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A letter was recently emailed to all members about a
new proposed piece of legislation in Massachusetts
that would negatively effect all home inspectors. The
letter is reprinted below:
Dear Home Inspector,
The information provided below is not good. In fact,
this news should infuriate you, and hopefully upset
you enough to be proactive to change new legislation
that will negatively impact all licensed MA home
inspectors. I urge you to carefully read the text below
and to fully understand its impact on our profession.
What is the effect of Chapter 13, section 97A on you
and your business?
[Text of section added by 2008, 169, Sec. 5
effective July 2, 2009. See 2008, 169, Sec. 121.]
Section 97A. The board of registration of home
inspectors, in consultation with the state board of
building regulations and standards, the executive
office of energy and environmental affairs and the
energy efficiency advisory council, shall develop
requirements and adopt regulations to require
documents to be provided to a buyer of a single-family
residential dwelling or a multiple-family residential
dwelling with less than 5 dwelling units, or a
condominium unit at the time of closing, outlining the
procedures and benefits of a home energy audit;
provided however, that no additional fees shall be
imposed or collected in connection with the provision
of such documents.
Chapter 13, section 97A of the MGL appears innocent
enough; however, a closer look at the language is
required to understand what is being mandated. As
presently written; the law requires the Home
Inspection Board to develop a regulation requiring
home inspectors to attend every closing on a dwelling
which they and/or their company provided the
inspection report in order to hand out a brochure
(developed by MASS SAVE) explaining the benefits of
a home energy audit.
Further, it stipulates that the home inspector cannot
impose and/or collect any additional fee and/or fees in
connection with the delivery of this document.
What does all of this mean?
Talk about overregulation, this law guarantees you will
be put out of business one way or another.
If you favor this law and regulation do nothing, be
happy.
If you see it as the threat, it is, show up at the next
Board meeting (May 13, 2009) and express your
outrage. In the meantime, contract your state
representative and senator
http://www.mass.gov/legis/city_town.htm and them
know the impact of this law and ask them to change it.
Both Dennis Robitelli and I have filed the amendment
below with our local legislators. As soon as a bill
number is assigned for the amendment, YOU should
actively contact your local legislators and voice your
concern. Hopefully a grass roots group effort will
correct this poor legislation.
Amendment to chapter 13, section 97A
The director of consumer affairs and business regulation, after consultation with the board of home inspectors, the state board of building regulations and standards, the executive office of energy and environmental affairs and the energy efficiency advisory council, shall develop a brochure to be provided by the lender, to a buyer of a single family residential dwelling or a multiple- family residential dwelling with less than 5 dwelling units, or a condominium unit at the time of closing, outlining the procedures and benefits of a home energy audit; provided however, that no additional fees shall be imposed or collected in connection with the provision of such documents. Regards,
Bob Mulloy, Chairman ASHI-NE Chapter Education Committee |
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ASAP Environmental
HEALTHY HOMES FOR BETTER LIVING
1 Arcadia St. Dorchester, MA 02122
inspections@asapenvironmental.com 800-349-7779 www.asapenvironmental.com
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The chapter's next membership meeting and
educational program will take place on Thursday,
April 23rd at The Lantana in Randolph, MA. The
meeting will start with dinner at 5:00 followed by the
roundtable at 6:00.
Our program will offer an introduction and discussion
of the Andersen Service Program lead by Brian
Harding of Andersen Windows and Doors. The
presentation will address best practices for
understanding the service program available to
homeowners, explain how to schedule for service of
Andersen products and provide a review of common
issues for windows and door products. Brian will be
joined in the discussion by Mark Daley of Brockway-
Smith Company, a millworking firm that also
manufactures window products in addition to molding
and trim options useful in window and door
applications. Together they will discuss how to avoid
and resolve problems and offer a window and door
flashing overview, including how it relates to recent
building code changes. Both will offer a general
product update. Also related to building codes, we will
learn about design pressure and opening protection
code requirements. Our speakers will provide a
summary and take questions from the audience.
I look forward to seeing everyone at this membership
meeting to hear these excellent speakers.
Bob Mulloy, Education Chairman
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FREA
E&O Insurance for Home Inspectors
800-882-4410 www.frea.com |
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The chapter's Nominating Committee reports that the
ballots from the recent election have been tallied.
