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FROM THE EDITOR
5
T H E C A N A D I A N
HOME INSPECTOR
Welcome to the Canadian Home Inspector!
Summer 2012 Edition
I
have a story to share about the use of photogra-
phy during home inspections. Before going any
further, I happen to think a camera is a pretty
important piece of home inspection gear, in spite
of the following story. Let’s begin with a friend of
mine, going back many years now.
One day he received a call from a client complaining
that he’d missed some asbestos wrapped around
the boot of a heat register. The client was in the process of replacing the
hardwood throughout the main floor of the house and the installer pointed
it out to him.
My friend explained that, due to its location, it would have been all but
impossible to see during a home inspection. After all, a home inspection
isn’t technically exhaustive, right?
The client countered that he should have seen it, since it is in one of the
many photos my friend provided with the inspection report.
We went to the house to discuss the matter firsthand with the upset client. It
was my friend’s first complaint and he was nervous. Plus, it’s always a good
idea to bring along a witness when investigating a complaint. You don’t want
to end up in court in a situation where it’s your word against theirs, and you
have no one to back up what you said.
Long story short, the photo was damning. He told them he’d get back to
them and left. In the end, he paid them close to a grand to make the problem
go away. He’d started by offering a refund, but with such incontrovertible
photographic evidence in hand, they wouldn’t go for it, even though envi-
ronmental concerns such as this were expressly excluded in the contract.
Here’s my point. While photography may be an important and valuable part
of the home inspection process in this day and age, it can also bite you in
the backside if you’re not careful. Handing over a CD with a 100 photos on
it, rather than 10 carefully selected ones, only increases your risk should
something go wrong. Take as many photos as you like – 100, 250, what-
ever. But, when deciding which to provide to the client, I suggest submitting
only the ones that truly help illuminate the defect you are describing in the
report.
On another note, you may have noticed our Spring Issue is now the Summer
Issue. We decided it would be best if the issues reflected the time of year
the magazine arrives in your mailbox, rather than our production schedule.
Going forward, the issue you receive in June will be known as our Summer
issue, and the issue you receive in March will be our Spring issue. The Fall
issue (delivered late November) will remain unchanged.
Once more, we remind you that we would love to hear from you. Send
your submissions, photos, story ideas, suggestions, feedback, letters to
the editor, or whatever to Dave Bottoms at
See you next
issue!
Enjoy!
Dave Bottoms, Editor-in-Chief
The Canadian Home Inspector Magazine
Dave Bottoms, Editor-in-Chief
Alrek Meipoom, Founding Editor
Sharry Featherston, Publisher
Kirk Iredale, RHI
Magazine Committee
Laurel Harris, RHI
Doug Wilson, RHI
Jean Laframboise, RHI
Sharry Featherston
Head Office
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Home & Property Inspectors
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