Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 158 - Construction Industries Board › Chapter 70 - Home Inspection Industry Regulations › Subchapter 1 - General Provisions › Section 158:70-1-3 - Standards of workmanship and practice

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
(a) General
				requirements.
(1) These standards of practice
				are the minimum levels of inspection practice required of inspectors for the
				components and systems identified in these rules. No additional inspection
				beyond these standards of practice set out by the rules is required. Any
				additional inspection services provided beyond or outside the scope of the
				standards of practice is a contractual matter between the parties. Home
				inspections performed in accordance with these standards of practice are
				intended to provide the client with information regarding the condition of the
				systems and components at the time of the inspection.
(2) The inspector shall be governed by the
				following general requirements:
(A) The
				inspector shall inspect all readily accessible installed systems and components
				listed in these standards of practice.
(B) The inspector shall complete a written
				inspection report in accordance with these standards and submit the report to
				the client within an agreed upon time frame.
(C) The inspector shall identify in any
				written report the client, the inspector who performed the inspection by name
				and license number, and the address of the inspected property.
(D) The inspector shall report:
(i) those systems and components inspected,
				which in the professional opinion of the inspector, are in normal working
				order;
(ii) those systems and
				components inspected which, in the professional opinion of the inspector, are
				not in normal working order and the reason, if not self-evident;
(iii) those systems and components inspected
				which, in the professional opinion of the inspector, could impair the safety of
				the occupants or client and the reason, if not self-evident;
(iv) the inspector's recommendations to have
				corrected, further evaluated or monitored any reported condition or defect;
				and,
(v) any systems and
				components designated for inspection in these standards, which were present at
				the time of the Home Inspection but were not inspected and the reason they were
				not inspected.
(3) These standards of practice are not
				intended to limit inspectors from:
(A)
				including other inspection services or inspecting other systems or components
				in addition to those required by these Standards when agreed to by the parties
				contracting for inspection services;
(B) providing a higher level of inspection
				performance than required by these Standards;
(C) reporting other observations or
				conditions in addition to those required by these Standards after any
				additional conditions are evaluated and would meet the overall purpose of the
				home inspection, including categorizing additionally reported item, such as but
				not limited to life and safety, functionality or general maintenance; or,
(D) excluding systems and
				components from the inspection, if requested by the client in writing prior to
				the inspection and recorded on a signed form, such as the sample form "Sample
				Home Inspection Exclusion" at Appendix A of this Chapter.
(4) All home inspectors shall maintain a log
				or record of all home inspections performed, for a minimum period of five (5)
				years from the date of inspection. The log or record shall include the name of
				the client, the address of the property, and the date of the inspection. The
				home inspector shall maintain a copy of all home inspections completed within
				the past thirty-six (36) months. The log or record and inspection reports may
				be a hard file or an electronic file and shall be maintained at the home
				inspector's principal business address. The files shall be available for review
				upon request of an authorized representative of the Construction Industries
				Board.
(5) A home inspector who
				visually examines any portion of a residential unit that is part of a real
				property consisting of more than four (4) dwelling units, shall advise, in
				writing, the person requesting the visual examination that the visual
				examination being conducted by the home inspector is not governed by the Act
				and these rules.
(6) All home
				inspectors should provide the standards of practice of this section to all
				potential clients prior to the home inspection by proof of signature of
				acknowledgement.
(7) All home
				inspectors should require a written pre-inspection agreement to be signed by
				the client prior to the commencement of a home inspection.