Prescott Daily Courier Columns

Courier column, December 19, 2008

My wife pointed out a letter to the editor in this paper about a week ago. This totally unsolicited and unexpected letter stated the writer always looks forward to my columns. I appreciate that you appreciate my columns (and your gift certificate is in the mail).

I have some great questions here about tankless water heaters, arbitration, shingle roofs, hot water circulators, whether GM should file bankruptcy, how long Hillary will last working for Obama, etc. All these questions require thinking, and possibly some research. Since this is my last column before Christmas, I picked a nice easy question.

I had a call from an inspector the other day asking how long he should keep his inspection reports. He uses a paper/checklist report format, so a couple thousand inspection reports take up a lot of room. I told him the Arizona Rules and Statutes that regulate home inspectors don't specifically address this, but the Board of Technical Registration recommends keeping reports at least five years.

I've made my reports on a computer since 1994. I keep the current year reports right on my desktop and previous years on an external hard drive.

For some reason, that phone call made me decide to 'clean up' my old inspection report folders. It was amusing, and a little scary, to read some of my first computer-generated inspection reports.

Inspection reports changed a lot in 2001, when home inspectors in Arizona became regulated and had an official Arizona Standards of Practice to comply with. But inspection reports have changed a lot over the years for other reasons, including, of course attorneys. This prompted me to write the following History of Home Inspection Report Writing. (I admit the last paragraph may be slightly exaggerated.)

1986: The bathtub faucet leaks.

1988: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking.

1990: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection.

1992: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection and should be repaired.

1994: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection and should be repaired or replaced as required.

1996: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection and should be repaired or replaced as required by a licensed plumbing contractor.

1998: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection and should be repaired or replaced as required by a licensed plumbing contractor to prevent water damage to the home.

2000: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection and should be repaired or replaced as required by a licensed plumbing contractor before the close of escrow. This will prevent water damage to the home.

2003: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection and should be repaired or replaced as required by a licensed plumbing contractor before the close of escrow. This will prevent water damage to the home. Water leaks in bathrooms can cause substantial damage to the framing and structure of the home that is not visible in this limited visual-only home inspection. Further investigation is recommended.

2006: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection and should be repaired or replaced as required by a licensed plumbing contractor before the close of escrow. This will prevent water damage to the home. Water leaks in bathrooms can cause substantial damage to the framing and structure of the home that is not visible in this limited visual-only home inspection. Further investigation is recommended. Also note that water leaks can cause mold growth in the walls. Mold can be hazardous to you or your neighbors, who could sue you for dangerous mold fibers blowing over into their yard.

2009: The bathtub faucet was observed to be leaking at the time of the inspection and should be repaired or replaced as required by a licensed plumbing contractor before the close of escrow. This will prevent water damage to the home. Water leaks in bathrooms can cause substantial damage to the framing and structure of the home that is not visible in this limited visual-only home inspection. Further investigation is recommended. Also note that water leaks can cause mold growth in the walls. Mold can be hazardous to you or your neighbors, who could sue you for dangerous mold fibers blowing over into their yard. Also, the constant dripping of the faucet could keep you awake at night. This could result in your physician prescribing medication to help you sleep. The stress of not enough sleep and the neighbors suing you could cause you to become addicted to these medicines. This could result in you falling asleep at work and losing your job. The lack of income combined with the costs of defending yourself from your neighbor's lawsuit could result in you losing your home to foreclosure. This could in turn cause your wife to leave you, and she'll likely take your bank account and medicines with her. This could result in you wandering the streets in a withdrawal daze until you're arrested and committed to a rehab facility. When you are released from the rehab program and are in the market for a new home, please contact our office; we do offer a discount for repeat customers.

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