The Home Condition Report, Home Inspectors and the Home Information Pack

What type of procedural failing are likely to occur

Quite distinct from the professional issues that may generate a negligence claim there are situations in which bad advice is given because of poor quality control, or failure to follow very basic routines. The problem areas include:

• Lack of understanding between client and the Home Inspector
• The terms of business are unclear
• Changes in instruction are unclear
• Office records are not checked, kept up to date or retained
• Inadequate time set aside to inspect the property
• Inadequate, or lack of legible site notes
• Testing equipment is inadequate, faulty or is not used
• Inspection is haphazard
• Reporting style is inappropriate
• Supervision of new staff and trainees is inadequate
• Inadequate diary system
• Poor quality suppliers to the business

Increasingly, professional indemnity insurers are beginning to consider the following information prior to assessing relative risk and levels of premium for individual firms of surveyors, and this may also apply to home inspectors in due course:

• The nature of activities within the practice
• Qualifications of the staff
• Previous track-record of the staff, and their expertise
• including fraud or dishonesty
• Levels of fee income by job type
• Size of job type
• Number of valuations and surveys carried out by each surveyor in the practice
• Geographical spread of work
• Copies of standard Terms and Conditions of Engagement