependent on the inspection findings or the sale of the property.
VIII. To be assured the home inspector has no financial interest in the transaction.
IX. To be assured the inspector is not receiving compensation for the inspection from any other party.
X. To be assured the inspector did not compensate the real estate agent or other party for the referral to the client.
We abide by all of these items, which were set down by the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) as the Gold Standard for Home Inspectors.
The best Home Inspectors have their clients’ best interests at the forefront. Be sure to ask any Home Inspector you are considering if they subscribe to the ASHI Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. If they’re not, you won’t know if they’re putting someone else’s interests ahead of yours.
