Amerispec Home Inspection Service

From my first call through my home inspection and after. I have received professional and knowledgeable customer service. I was kept informed of the inspection process with an introduction to the inspector. Even after the inspection they provided me with a home binder to start maintaining the appliances and maintenance schedule. What a great company with a fantastic staff.

My review is a simple one. I recently used AmeriSpec Home Inspection Service for a home I am purchasing. They came highly recommended through my mortgage lender and real estate agent. Boy was this a good move on my part. Inspections were performed thoroughly and in a timely fashion. I was totally satisfied with their professionalism and subsequently confident with the results. In this day and age it is nice to know there is still someone out there you can trust. Thank you AmeriSpec!

Very knowledgable inspector. Willing to take his time to walk through the home with us to point put any problems or potential problems in the home. Very professional and punctual.

Great customer service and attention to detail.

Friendly, professional and extremely helpful

Very prompt, helpful, and complete service!

Great service, professional inspectors, informative and knowledgeable.

Had very good experience with this company. Would recommend.

Used service to prepare my house for sale. Thorough, informative, complete.

The service provided was professional and handled in an accurate and timely manner.

On time, very thorough, explained everything in detail. The report we received in email was very detailed

We have lived in our current home for almost 40 years, and this was our first experience purchasing a condo as an eventual retirement home. The AmeriSpec technician was very thorough, took time to answer all our questions, and helped me understand some of the mechanical's in the condo, that do not have in our current home.

The inspector was extremely professional and knowledgeable. He explained the steps and things to look for to help maintain the property in the future.

As a Realtor, I have found the inspectors to be knowledgeable experienced contractors who are now inspectors. They have shown knowledge of the building code and have explained major concerns and the difference between major concerns and general maintenance or minor repairs. They have explaining each phase of the inspection as they have walked through the property to the buyers whom they have encouraged to be present for inspections. They give written reports with color photos of the the crawl space as well as the attic and show concerns if there are any. They also discount the termite report if the buyers are doing more than one inspection. They are a one stop shop. They also don't disappear after the inspection if the buyer has a question or concern and they offer a 90 day warranty if they have missed anything through a home warranty company. I haven't found any other company locally in this area who does all of that. I leave the home inspector choice to the buyer, but have been pleased with their serves as a whole.

The inspector was very thorough and knowledgeable on everything he inspected. I was so satisfied with them that I used them a second time. I would recommend them to anyone who needed an inspection done.

Review: After moving into my new home it was discovered that water in a tiled basement shower did not drain properly. Water pools in a few areas and has to be squeegeed to the drain. The home inspector was contacted and he said during his inspection there were boxes in the shower suggesting that was the reason he wasn't able to test the drainage. However, in his written report he stated the drainage appeared to be servicable. Had the inspector reported the problem, as per the terms of my sales agreement the current homeowner would have been responsible for the expensive repair.Desired Settlement: Refund of purchase price of the home inspection.

Business

Response:

I am sending this response to claim ID # [redacted]. [redacted] attended the inspection and was in the basement during the inspection of its features including the bathroom. We responded to his complaint by several emails and a personal visit to the home on November 7, 2013.

[redacted]’s statement indicates that the drainage (different from drain) in the shower, as stated on our report was “serviceable”. On the initial contact regarding the issue I mentioned there was a container / bucket and a box on the shower seat, a box at the back area near the water meter and wet towels/clothing on the shower base. In order to test the shower and drain, the portable shower head was used to fill a bucket, and then dump it into the shower drain. This tested both the shower faucet and floor drain. There were no leaks at the shower head and the shower drain was clean and flowed properly. I didn’t move the boxes, clothing and wet towels that were on the shower base. The seller’s son lived in the basement and was moving out in a short period of time. The downstairs was cluttered in some areas with boxes plastic containers clothing and other items common to moving.

The shower faucet and floor drains were serviceable at the time of the inspection and also at the 11/7/13 visit. The shower had no visible evidence of cracking missing or loose tile. The drainage of the shower base could not be tested due to the items mentioned above. There were boxes from floor to ceiling in the bedroom closets, packed boxes in the bedroom, family room, beneath the stairs, basement kitchen and bedrooms. Although not required, boxes at the electrical panel were moved by the inspector do to the critical nature of the electrical system. The clients shower base drainage issue would have been discovered if the home were properly prepared for the inspection. The seller had time to properly prepare the home for the inspection. (Prior to the inspection, 2 e-mail notifications were sent to the buyer, and both real-estate agents. ( 09/02/2013 9:45PM and 09/05/2013 12:00PM ) The inspection report also advised the client of the obstructions in and recommended the client confirm condition with sellers prior to close.

