The lawyer says the problem is a standard clause in many contracts home buyers sign with home inspectors that limits an inspector’s liability to the cost of the inspection fee if the home inspector fails to find existing deficiencies in a property.
A CBC News investigation has discovered it’s almost impossible for homeowners to get compensation if something is missed during a home inspection, despite new regulations introduced by the B.C. government in 2009 requiring all home inspectors to be licenced and insured.
Buyers like Lindsay Denton, a 39-year-old single mother, are finding out the hard way they have little recourse if they believe an inspector misses an obvious, visible defect.
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In her claim, Denton says Stockdale of Home Sweet Home Inspections returned to her house, looked at the problems and offered to refund her the $565 inspection fee.
She claims she told Stockdale he also should have seen rot on the side of her house.
Read the full story and watch the news report at http://www.cbc.ca/…
I did a quick walk-through after the fact for this woman and provided her with some direction and advice. The deficiencies were pretty obvious especially if you use a flashlight to detect rot damage.
Ted Gilmour is a Vancouver home inspector and industry recognized professional with a commitment to best practice in client service and reporting excellence.