This program provides an opportunity to enter an exciting and growing profession. Home inspection is a consulting service that helps homebuyers make informed decisions about their prospective new home.
Seneca College, in partnership with Carson Dunlop and Associates and in cooperation with the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI), is offering a ten subject Home Inspection program that incorporates the Standards of Practice of ASHI/CAHPI (American Society of Home Inspectors/Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors). The program is based on curriculum developed by ASHI in conjunction with Columbia Assessment Services Inc., as a result of their Role Delineation Study of the home inspection profession.
Standards of Practice define a minimum and uniform standard for private, fee-paid home inspectors. Home inspections performed to these standards are intended to provide the client with information regarding the condition of the systems and components of the home as inspected.
The Carson Dunlop and Associates program has been adopted by the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors (CAHPI) in BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Carson Dunlop program complies with ASHI Curriculum and Standards of Practice. The program also meets the Professional Home/Property Inspector Occupational Standards developed by the Canadian Home Inspectors and Building Officials Steering Committee for National Standards (CHIBO).
The systems and components of a house include roofing, structure, electrical, heating, air conditioning/heat pumps, plumbing, exterior, insulation and the interior. The ten subjects in this certificate have been organized to address each of these, as well as to provide students with the communications skills and knowledge of professional practice required to be successful in this growing industry. Emphasis in this certificate is on very practical knowledge of the performance of the systems and components of a house, not on theory.
Curriculum has been thoughtfully organized into subjects that describe the materials used in the construction of each house system and how they are assembled. Content covers what may go wrong as well as the causes and the implications of problems that result. The program gives students clear direction concerning what to look for during an inspection: signs of non-performance due to old age, deferred maintenance, weather damage, and poor workmanship. It is this aspect of the program that distinguishes it from the knowledge of contractors or other building professionals.
Successful completion of this program fulfills the academic entrance requirements of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI) except for the Defect Recognition and Reporting Subject, which must be taken through the OAHI directly - www.oahi.com. (NOTE: OAHI requires that students receive a minimum of 70% in each course in order to qualify for their certification.)
Textbooks for these courses must be ordered from Carson, Dunlop & Associates.