There are occasions when damage can happen to someone’s property during a home inspection. And while this is not something any home inspectors wants or intends to happen, should it always be assumed that the fault lies with the inspector? Should they automatically be held responsible for the damage? Let’s look at why the home inspector might not be to blame.
We should note that we are talking about something that could happen as a result of the home inspection itself, not the accidental breaking of a household object such as a mirror or lamp, this would be a different matter. By way of example, imagine the inspector is checking some electrical panel and a switch breaks or falls apart, should it be assumed that the inspector was too heavy handed? No, the fact is that the switch was probably going to break whoever it was that touched it next.
We can see from this example, then, that damage can occur as a result of the homes deterioration and not necessarily from the home inspector’s clumsiness. In fact, a home inspection is carried out so that these kinds of issues can be found by the inspector and not someone in the household who could potentially be injured by such a thing. So, if you need to have a home inspection in the near future, its good to keep this in mind.
We should note that we are talking about something that could happen as a result of the home inspection itself, not the accidental breaking of a household object such as a mirror or lamp, this would be a different matter. By way of example, imagine the inspector is checking some electrical panel and a switch breaks or falls apart, should it be assumed that the inspector was too heavy handed? No, the fact is that the switch was probably going to break whoever it was that touched it next.
We can see from this example, then, that damage can occur as a result of the homes deterioration and not necessarily from the home inspector’s clumsiness. In fact, a home inspection is carried out so that these kinds of issues can be found by the inspector and not someone in the household who could potentially be injured by such a thing. So, if you need to have a home inspection in the near future, its good to keep this in mind.