Going Beyond Deficiency Writing
The Guide for Home Inspections Answers the Toughest Questions.
Good home inspection reports present deficiencies in a specific format: "describe, explain, and recommend." The purpose of this consistent approach is to report what the inspector observed, show the potential implications due to the deficiency, and recommend a course of action to resolve the deficiency. It is intended that the recommendation be followed if the implications are significant to the intended use, occupancy, individual preference and budget of the report user. There may be circumstances where the reader requires additional help or clarification as part of their decision making process.
One way to provide this information is to provide background information. Inspection reports, in specific cases, include reference to building code, or other credible publication to illustrate how the observed condition is, in fact, a deficiency. However, since such research is a time consuming and exhaustive approach, and may require a high degree of technical knowledge, citing sources is not suitable for general use within a report. This is where the Guide for Home Inspections is a resource; it examines the most frequently questioned topics and provides a wealth of information that would not be practical to include in a report.