standard of practice

Why You MUST Follow Your SOP

SOP is Your Best FriendFollow your SOP. It’s a theme I ingrain in the minds of home inspectors who attend my Law and Disorder Seminar. It’s one of the 6 key strategies to diminish your chances of being successfully sued by an enraged, irrational client.

One thing that can NOT go unnoticed in the thousands of SOPs I’ve read across various states and professional organizations is this: “The home inspector is not required to:” followed by a litany of issues for which the home inspector is NOT responsible during a limited, non-invasive home inspection.

In this week’s video blog, I examine the SOP’s key elements and how to utilize your own SOP as a safeguard against clients who want to come after you for a result you did not cause and/or an issue you weren’t required to inspect.

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“The Home Inspector is Not Required to…”

Follow Your SOP - Tip 35I stress to home inspectors about the legal importance of religiously following their SOP. I know that some home inspectors exceed their SOPs to “stand out” from competitors, but these “stand-out” inspectors are also opening themselves up to more possible liability.

I have read 1000s of SOPs, and a common thread in all of them is this: many phrases that begin, “The home inspector is not required to…” followed by a host of things for which the home inspector is not responsible.

However, I still receive many questions during seminars about the figurative Pandora’s box of legal issues that could arise from exceeding the SOP. Is the SOP that strong? Does exceeding it really open the inspector up to increased possible liability?

I go deeper into the issue in this week’s video blog.

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