Peter C. Harvey, Attorney General

Division of Consumer Affairs
Reni Erdos, Director

NEWARK - The Home Inspection Advisory Committee is reminding all individuals who are working as home inspectors and who have not obtained a license to practice they have less than a year to comply with State law requiring licensure, Attorney General Peter C. Harvey and Consumer Affairs Director Reni Erdos said.

In June, the Committee sent out letters to hundreds of prospective home inspectors informing them of amendments to the home inspector law that may now qualify them for licensure under new "grandfather" provisions.

Bill number S-1685, signed into law by Governor James E. McGreevey on May 23, 2003, amended the Home Inspection Professional Licencing Act, and sets forth provisions for individuals who have completed hundreds of home inspections but who may not have qualified under the old guidelines to now be eligible for licensure. The law was also amended to extend the deadline to obtain a license from May 30, 2003 to June 30, 2004.

Some 1,500 people were sent letters. To date, 230 individuals have become licensed as home inspectors. An additional 151 individuals' applications are pending approval. The old rules required applicants to demonstrate that they had completed 300 home inspections during the three years preceding May 30, 2003, to qualify for licensure under the "grandfather"provisions. Those with less than the 300 home inspections or who could not prove they completed the inspections within the specified time frame, were required to become a licensed associate home inspector, work under the supervision of a licensed home inspector for a year and complete 250 home inspections within that one year period before qualifying to become a licensed home inspector. The new amendments provide that individuals who can prove they have completed 400 home inspections before June 30, 2004 now qualify for licensure.

"For many people, a home is their biggest investment," Attorney General Harvey said. "For that reason, hiring a qualified home inspector is so important."

"Without the amendments, consumers would have been faced with a shortage of licensed home inspectors who could lawfully do home inspections in New Jersey,"Director Erdos said. "By extending the deadline and changing the time line for completing the home inspections, the law now expands the pool of qualified home inspectors from which consumers may choose."

The Committee encourages all individuals performing home inspections to become licensed as home inspectors or associated home inspectors as soon as possible. Anyone who is caught practicing without a home inspection license or and associate home inspector license after June 30, 2004 will face sanctions by the Committee. For additional information regarding licensing requirements or to receive an application for either an Associate Home Inspector's licence or a Home Inspector's License under the "grandfather" provision, contact the Committee office at 973-504-6233, or applications may be downloaded from the Committee's Web site at www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/nonmed.htm#eng8 .