Maurer Inspections, LLC

January 15, 2016I was referred to the [redacted] s by their realtor, they accepted the referral, then I was hired to by the [redacted] s provide the service of inspecting a house that they were considering purchasing as they had made an offer on the home which was contractually accepted by the sellersAs I understand the complaint, the [redacted] s are making the following claims: I performed a "rushed' inspection Failed to notice FOUR defective sliding windows in the sunroom I did not observe the absence of tempered glass I've been nonresponsive to calls, emails and textsAnd in response to those claims: number by number The time I took to perform the inspection was from 2:30pm until after 5:pmPublic record lists this house as sqftwhich I can normally do a thorough inspection in approximately two (2) hoursNot only do I inspect the home in compliance with standards established by ASHI (American Society of Home Inspector, of which I am a Certified Inspector) I also permit unlimited consulting time to clients during and after the inspectionOver realtors embrace my service and refer me to their clientsEven the [redacted] s realtor explained to them that I am the best, most thorough inspector that they know, and in spite of the [redacted] s experience/opinion, she has and will continue to refer me to her clients because I provide a very complete inspection serviceThe inspection was performed on May 19, About ten (10) weeks later I was called by the [redacted] s about this concernOn approximately August 11, I returned to the home to reinspect the sunroom windowsDuring that return I observed three of the windows had water stains on the sliding "sashes", and the one window did have some deterioration (rusty nails and deteriorated wood), on just the SashesThe was no damage to any of the window sills, or frames, and no structural damage to three of the windowsI have photographs of the August visit which support the claims I've made here in item I reviewed my field notes and realized I had noted water stains on the windows during the inspection(cosmetic conditions are worth noting and talking about during and inspection; however, the ASHI Scope excludes reporting cosmetic conditions as 'defective")The IRC (international residential code) requires tempered glass under a long list of rules, but no tempered glass is required in sliding windows in any location, when the are under nine (9) square feet, which all of these windows are under nine (9) Square feetThe IRC does not require tempered glass in this locationIRC TABLE [redacted] (2) MINIMUM CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION OF GLAZING USING [redacted] ***(Disclaimer: I am not a code compliant inspectorWe need to know the codes or know how to reference them.)I responded to her initial inquiry and visited the house within a weekAnd I have copies of all of our communications which will the support my claim that I have always made efforts to respond to her communicationsThere was one period of a few weeks where I was waiting form y attorney to draft a response, she knew I had hired one, and was waiting for the attorney.ASHI standards and my contract with all clients clearly stipulate that there are no warranties with inspection servicesA thorough professional inspection was performed for the [redacted] s which was in full compliance with the standards set forth by ASHThe minor amount of deterioration in those two sashes was not present during the inspection and evolved during the 10-weeks before they took occupancy of the house.I also have a different attorney that I am working with who should have an additional response to the [redacted] s lettersI will forward a copy of [redacted] 's response to the Revdex.com as soon as its completed.It's my position that their claims are unrealistic and unwarranted, that I performed a thorough professional inspection in full compliance with the detailed fifteen (15) page Standards of Practice drafted by ASHII've performed hundreds of inspections in over ten yearsThis is the first client that has ever Created there own set of expectations which are completely beyond the scope of a home inspectionI have been responsive throughout the entire process.This letter was intended to address the [redacted] s claimsI've also attached a letter from my attorney, [redacted] , which should clarify this process from a legal perspective.Regards,Steve M

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Date: Thu, Feb 25, at 4:PMSubject: Re: ***To: *** *** ***,I was able to locate all of the emails from *** and myself and among them was the inspection report If you open the document you will come across two windows mentioned. Thank you once again. Regards,*** ***Sent from my ***

