Canadian Residential Inspection Services

I am a first time home buyers so no idea about this stuff. My agent recommended "E" (home inspector) to me. We did a walkthrough of the house together with my agent, "E" found minor details aside from the noticeable ones and I was impressed. I thought I was lucky to get his service. Now I regretted it.

About a month after we moved in, I discovered water from the upstairs bath was dripping to the basement which happens to be where the electric panel was located. We don't usually go to the basement so I just discovered it when I happened to be there while someone was taking a bath upstairs. I had pointed the water stains to "E" during the inspection but he assured me that they were old stains and should not be of any concern.

A few months after, I decided to add more attic insulation to prepare for the winter. An insulation contractor inspected my attic and discovered a big nest in a corner. He said that it looks like it has been there for quite some time, definitely not a few months old. He is not sure if the nest is still inhabited and advised us to get it removed first. The contractor was even surprised when I mentioned that we recently had a home inspection and it wasn't discovered back then.

While doing renovation in the basement shower, the contractor found that the shower drain was draining poorly and when excavated found that the p trap was punctured and a piece of old tile was plugging it. It seemed that some of the water was seeping out of the punctured drain which he said will be an issue sooner or later because it will cause the ground underneath to soften. The slow drain should have been noticed during the house inspection though.

During renovation as well, it was discovered that water was seeping behind the tiled shower wall and the lower part of the drywall on that side was rotten. I know inspectors cannot see behind walls but on the other side of that wall was the unfinished part of the basement therefore the other side was exposed and with careful inspection the rotting part at the bottom should have been noticed.

I know I should have been more attentive during the inspection so it is partly my fault that I haven't seen those potential issues but that is also the reason why I hired a house inspector in the first place. I am very much disappointed with his service. Our visit during inspection lasted about 2 hours in total, my agent said it was a small house so it did not take long but now I realized that this was also an old house so it should have been more thorough.

I feel xcheated and I was terribly disappointed with the service I got. I’m not sure I can trust any home inspector again, it is not cheap mind you. I definitely will not recommend him to anyone.

Dario had did a wonderful job inspecting the house we are going to buy. he's detailed and inspected areas thoroughly and very carefully. afterwards, he went over with the key areas with us, and had the patience explaining areas where we have questions about. He also provided a very detailed report for us to review almost right after the inspection. we are glad our realtor contacted him.

This company recently did a home inspection on my home for a potential buyer. I agree with some of the issues noted (thank you - I was unaware myself and am actively repairing same) although there are certain issues with an older home this company did not take into consideration and therefore I write this.

AESTHETIC and COSMETIC issues are not detrimental to ANY home. Please learn the difference. Exterior vinyl will have cracks, holes and broken pieces over the course of 16 years, this is to be expected and is normal. RUST HAPPENS. Counter tops in poor condition? - they are 16 years old...carbon monoxide detectors do not appear present (there is, and no, we are not going to take them leaving a new homeowner in 'immediate danger'). Poly B piping is used in many homes in Calgary, it was of code when the house was built (pre 2006).

There is absolutely no need to scare a home buyer by citing LEGAL issues, and referencing Health Canada - how about reiterating to the buyer that codes are not retroactive instead of hiding that piece of information in the middle of a paragraph. CODES have CHANGED in 16 years.

I could go on and on. I know you have a job to do; but you are supposed to be objective and free of bias. You are a 'generalist' not a 'specialist'. Your assessment of the house was an over reaction; you scared a first time home buyer - perhaps so you could get them to call you again for their next 'first home'?

Your company claims to ensure your clients receive an objective, professional inspection free from conflicts of interest. Your assessment clearly favored finding and reporting fault, instead of taking into consideration the age of this home, and reiterating CODES ARE NOT RETROACTIVE. Your wording in the document is biased toward making yourself/company look like are working so hard and therefore finding more 'wrong' than there was instead of presenting the facts about a safe and secure home.

Have had colleagues say the exact thing about this company and a 'first time home buyer's inspection'. Shame on you. Will not use or recommend this company.
****The Inspector did not leave his name, so I apologize in advance to other inspectors in this company who this does not apply.***

This fellow inspected our first home before we bought it. He was recommended by our real estate agent (first red flag) and we were in a bit of a rush, so we went with him.

He spent a couple of hours at the house and seemed to know what he was doing. However, any time I pointed out something that was obviously a flaw, he tended to downplay it and calm my fears. The agent was there for the inspection as well and she backed up everything he said. It was obviously in her interests to get me to buy the house and it was in his interests not to get in the way of that possibility. I can only assume that he picks up a fair amount of business through her recommendations to clients - if he gets in the way of deals, he'll probably get less business from her.

Specifics:

1) The basement was a home reno job, including electrical, and it has since become obvious to me that this wiring would not pass inspection and that no permit was ever pulled for it. This is obvious from sloppiness at the electrical panel and elsewhere where the wiring isn't covered. R. (inspector) did not detect this or did not put it in the report - either way, that would be enough for a bad review.

2) Damaged roof sheathing viewable from attic access. He pointed it out but said it was dry and wouldn't be a problem. Well, when it rains, the roof has been leaking in that spot ever since we moved in and, as luck would have it, straight through the bathroom fan into the main bathroom. Looking at an expensive repair this summer.

3) I pointed out that the garage was described in the listing as "insulated" and I couldn't see any evidence of insulation. I pointed this out to both of them during the inspection and was made to feel like I was nitpicking and that it wouldn't take much time, effort or money to insulate the garage.

4) He did not detect a sump pump in the house, even though the exit pipe is plainly visible on the exterior of the house and steel plate cover was in that vicinity in the basement. We moved in, not knowing there was a sump pump and, within a month had a flooded basement because it had failed.

5) He told me the pot lights in the kitchen would have to have vapor barrier hoods installed over them (in the attic) so that they didn't cause condensation and ceiling stains. After we moved in, I did some reading and saw the "IC" designation on the inside (viewable) side of the fixtures. R, if you're reading this, look it up - I'm not going to teach you about your trade after paying you my hard-earned money.

In fairness, he did detect some things - every home has flaws - but I certainly don't feel that I got my money's worth from the inspection. The items I have listed are "plain view" issues that would have impacted the amount we offered.

I will not be going back to this firm (or probably any home inspection firm) ever again. All they do is look at the surface of things and if you have a couple of hours and a checklist you can do all or most of it yourself.