Northstar Property Inspections

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowRegards,
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Inspector placed crawl space door in place but clearly did not latch it or it would not have came offI have lived in the home for years and the door has never came off beforeAs for insulation it is a block crawl space and walls are not suppose to be insulatedDuct work keeps it above freezing in the crawl space with cold weather happening before with no frozen pipesIf you leave your front door open of course it gets colder in your houseCrawl space door is oversized and this let wind and cold insideInspector knows and admitted he was last one in the area and he simply did not get door latched properly not on purpose but at fault stillHome was not vacant wife and kids lived there so not like we had people messing around with homeI Know the door has never came off and I know pipes have never frozen before factsI also know inspector was in crawl and then door was off and frozen pipes fact1+= fact.%

NorthStar Property Inspections (NorthStar) submits the following in response to Complaint ID #[redacted] regarding purported service issues related to a crawl space door and frozen water pipe.
NorthStar has been performing property inspections as...

related to real estate transactions for ten (10) years.  During this time NorthStar has not received a complaint of properly securing a home following a property inspection. 
This case involves a home inspection performed on 02/04/15.  Seller had owned the property in question at the time of the inspection.  However, the seller was not living in the house prior to and after the inspection.   The buyer hired NorthStar to inspect seller’s home secondary to a real estate purchase/sale contract.  As is customary, buyer and NorthStar were present at the home inspection where as seller was not.  The inspection lasted approximately 4 hours.  NorthStar left the crawlspace secure on 02/04/15 after NorthStar completed the inspection.  NorthStar cannot say who did or did not have access to the crawlspace since 02/04/15.
Seller did not notify Northstar of the 02/20/15 (Friday) frozen pipe issue until 02/22/15 (Sunday).  This is over two weeks after Northstar inspected the property on 02/04/15.  Seller did not give NorthStar opportunity to observe or evaluate the issue, which is standard procedure with a complaint.  NorthStar did speak with seller after the repair was complete.  However, Seller claimed increasing repair costs, including costs for a heater which was damaged when seller used it to thaw the pipe.  The heater damage is not related to the frozen pipe, rather, questionable repair technique.  The frozen pipe occurred during the time the region experienced record low temperatures during February 2015.  Four consecutive days of 10 degree temperatures and lower (9, 10, 5, and 5 degrees) followed by two days of record low temperatures of -2 and -6 degrees.  Wind chills ranged from -15 to -20 degrees.  The pipe freezing occurred during the two days  of record sub-zero temperatures. It is unclear whether seller took or even could have taken the necessary steps regarding extreme cold temperatures which likely resulted in the frozen pipe. 
What is clear is that NorthStar is not responsible for the frozen pipe. 
Seller’s Complaint is misplaced.  The scope of NorthStar’s home inspection regarding the crawlspace is set out below for guidance. 
NorthStar inspected the crawlspace on 02/04/15 at approximately 10:50 a.m.  The walls, plumbing supply lines and a section of copper plumbing pipe running along the ground, in the crawlspace, were not insulated.  The frozen pipe likely resulted from the pre-existing condition of the crawlspace (lack of insulation) in combination with record low temperatures.  Photos document that NorthStar exited the crawlspace at approximately 10:55 A.M.  Northstar properly closed, latched and secured the crawlspace door after inspecting the crawlspace.  NorthStar specifically remembers doing so as there was a significant amount of dog feces outside the crawlspace and NorthStar used the crawlspace door as a shield/protection from the pet waste when it exited the crawlspace.  At approximately 12:30 p.m., NorthStar and buyer (both buyers) did a final walk through at the conclusion of the inspection.  NorthStar and buyer specifically discussed that the crawlspace had a good vapor barrier and there were no signs of moisture issues.  Buyer declined to look inside the crawlspace at that time.  NorthStar states and buyer confirms that the crawlspace door was closed at that time.  NorthStar performed a final sweep of the property and ensured that the condition and security of all doors regarding the property was the same as when NorthStar began the inspection.  The crawlspace door was still closed at this time, which was 2.5 hours after NorthStar exited the crawlspace.  The entire inspection time was approximately 4 hours.   
The crawlspace door was in place just as it was when Northstar arrived.  Therefore, NorthStar is not responsible for the frozen pipe.  
 
[redacted] - Owner/Inspector
NorthStar Property Inspections
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