They offer their congratulations to Len Rucker of
Home & Hearth Inspections in Raynham Center, MA
who has been elected to the position of treasurer. His
term will expire on December 31, 2009.
The Nominating Committee also congratulates Alex
Steinberg of JBS Home Inspections in Watertown, MA
who has been elected to the Board of Directors. His
term will expire on December 31, 2011.
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CORCORAN & HAVLIN INSURANCE GROUP
THE SUPERIOR HOME INSPECTOR ERRORS &
OMISSIONS INSURANCE PROGRAM!
Underwritten by AIG's Lexington Insurance Company - Rated A++ by A.M. Best Home Inspector E&O Coverage offers these features:
For a quote or more information, please call Debi
Drury (x244 or ddrury@chinsurance.com) or
Mike Curtis, Marketing Manager (x243) or visit
website at www.chinsurance.com
287 Linden Street, Wellesley, MA 02482 800-304-8242 Fax 781-235-7190 |
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The Board of Home Inspectors who are responsible
for initiating and administrating the home inspector
rules in New Hampshire is holding public hearing on
Thursday, April 30, 2009. It will be held at 9:30 am at
the Joint Board office located at 57 Regional Drive in
Concord, NH.
This is a public hearing to discuss the initial proposed
administrative rules. These proposed administrative
rules are posted on their web site, which a link is
provided below.
The deadline for submitting materials in relation to
these administrative rules, either in writing or
electronically is May 8, 2009 at 4:00 pm.
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CRACK-X
Got water in your basement?
Since 1985, CRACK-X has been a full service company specializing in residential and commercial foundation welding of cracks and other concrete repairs such as bulkheads, penetrations, cold joints, elevator pits, and slabs. We are committed to 100% customer satisfaction and back up all vertical wall crack repairs with an unconditional 10-year warranty. 25 Washington Avenue, Natick, MA 01760
877-272-2539 www.crackfx.com |
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B-Dry Systems
20 YEARS OF SOLVING WATER PROBLEMS
Written warranty for the full life of the structure. 800-320-2379
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The association office would like to pass along
information on two members who are facing their own
road to recovery. They would appreciate hearing from
fellow inspectors.
Retired member, Al Morrison has just had serious
heart surgery and would like to hear from chapter
members. He can be reached at KidAdam@aol.com
or 203 Upham St. Melrose MA 02176. Despite recent
health setbacks, he remains resolute in his plans to
golf excessively, rest exuberantly, and stay off ladders
and on Prince Edward Island for as late into 2009 as
the weather allows
Mark Forkey is very ill. He'd appreciate a shout out
from any home inspectors inclined to say hello. He
can be reached at mark_forkey@msn.com
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Vent Master
ATTIC VENTILATION SPECIALISTS
Inspectors, when you see signs of:
Recommend Vent Master For a FREE consultation, call Don Marcoux at Vent
Master
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in
cooperation with the firm named below,
announced a voluntary recall of the following
consumer product. Consumers should stop using
recalled products immediately unless otherwise
instructed.
Name of Product: Bosch® and Siemens® Model
Dishwashers
Units: About 476,500
Manufacturer: BSH Home Appliances Corp., of
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Hazard: An electrical component in certain model
dishwashers can overheat, posing a fire hazard to
consumers.
Incidents/Injuries: BSH Home Appliances has
received 51 reports of incidents, including 30 reports
of fires resulting in property damage. No injuries have
been reported.
Description: This recall involves certain Bosch® and
Siemens® dishwashers manufactured from May 1999
through July 2005. The brand name is printed on the
dishwasher's front control panel. Model and serials
numbers are located inside the dishwasher door
panel on the upper right side.
