Illinois Association of Home Inspectors (IAHI) announce changes to the Illinois Home Inspector Law.

WILMETTE, IL, UNITED STATES, September 3, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Home Inspector Law which requires a home inspector license for those who wish to perform home inspections on residential real properties for a fee. This law sunsetted in January 31, 2021. The IAHI worked with the staff at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations (IDFPR) to modify the law. The goal is to increase the protection of the public and create a minimum barrier of knowledge for those who wish practice the profession of home inspection. The President of the IAHI, Charlie Bellefontaine, stated that it is his opinion that it was too easy to get an Illinois license to become a home inspector. The requirements are that every candidate must take a home inspection class that is licensed by the IDFPR, attend 5 field events, and get a minimum of 70% of a multiple choice exam supplied by a licensed education provider. Once those steps are completed, the candidate can then challenge the State of Illinois Home Inspector Exam. After this test is successfully completed (another 70%), the last steps are to complete the application, obtain general liability insurance, and pay your fee to the State of Illinois. Charlie asks everyone to ponder this a moment. Buying a home is a really big deal to most Illinoisans. He believes the home inspector is the most crucial part of the home buying process. Yet we allow someone to help home buyers with 70% of knowledge. He states that home inspection is not "multiple choice". And then he questions what 30% of building construction, science, and the mechanical systems does a home inspector NOT need to know about.

The IDFPR agreed and added a field exam that will also be needed to pass by new home inspectors. The details of the field exam are being worked out in a cooperative effort between the IDFPR and the IAHI. Charlie says that not only will this new hurdle improve the big audacious goal of the IDFPR, which is to protect the public, it will also protect the profession of the home inspectors.

Charlie believes that home inspectors have a pretty poor reputation. He also states that as a group, it is well deserved. Roughly 90% of all home inspectors fail after about two years in business. Why they fail is unknown. One can only guess that they didn't have enough knowledge to do the job correctly and clients expectations weren't met. Those 90 percenters then leave the business. In their wake they leave a bad reputation that the home inspectors who chose this as a career are left to work with. He also states that he knows many extremely smart home inspectors. As a group, these home inspectors work together to improve the profession and thusly improve the protection of the public.

Other requirements that are now mandated include the requirement for home inspectors to carry General Liability insurance. The rationale behind this new addition to the law is that the home inspector goes into an Illinois resident's home who DID NOT get to choose the home inspector. Most home inspectors will walk on roofs, walk in attics, open electrical panels, flow water, and operate many mechanical systems. It has happened that a home inspector has damaged someone else's home. He even confesses that he did unintentional damage to a home. Charlie stated: "I don't judge people by the mistakes they make, I judge them by how they handle the mistake".

Up until this new law, the home inspector didn't have to repair damages they made to a home. This is a big issue and residents of Illinois should have some sort of protection should an accident happen to their property, says Charlie Bellefontaine. We, the IAHI, are thrilled that the IDFPR has agreed with the us about the importance of increasing these requirements.

The two organizations are now working on the Rules that support the law. Charlie has high hopes that negotiations will help improve the housing in our great state and protect the public while improving the profession's reputation.

Illinois Association of Home Inspectors (IAHI)
www.IAHI.pro

Charlie Bellefontaine - President of IAHI
Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc.
www.thehomeinspectors.com

Charles Bellefontaine
Chicagoland Home Inspectors, Inc.
+1 6303272700
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