# Entrepreneur of the Week Kobi Barban # Post 2
In Israel, Home Inspection is carried out exclusively by architects or building engineers with years of experience in planning, supervision, project management, home inspection and those who are also proficient in the Planning and Building Law, and the Standard ("Building Code").
And what's going on in Florida (and probably in the rest of the US) in the area of home inspection?
The only requirement for a Home Inspector license is a two-week course - three online! After which the applicant is required to pass a light American test. How do I know? That's how I got a license.
Background: The quality of construction in Florida and especially of old buildings (over 20 years) is poor, poor quality, light, weathered, and does not meet the prevailing extreme weather conditions and proximity to the sea.
Time and time again we hear about water infiltrating buildings, collapsing ceilings, evacuating tenants due to unsafe residential buildings, and failures and flooding due to collapsing rusty sewer pipes.
In addition, the phenomenon of illegal construction (construction without a permit) is very common, which entails a safety hazard and complicates the property owners with the municipality (fines, court summons, requirement to issue a permit retrospectively) and with insurance (will not be sold or renewed and / or no compensation ).
The scandalous, complicated, unsafe, and complex situation enters the local examiner with two to three weeks of training!
So how do you still get a local tester a tens of pages report, seemingly impressive, with pictures, arrows, and extensive explanations? Then I'll tell you a secret. The report is a report produced by a building audit app and prepared in advance! On the verge of being deceived literally. Details:
The local inspector buys a home inspection app and downloads it to a mobile.
In the application, there is a built-in professional architectural / engineering description regarding each chapter and subject (yard, exterior walls, cracks, roofs, electricity, plumbing, etc.). But, and this is a big but, the descriptions are general, sweeping, and unspecified designed to cover everything! All types of potential deficiencies that exist, in each and every issue. From here to the identification of the specific defects in the distance property as between heaven and earth.
And what does Home Inspector do anyway? He takes pictures. Story: At the beginning of my career as a home inspector in Florida, during a job interview with one of the largest home inspection companies, the interviewer described to me the company's home inspection procedure: "You go to the property, take photos, send to the office ”. Just do not believe!
From conversations with Israeli investors who bought properties based on local inspectors' reports and got involved! It was found that local reports do not include both professional and essential information. Below is a summary of what the missing professional and essential information is and explanations of why it is essential and important for the person ordering the test (in order to make an informed decision on whether to continue with the purchase process):
A. Building permits. A buyer who buys the property inherits the construction offense and for all that that entails we were fines, a requirement to issue permits retrospectively, a summons to court, lack of compensation during an insurance event and more.
B. The age of the roofs. Insurance companies will not sell or renew an insurance policy if the roof of the building (tiled or asphalt or flat roof) is over 15 years old.
third. Type of sewer pipe. In old buildings built before 1975-1980, metal piping was installed that due to the harsh humidity and salinity conditions prevailing in Florida is rusting and collapsing due to its age these days.
D. Type of water piping. Old buildings built before 1960 installed galvanized metal piping that, due to the harsh humidity and salinity conditions prevailing in Florida, rusts inside, releases toxic chemicals, and collapses due to its age these days.
God. safety. Condominium apartments in older buildings that are over 40 years old (and there are many of them) are required to undergo an engineering stability test and the integrity of the electrical system. Collapse of ceilings and water intrusion into buildings and electrical systems is a frequent phenomenon! See the collapse of the residential tower in Surfside.
and. Protection against hurricane winds and resistance of the property to hurricane winds. Insurance costs are astronomical for buildings built not in accordance with the 2002 standard (strengthening buildings to withstand hurricane winds), or windows / doors / parking door in the property are not protected from hurricane winds, or the property roof is not reinforced to its exterior walls in hurricane strips.
P. How to repair each and every defect, individually, by whom, and costs. There is no need to expand on why this information is essential.
And what about getting an explanation and advice from the local examiners? Insufficient! I heard about this from their clients who approached me for advice, after they were unable to get explanations from those examiners at all or received partial and unsatisfactory explanations in particular.
And so at the end of the day, I decided to open a home inspection company and perform home inspection reports in the Israeli method in which the report is not an application report but an individual report, detailing and explaining each defect in the test structure (accompanied by photos): what is the defect, how to repair it, By whom, and the cost of repair. The report also includes: details regarding the safety of the property, compliance with the hurricane wind standard and protection of its openings, missing permits, roof age, existing water and sewer pipes and / or requiring replacement, including replacement costs, and any other essential professional information. Of course, I'm always available for questions from home inspection clients.
In the next post on: The poor and scandalous quality of construction in South Florida