Brand Model Numbers Must Begin With Serial
Numbers within the range of
Bosch SHE43C, SHE44C
SHE46C, SHE56C
SHU33
SHU42
SHU432
SHU43C, SHU53A FD8503 - FD8507
FD8501 - FD8505
FD7905 - FD8505
FD8407 - FD8505
FD8004 - FD8211
FD8205 - FD8507
Siemens SL34A FD8308 - FD8505
Sold at: Appliance and specialty retailers nationwide
from May 1999 through December 2006 for between
$550 and $1,100.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using
the listed model dishwashers and contact the repair
hotline for a free repair.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact
the BSH Home Appliances at (800) 856-9226 anytime
or visit the brand's Web site at
www.boschappliances.com or www.siemens-
home.com
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Peter Greifer Enterprises
ASBESTOS REMOVAL & MOLD REMEDIATION
Serving Eastern Massachusetts & Rhode Island 800-582-5288
401-946-4506 (Rhode Island) peter.greifer@verizon.net |
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Recently, ASHI took steps to make the ASHI Standard
of Practice and Code of Ethics requirement more
accessible to new members. The Standard of Practice
exam was only available through an outside provider.
Now, it has been updated to an Education Module,
accessible directly through the ASHI Web site.
The module as a membership status requirement
Bringing the education module in house is beneficial
to new and existing members and to ASHI as an
organization. New members may access the module
at any time through the Members Only section of
www.HomeInspector.org at no additional charge.
Elimination of the $85 fee to an outside provider will
ease the monetary burden on new inspectors joining
ASHI. By providing an easily accessible no fee
module, ASHI expects to increase new member
retention because doing so removes a hurdle that
prevented applicants from quickly learning our
Standards and staking their claim as part of the ASHI
family.
The module as a resource for all members
Existing members can use the education module to
test their knowledge of the ASHI Standards of Practice
and Code of Ethics. This can be done through the
Education and Training section on
www.HomeInspector.org.
Exam vs. module
ASHI's requirement to demonstrate knowledge of and
agreement to follow the Standards of Practice and
Code of Ethics to achieve Associate with Logo Use
status has not changed. Only the method of doing so
has. The procedure includes the exact same 50
questions used in the third-party exam. Proof of
successfully completing the education module must
be provided to ASHI. The software tracking program
crosschecks usage records and records completion
in the member's file.
The Standards of Practice Education Module has
been created at no cost by using technology already
owned by ASHI. Committee members, Board and staff
worked to fulfill a request to streamline the process
and reduce the cost of joining ASHI without
compromising the requirements.
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Rene Mugnier Associates
When in doubt, refer to a structural engineer
specializing in the investigation of homes and
commercial structural problems.
REHABILITATIONS & INVESTIGATIONS
777 Concord Ave., Ste. 201, Cambridge, MA 02138
617-547-7773 |
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The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Home
Inspectors holds meetings on a regular basis that are
open for home inspectors to attend. These board
meetings are usually held at 239 Causeway Street,
2nd Floor, Room 204 in Boston from 10:00 am to 3:00
pm.
The meeting dates for 2009 are as
follows:
May 13, 2009 July 15, 2009 September 16, 2009 November 18, 2009 You are encouraged to call the board office at 617-727-
4459 for any posssible changes in location and time
of these meetings.
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Atlas Watersystems
WE DON'T MAKE THE WATER.
WE MAKE THE WATER BETTER!! Residential & Commercial Water
Filtration & Purification Water Testing & Analysis
Radon & Arsenic Remediation Softeners * Filters * Purification 800-215-9966 www.atlaswater.com "Bringing Technology to Water"
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President
Lisa Alajajian-Giroux /
homequest1@comcast.net
Vice President
Mike Atwell /
m.atwell@rcn.com
Secretary Donald Bissex /
dbissex@comcast.net
Treasurer
Len Rucker /
lrucker1@comcast.net
Directors
Paul Cornell / pcornell@inspecthouses.com Paul Rogoshewski / paul@harmonyhomeinspection.com Alex Steinberg / alex@jbsinspections.com Council of Representatives
Lisa Alajajian / homequest1@comcast.net Bill Sutton / wsuttoninspector@hotmail.com Committee Chair
By- Laws: Mike Atwell / m.atwell@rcn.com Communications: Education: Bob Mulloy / rmulloy@verizon.net Legislative: Membership: Executive Director
Walter Perry /
wperry@choiceonemail.com
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We look forward to seeing you at our monthly membership meeting on April 23rd !
Sincerely,
ASHI New England
email:
clough@choiceonemail.com
phone:
800-248-2744
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