[Problems & Solutions]

What’s next?

During the last two months I have discussed issues surrounding WDI inspections, namely, mulch and the distance of termite evidence from a structure and the issue of reporting conducive conditions. This month I hope to end this discourse with a discussion of other "sensitive" subjects that cause some concern when performing WDI inspections.

Attics/Crawl Spaces. First, let’s tackle attics and crawl spaces. In some states there is no discussion: Pest management professionals will (if they can) gain access and inspect these areas of the structure. The reason is there are insects (namely termites — drywood and subterranean) that can infest homes from these areas. (I know attics can be extremely hot, but the inspection regulations usually require an inspection for attics and crawl spaces.)

But, what about other states? Many pest management professionals who use the NPMA-33 form say to me, "We don’t have to inspect crawl spaces or attics if the crawl space is less than 24 inches, or there are no fixed accesses to the attic." Well, that may be one interpretation but that is not what the NPMA-33 form says. It says you can deem these areas inaccessible if (fill in the blank with a reason). So, you need a company policy that states when and/or under what circumstances you will enter these spaces during an inspection. It’s pretty simple really. But, if you resolve to not enter these areas when inspecting and there is a problem, be assured that the plaintiff’s expert will do everything humanly possible to get into these areas, assuming you performed an inadequate inspection.

Sounding and Probing. Our general definition of an inspection usually includes some statement about sounding and probing that was performed during the inspection. A couple of questions often come up, mainly: when, where and how often? What do you need to see or observe to make you sound a piece of wood or probe an area on a piece of wood? Where would you sound or probe without any evidence? Would you do that? What about those "vulnerable areas" like sill plates where dirt-fill porches, garages and other slabs abut the foundation? How often do you probe and sound? Every 2 feet, 3 feet, only in the immediate area of the evidence (whatever "immediate" means)? Between every joist in a basement or crawl area? These items need to be described in company policies and protocols for inspections.

Insulation. What about insulation? For the most part we do not move insulation that is between the floor joists and obscures the sub-floor area. We list it as an "obstruction" and say it makes viewing the underside of the floor in crawl spaces inaccessible.

But what about insulation along the sill plate area? The insulation is often just stuffed in there, maybe by an insulation contractor or by the homeowner, and it may obscure the top of the sill plate. If you see evidence of termite activity in that area, do you lift the insulation to investigate further? If you do, then how far will you go in moving the insulation to determine if the infestation is active, has caused some damage or continues past the area you immediately see? Again, the policy here is to determine when you will move the insulation (if at all) and how far you will investigate. Some would say once we move it we have to move it all, but I do not necessarily believe that is the case. If you document what you’re doing during the inspection and what prompts this action, then that would suffice in most cases in explaining your inspection procedures.

Drop Ceilings. Drop ceilings in basements are other situations that often have to be addressed. We see these in many older finished basements. We again list most of these as inaccessible areas or obstructions for our inspection of the floor joists and sill plate, which are above these ceilings.

I have heard many pest management professionals say they move some of these tiles to inspect the sill plate area that is behind porches or slabs abutting the structure. But it needs to be noted that your pest management firm needs to have a policy that you either don’t touch them or if you do, when, where and why you would do so. In many cases in older homes I would not touch these. If you break a tile it would be a problem because often such tiles are irreplaceable.

If you try and can’t move these tiles (because of obstructions like pipes) then on your report(s) you should say you tried and could not move them.

There are probably many other areas you could think of that need to be addressed and discussed among your fellow inspectors. Hopefully these last three columns have started you thinking about these policies, protocols and details of WDI inspections that carry huge liability risks.

The author is president of George Rambo Consulting Services, Seneca, S.C. Questions can be faxed to him at 864/654-2447 or e-mailed to grambo@giemedia.com