Home inspector standards needed to protect consumers: Opposition  

Roland Butler, MHA for the District of Port de Grave and Opposition Critic for Government Services, says the Opposition Office has made a request to the Minister of Government Services to provide potential home owners with added protection by regulating the home inspection industry in the province.

In a recent letter, the Opposition encouraged Minister Kevin O’Brien to commence dialogue with those leading the charge to have the industry certified with its own set of professional guidelines and qualifications.

“Right now, anyone can call themselves a home inspector whether they have the training, experience or education”, says Butler. “There is no service accountability attached and therefore, consumers in the market for a home can face a serious investment risk if they do not fully understand the condition of the property they are interested in purchasing.”

Butler points out that British Columbia is the first province in Canada to license home inspectors. “Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia are also moving towards a certification process.  Banks are also starting to become more aware of this movement to protect their investments.  Further, the federal government will implement new National Certification Standards later this year, but until provinces embrace it and give it force through legislation, consumers will not be afforded the protection those standards are meant to benefit.

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