The basement section of our report 1601, commented:

· Limited access due to stored items, client is advised to confirm condition with sellers prior to close.

The basement section of our report 1624, commented:

· This is a limited inspection due to personal property, Areas of the walls and floor is not visible due to stored items.

The client read and signed the AmeriSpec Inspection Agreement prior to the inspection. Under the EXCLUSIONS section is states:

EXCLUSIONS: A system or component is not readily accessible if Inspection

requires moving personal property, dismantling, destructive measures, or any

action that will, in the opinion of the inspector, likely involve risk to persons or

property. Anything not readily observable because it is concealed or inaccessible

due to obstructions including (but not limited to) floor coverings, suspended ceiling

tiles, insulation, furniture or other personal property, soil, vegetation, water, ice

or snow cannot be inspected. We are not required to move or disturb such items

in order to diminish or eliminate the obstruction.

The inspection was preformed to the guidelines of The Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HOME INSPECTORS®

Section F. Inspectors are NOT required to:

3. move personal property, furniture, equipment,

plants, soil, snow, ice, or debris.

The inspection service preformed the service to accepted industry standards. Mr. [redacted] has requested the reimbursement for the home inspection price $510. (The actual price of the home inspection was $315. He has included the Wood Destroying insect and radon inspections) For the reasons stated, we feel Mr. [redacted] in not entitled to a refund.

AmeriSpec Inspection Service

Review: We hired Amerispec in June of 2014 to perform our home inspection. With that we paid additional to have the septic system inspected. He passed it. Within THREE days of closing and moving in all of our toilets backed up into the house. We uncovered the septic tank lid and were informed by a professional that we had a total leach failure and needed to put in a sand mound. That set us back almost $17,000 in repairs we could have avoided. Not even 3 weeks later we had a heavy rain and found our finished basement had flooded water all over the carpet. I asked him about a squishy area of the carpet down there and he had no answer. The interior french drains were failing and pooling water under the waterproof padding they laid under the carpet the entire time. He should have caught that at our home inspection. That set us back another $16,000 in damages to hire a waterproofing company to tear out our walls and redo the entire french drain system that was installed incorrectly. When I asked him for a refund he told me he would not refund me but if we purchased a house in the future he would inspect it for free. That's laughable, would you hire someone who let you down by passing failing home systems ever again? I'm insulted.

Business

Response:

[redacted] did order an inspection in

July 2014. The house had been “Flipped” and the yard had

been re-graded as part of the process. Our report indicated that the tank lid

was not accessible and the water level was not determined. The septic was

tested based on our normal procedure for vacant homes and areas of the property

were checked for failure. (Additional water and time are necessary for vacant

home dye tests) There was no evidence of dye, effluence or odor at the time of

the inspection. Our report comments that since septic systems are buried and

most features are concealed, the report is not all inclusive. The following statement was

added to the report “The

septic tank water level may not be determined during the test. It's recommended that the seller verify when

the septic tank was last pumped. The tank and drainage field location should be

verified with the seller. “When the client

called about the septic issue, I immediately returned to the property to see if

there was anything that I could do. At that time and during follow-up phone

conversations, the client mentioned she called a septic company that had recently

pumped the system, and the seller had previously rented the property and the tenants

left because of the septic issues. The basement was completely finished with

drywalls and carpeting attached at the edges. A home inspection is not invasive

so we use a thermal imaging camera as well as moisture detectors to determine

issues. I don’t remember her questioning the “squishy carpet” however client was present during the inspection and

saw there was no moisture evident at the time of the inspection. An interior drainage

system is concealed and by the terms of the inspection agreement cannot be

inspected. (The inspections document was signed by the client, at the

inspection)We had a number of conversations up to this

point. The sellers disclosure indicated there were no knowledge of septic

issues. Also the sellers disclosure stated there was a new interior drainage

system in the home. Jamie always indicated that the seller and his real-estate

agent were deceptive on their disclosure and they were working through and

attorney for a resolution, to put in a sand mound or buy back the house. To

this point AmeriSpec has cooperated with the client providing photographs of the

property as reference and technical information for their attorney. This information

was requested as part of her case against the seller. It has been months since our last correspondence

and I thought it was satisfactorily resolved.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The basement was not fully enclosed there were rooms unfinished that left evidence of water in the walls. Sellers are always trying to hide things, don't you hire an inspector to find problems. We got [redacted].

