Buyer beware: The Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors Standards and Practice doesn’t require home inspectors to disclose hazardous materials in homes–including asbestos, mold, and even harmful toxic drywall. Check out the story below (link):
The reason the for this? Home inspectors are not accredited inspectors for asbestos, mold, and toxic drywall. This raises two questions. Should home inspectors be required to be accredited to inspect for hazardous materials? Or should homeowners or buyers have to pay a licensed, accredited specialist to test for harmful materials? Either way, it seems something must be done. Asbestos exposure can be fatal, exposure to high levels of certain kinds of mold can cause health problems, and toxic drywall is not only bad for your health, but it also destroys houses from the inside out.
According to one anonymous home inspector in the story, realtors sometimes tell him to “sugar coat” inspections, and if he gives negative inspections, he won’t be hired as often.
None of the realtors I know would put the health of potential home buyers at risk, but something should be done to correct this.
Until then, it might be worth spending a little extra money having a home inspected for asbestos, mold, or toxic drywall–especially if it is an older home, one that has had moisture damage (leaky roofs–look for brown spots on ceilings and walls), or was rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.
If you have questions or need recommendations on what to look for in buildings to determine if there might be hazardous material, please contact me for a 30 minute consultation at no charge, or sound off by leaving a comment below.
Stay vigilant, my friends.
Chris White, P.E., LEED AP has been helping clients solve problems for 20 years. He is the Most Interesting Engineer in the World. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisWhitePE.
