Holders of certain occupational licenses such as engineers and architects may also perform inspections. There are different requirements for each license, and an applicant must pass an examination to be licensed as a real estate inspector or professional inspector. There are two approaches to obtaining a license.
Some persons begin as apprentice inspectors under the sponsorship of a professional inspector.
They next become licensed as real estate inspectors, and then as professional inspectors after satisfying education and experience requirements, including the completion of specified numbers of inspections. Using an alternative approach, an applicant may substitute specific additional courses or personal experience in lieu of the requirements of first having been licensed as an apprentice or real estate inspector and having completed the required inspections. TREC Rules provide the minimum standards under which inspections of residential property must be conducted. Most inspections of residential property also must be reported on a standard Property Inspection Report form approved by the Commission.