Friday, April 20, 2007

Don't rely on the City

City inspects for safety only, not quality

This really should not surprise you. But, in case you did not know.

Beware home buyers: Illinois does not require developers to be licensed, and city inspectors are not assessing the construction quality of the residence. The inspectors are responsible only for citing public-safety hazards such as an insufficient number of fire escapes.

"In Illinois, you have 'Wall Street' developers who drive cars and talk on phones and hire subcontractors. They don't build anything," said Nick Gromicko, founder of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, based in Boulder, Colo.

"Most states have very minimal or no licensing of developers and contractors," he said.

...

City inspectors, or any other government inspector, will check only for safety issues on new construction.

"A leaking window is something [government inspectors] wouldn't even catch," Gromicko said.<

Scales said city building inspectors review basic life-safety issues such as proper ventilation and lighting, and properly installed electrical and plumbing systems.

"They're not able to measure the quality of construction," Scales said.

The developer is responsible for correcting any problems.


It's best to watch the construction in person throughout its many phases.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i worked security for lexington homes in the early '90's and many times the builder/developer will try to prevent the buyer from inspecting the job in progress. there are many reasons for this from safety/insurance to disruption through nit picking. the buyer is tresspassing untill the closing date. the buyer would be lost anyway without a set of prints and the knowledge to read them. the buyer should carefully inspect the model homes for materials and workmanship before signing a contract and then have the completed home inspected prior to taking possession.