Still Up in the Air

So far we've been able to report with some certainty that:

• Home Inspector Licensing will very likely become mandatory in the state of Maryland at some point - probably early 2008.
  
• The Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation (DLLR) intends to issue licenses to those who turned in applications prior to July 1, 2002 and were eligible at the time. Those applicants have been informed by mail.
  
• All others will be required to show evidence of having attended a 48-hour class approved by the commission.
  
• No courses have yet been approved.
  
• Acting under the authority granted it by the legislature, the commission has drafted a Standard of Practice (SoP)and a Code of Ethics (CoE). These documents should become available for public review and comment soon.
  

Important questions however, continue to linger:

• What criteria will the commission use to approve courses?
  
• Will courses be approved retroactively?
  
• Will testing be required to confirm that the student actually learned something in the class?
  
• When will the DLLR update the information on the state website so that we can see the SoP and the CoE?
  

Perhaps these issues will be addressed at the meeting next Tuesday 2/6/07.

Hollis

Progress at DLLR

The licensing commission continues to make progress. Funds were recently allocated to hire additional staff. Special meetings and work sessions have been scheduled.

The next meeting of the commission is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6. It is anticipated that discussion of the approval process for training courses will be near the top of the agenda.

Hollis

Grandfather Clause

Progress continues toward licensing of Maryland home inspectors. Those inspectors who had submitted applications prior to July 1, 2002 have begun receiving letters from the Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation (DLLR) advising them of the status of their applications. It appears that those inspectors who were deemed by DLLR to have been eligible prior to July 1, '02 and who respond to those letters, will be issued licenses pursuant to §16-3A-02. All others, regardless of experience and training, will be required to comply with the provisions of §16-3A-03 & 05.

Hollis

Home Inspector Licensing is Coming

Title 16, section 3A, number 01 of the Annotated Code of Maryland mandates licensing of home inspectors. This law has been on the books since 2001. Its implementation however, has been postponed until now. It appears that licensing will become mandatory some time in 2008.

The state licensing commission has begun the process of reviewing license applications submitted prior to July 1, 2002 pursuant to §16-3A-02. Only those home inspectors who had applied prior to July 1, 2002 will be considered for licensing under this grandfather clause. All others will be required to submit applications under the provisions of §16-3A-03 & 05. In a nutshell, the requirements for licensing are:

1. 48 hours of commission approved classroom training
2. High school diploma or equivalency
3. $50,000 general liability insurance policy
4. Submit application
5. $50 application fee
6. $400 biannual license fee.
   

Notwithstanding information that has been circulating to the contrary, no courses have yet (1/19/07) been approved by the commission. It is not yet clear however, whether or not classes will be approved retroactively.

A quarterly meeting of the Maryland Commission of Real Estate Appraisers and Home Inspectors is scheduled for next Tuesday January 23, 2007. It is likely that this matter will be discussed at that meeting.