Oct. 31, 2019
HARRISBURG – Legislation sponsored by Rep. Bill Kortz (D-Allegheny) and Rep. Sue Helm (R-Dauphin) that would license home inspectors passed the House of Representatives Wednesday.
House Bill 21 would license home inspectors under the State Board of Real Estate Appraisers, set qualifications for licensure, and prohibit unlicensed individuals from conducting inspections or claiming that they are licensed home inspectors. Additional consumer protections in the bill include a requirement that home inspectors notify clients of evidence of interior mold found during the inspection process. The bill now heads to the Senate for approval before being sent to the governor’s desk for a final signature.
“The passage of House Bill 21 represents an important step forward in consumer protection during the home buying process,” said Helm. “Home inspectors are the only individuals that are unlicensed during the entire real estate transaction. Since other professionals who are prominent in the home buying process are licensed, such as real estate agents and appraisers, many consumers incorrectly assume that home inspectors are licensed as well. I hope the Senate and the governor act quickly to add this important enhancement to the health, safety and welfare of Pennsylvania home buyers.”
“A home is usually the most expensive – and the most important – purchase an individual will make in their entire life,” said Kortz. “We have heard stories from across Pennsylvania of home inspectors who never notified prospective home buyers of widespread internal mold. As a result, these consumers were forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars remediating the mold, suffering financial devastation and risking their health. Our legislation will make sure that does not happen to another home buyer, and I look forward to seeing it advance further through the legislative process.”
The bill was passed by a vote of 176-22 and is now before the Senate for consideration.
For more information on Helm and her legislative priorities, please visit
SueHelm.net or
Facebook.com/RepHelm.
Representative Sue Helm
104th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Kevin DiGuiseppe
717.260.6419
kdiguiseppe@pahousegop.com
SueHelm.net /
Facebook.com/RepHelm