February 4, 2016As I understand the complaint, the ***'s are now making the following claims:Never checked the four sliding windows That all of the sashes and frames are rotting (and have been for years) That they've met others who have experienced poor service from me.And in response to those claims: number by number We, (myself, ***, her husband and the realtor) all spent a descent amount of time in this sunroomThe report clearly documents that there was one defective fixed window in a gable areaIt also shows defects in the entry steps and missing handrailsWe even spent some time "wrapping things up" at a table in the SunroomAfter I start to notice water damage, and settlement in a particular area I actually start to pay closer attention to it than areas which have no defectsI even made comments to them about the water stains, that the outside of the sashes were clad with vinyl but the insides were bare wood and would last longer if they had a good coat of paint on themIt's looking like this is my word against the consumer's wordI do not take many pictures of items that are not defectiveI'm 100% confident that the windows were inspectedActually, on the return re-inspection I did observe one sash on one window that showed signs of rot and deteriorationHowever, there was eleven weeks between the original inspection and the re-inspection (which took place within a week of being notified)To refute the item claim, I've included four (4) photographs which were taken on August 13th between 3:and 3:35PMThere are time/date stamps on all digital photographyThis is the date that I went back to re-inspect these windowsYou will see that NONE of the frames have any damage at that point, and three sets of window sash's still have minor water staining but no rotten wood or structural damageI did include the picture of the ONE window sash that had deteriorated since the inspection back in May.#this photograph is of the outsideThere are four identical windowsThey are all clad in vinyl on the outside and all have vinyl clad window framesFrom the exterior the frames are flawless.#and #these were the condition of three of the windows on the return inspectionYou can See a little water staining on the bottom of the sash but even in August, three of the sash pairs had NO deteriorated woodYou do not have to be a qualified contractor to see how healthy the interior wood is on the three windows.#this is the one sash that did deteriorate when I re-inspected in AugustAnd you can clearly see the vinyl clad frames, and vinyl does NOT rotAll of the frames are fine.NOTE: any contractor will be happy to provide you a price to install new windows.The consumer was offered a 'good will' repair or cash equaling the repair cost to replace the one deteriorated sash a few months agoThey have rejected that offer and continued (again in my opinion) to be somewhat aggressive in their pursuit of money to replace all four windowsSince I felt the need for legal representation which I still believe is the correct defense, I have rescinded the good will offer in lieu of legal expensesWhich shouldn't really matter anyway because they rejected itThe consumer has never provided me with any document from any other dissatisfied customer of mineUntil I see something to support her claim I'm going to assume it's falseShe actually posted a negative review on ***Not one of my customers responded in agreement with herThe Revdex.com has never received a complaint about me in ten yearsNeither has the Consumer Division of the Attorney General OfficeI'm also licensed in NJ where there is a Licensing Bureau and as much as I realize that this is nota NJ issue, I can also say that not one client has ever made a complaint to the NJ licensing board-I've been trying to be patient and compassionate about thisI realize the consumer is disappointedThe contract clearly states that no warranties are providedThose windows were all inspected in May and water stains were observedCosmetic items do NOT qualify as Material Defects so the windows were not notedAs much as I'm sorry that the one window sash deteriorated it was after the inspectionHad the consumer called me back within a week or so of the inspection it would have been a Completely different matterThat house sat vacant for about eleven weeks through many heavy summer rainsI don't even know if those windows were kept closed during that time.Regards,Steve M

January 15, 2016I was referred to the [redacted]s by their realtor, they accepted the referral, then I was hired to by the [redacted]s provide the service of inspecting a house that they were considering purchasing as they had made an offer on the home which was contractually accepted by the...

sellers. As I understand the complaint, the [redacted]s are making the following claims: 1. I performed a "rushed' inspection 2. Failed to notice FOUR defective sliding windows in the sunroom 3. I did not observe the absence of tempered glass 4. I've been nonresponsive to calls, emails and textsAnd in response to those claims: number by number 1. The time I took to perform the inspection was from 2:30pm until after 5:30 pm. Public record lists this house as 2357 sq. ft. which I can normally do a thorough inspection in approximately two (2) hours. Not only do I inspect the home in compliance with standards established by ASHI (American Society of Home Inspector, of which I am a Certified Inspector) I also permit unlimited consulting time to clients during and after the inspection. Over 100 realtors embrace my service and refer me to their clients. Even the [redacted]s realtor explained to them that I am the best, most thorough inspector that they know, and in spite of the [redacted]s experience/opinion, she has and will continue to refer me to her clients because I provide a very complete inspection service.2. The inspection was performed on May 19, 2015. About ten (10) weeks later I was called by the [redacted]s about this concern. On approximately August 11, 2015 I returned to the home to reinspect the sunroom windows. During that return I observed three of the windows had water stains on the sliding "sashes", and the one window did have some deterioration (rusty nails and deteriorated wood), on just the Sashes. The was no damage to any of the window sills, or frames, and no structural damage to three of the windows. I have photographs of the August visit which support the claims I've made here in item 2. I reviewed my field notes and realized I had noted water stains on the windows during the inspection. (cosmetic conditions are worth noting and talking about during and inspection; however, the ASHI Scope excludes reporting cosmetic conditions as 'defective").3. The IRC (international residential code) requires tempered glass under a long list of rules, but no tempered glass is required in sliding windows in any location, when the are under nine (9) square feet, which all of these windows are under nine (9) Square feet. The IRC does not require tempered glass in this location. IRC TABLE [redacted](2) MINIMUM CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION OF GLAZING USING [redacted](Disclaimer: I am not a code compliant inspector. We need to know the codes or know how to reference them.)4. I responded to her initial inquiry and visited the house within a week. And I have copies of all of our communications which will the support my claim that I have always made efforts to respond to her communications. There was one period of a few weeks where I was waiting form y attorney to draft a response, she knew I had hired one, and was waiting for the attorney.ASHI standards and my contract with all clients clearly stipulate that there are no warranties with inspection services. A thorough professional inspection was performed for the [redacted]s which was in full compliance with the standards set forth by ASH. The minor amount of deterioration in those two sashes was not present during the inspection and evolved during the 10-11 weeks before they took occupancy of the house.I also have a different attorney that I am working with who should have an additional response to the [redacted]s letters. I will forward a copy of [redacted]'s response to the Revdex.com as soon as its completed.It's my position that their claims are unrealistic and unwarranted, that I performed a thorough professional inspection in full compliance with the detailed fifteen (15) page Standards of Practice drafted by ASHI. I've performed hundreds of inspections in over ten years. This is the first client that has ever Created there own set of expectations which are completely beyond the scope of a home inspection. I have been responsive throughout the entire process.This letter was intended to address the [redacted]s claims. I've also attached a letter from my attorney, [redacted], which should clarify this process from a legal perspective.Regards,Steve M