Regards,

Review: WARNING! If you purchase a house DO NOT use AMERISPEC as your home inspection company. We closed on our house Dec 17, 2014 and what a can of worms we have opened. Live, learn, and PAY for it; which in our case as of June 23, 2015 is a total of $12,095.26 and we still have plumbing problems that are currently being worked on. Our problems began when our propane bill was over $500 a month. We have never had propane before and weren't sure of the amount we should be paying. When we called an HVAC company to come and have a look at our ducting he found that there were leaks where the ducting was not sealed properly and also pointed out what he believed to be mold. We called a mold company to do an appraisal and our worst fears were realized. BLACK MOLD EVERYWHERE! AMERISPEC has a clause in their inspection that they are not required to point out mold. MOLD something that can cause so many health problems. Our crawl space was riddled with mold, IN the air ducting blowing into our house, on the outside of the ducting, on pipes and on wood. We are not talking about a small amount that could easily be missed. They also failed to notice a toilet leaking (the contractor who fixed it said in his professional opinion had been leaking 18 months to 2 years! The leaking toilet caused water damage to the wood beneath it and with the length of time of the leak the wood was rotted and had to be replaced. There was a puddle of water in the crawl space during the home inspection which the inspector said was from the rain and if we got a crawl space cover problem solved. WRONG there was a pipe leaking in our master bathroom behind the shower head panel. The plumber had to cut out a piece of the wall to get to the pipe so he could replace the piece that was leaking. We have also found a hole in the foundation in the crawl space. I contacted AMERISPEC about all the problems we have had with the house and was informed of the mold clause and since we had already had the leaking pipe fixed there was nothing to be done about it. Two people from AMERISPEC (which one was the lead inspector for the company) did come and look at the floor and said they would get back to us with a decision. That was over a week ago now, who knows how long we will have to wait for an answer, they clearly do not care. When the inspectors from AMERISPEC left our house after looking at the floor, I was told that we are going to disagree. Disagree on what, the floor, the leaking pipes, the fact that you do not have to point out MOLD? I want to know how a home inspection company does not have to point out mold? We sought legal counsel and there is nothing we can do to file a claim since AMERISPEC has a mold clause. I am just going to take to the internet and share our horror story of being first-time home buyers who trusted a home inspection company! The home inspectors name is [redacted]. If you value your families health especially if you have a young child like we do, and your hard earned money DO NOT use this company! They are completely incompetent and are not held liable.Desired Settlement: We would like a full reimbursement for all the cost in damages we have had since buying the house. I understand that is not going to happen since Amerispec isn't liable for mold. As such we would like reimbursement for the plumbing and rotten wood replacement we had to do and for the work that is ongoing. We gave Amerispec a chance to fix the problems with the wood and plumbing. After waiting for a response and none received we had the wood replaced and plumbing appointments are made. I understand that they have a mold clause and there is nothing to be done about that. I think the home inspection company going forward should address mold issues. Mold can cause serious health issues and should be pointed out to any potential buyers!

Business

Response:

I have attached all correspondence with this customer regarding her complaints. We take any complaint we receive seriously. You will see that we responded immediately in an effort to resolve the issues.This inspection was conducted over 8 months ago. A home inspection is a visual inspection, no dismantling of system components is conducted. Ducts are not opened, insulation is not removed, carpets are not lifted, walls are not cut open, etc. You will see from the correspondence, including photos that the items of complaint were hidden items. In addition, the customer breached the contract as outlined under DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND REMEDY LIMITATION: Notice of Claims. (see contract)Mold is beyond the scope of a general home inspection and therefore is excluded in our contract. There are over 20,000 different species of mold and mildew. They are microscopic in nature, they are naturally occurring and are everywhere in our environment. The customer acknowledged that they had not conducted any mold testing. They therefore do not truly know if any mold contamination existed within the home that would be considered abnormal or "life threatening " as they claim.The moisture damage from the toilet leak was isolated to the right edge of the subfloor where it is cut out for the sewage pipe to pass through. The subfloor was not sagging and did not flex when weight was applied. Having been a certified home inspector for 20 years, it is my professional opinion that the press board subflooring would be significantly deteriorated throughout the stained area (soft/sagging) had the leak been occurring for almost two years as suggested.While we regret to hear that the family is experiencing unexpected repair issues . AmeriSpec is not at fault.