Lefrois Inspection Service, Inc.

Our office responded to this claim in writing on October 16th Mr*** agreed to settle his claim under the provisions of our written contractI have attached our written correspondence regarding this settlement for you.Sincerely, Steven J*** www.housemaster.comI have received your claim that you emailed to our office and have reviewed that information along with the original inspection report dated 05/07/We want you to know that we value your business and strive to meet your expectationsThe purpose of this letter is to address your concerns, to communicate our position and to come to a mutual resolutionThe House Master Limited Guarantee is the vehicle through which complaints or claims are submitted and resolvedThe Inspection Order Agreement which you signed is the contractual agreement which stipulates the terms and conditions of the actual inspection, as well as the GuaranteeThe Guarantee is very specific in what HouseMaster covers after the inspectionBy signing the Order Agreement, you have agreed to these terms, which state the Guarantee only covers the major systems that were rated in "Satisfactory", and is for a period of one year from closing or thirteen months from the inspection dateThe roofing comments in the original inspection report indicated that replacement should be anticipated due to the roof being at the end of its design lifeWeak plywood was also observed and reportedIt's unlikely that this roof would be original since the property is more than years oldThe fogging of the skylight was also observed and reportedNumerous electrical deficienciesincluding the masthead were reported at the time of inspectionIt is not possible and beyond the scope of the inspection to evaluate the function and adequacy of underground drainsDamage to the walls of the walkout, the need to improve downspout discharge and settlement of the patios toward the foundation were all observed and reported at the time of inspectionAll of these and many other major components were rated fair at the time of inspectionThe definition of this rating is located in the beginning of the report and excludes coverage under the guaranteeAs a gesture of goodwill we will honor your request for reimbursement beyond the first $up to the maximum of $or $I have enclosed a release that you will need to sign and return to our officeOnce received, a check will be forwardedRespectfully, Steven L*** www.housemaster.com

Attached is a list of several (not all) the repair and safety issues we incurredWe feel the inspector failed to keep us safe and warn us of several repairs that needed immediate attentionIn some cases he listed the issue but labeled it "fair"There is a big difference between fair and needs
immediate attentionThe inspector was recommended by the realtor and I am not sure he had his loyalties in orderThe inspector minimized many of the repairs leading us to believe the repairs were not as expensive or as urgent as they turned outHe listed the skylight as "fair"We couldn't see the skylight because the owner hid it with blindsIt turns out you can't even see through the skylightAnother example is the electrical mastHe did identify that the mast needed to be replaced but he described replacing the poleIt turns out the repair is much more expensive because the mast needs to be replaced and the electric brought up to codeWe have experienced a near fire (bad receptacle), two floods in the basement ( leaks in the door well retaining walls and run-off issueThere was water damage from previous flooding.), the electrical mast had no insulation on the terminals (could have been fatal), and we had a natural gas leak. We certainly don't feel that the inspector protected us from danger or repair expenseHe failed to respond to my Email until I am sure you communicated and/or the HouseMaster franchise people contacted him

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards, *** ***

I responded with more information yesterday. Please let me know if you are not getting my replies. The attachment has the detail on the issues with the inspector. Since we bought the house we have had a gas leak, the basement flooded twice,  a near electrical fire in the basement, and a life threatening safety issue because the electrical mast terminals were not insulated. Add several other repair issues not identified or minimized by the inspector and you are talking a whole lot of repair and safety issues that could have had series consequences and will have series financial consequences. It is our opinion that the inspector did a very poor job of keeping our family from risk. He was recommended by the realtor so we are not sure if his loyalties were in the right place. He minimized the impact of several issues. The electrical mast repair will be more extensive and cost much more than the inspector indicated. We were told by the inspector that the vine roots on the siding could be fixed with a light sanding. The roots were actually painted over so it will take more than a light sanding. At best, the siding will need heavy sanding and repainting. Worst case, the house will need to be sided. He reported the skylight as being "fair". The owner hid the skylight with blinds and it turns out you can't even see through the skylight and it needs to be replaced. There are a number of other issues that you can review on the spreadsheet. Just yesterday we found that we had a gas leak in one of the pipe joints. When I complained to the inspector he didn't return my message until yesterday. I assume my complaint to his franchise company prompted a return. He still did not answer the issues I presented to him. Had the inspector identified clearly identified the problems and the risks we would not have purchased the house. It will cost us tens of thousands of dollars to remedy the issues.