The Texas Real Estate Commission recently adopted changes to the Standards of Practice (SOPs) which Inspectors licensed in Texas are required to follow. These changes will be effective on February 1, 2022.
The revised SOPs make several routine and clarifying corrections throughout. However, there are several changes of note regarding the general provisions of the SOPs, including:
- requiring an inspector to use reasonable and appropriate tools necessary to satisfy the requirements of the SOPs;
- specifying that an inspector that provides any services in relation to a real estate inspection beyond the scope of the SOPs must be component to do so; and
- prohibiting an inspector from performing an inspection when the inspector routinely departs from inspecting a system or component, until the inspector notifies the client of that departure.
The revised SOP’s also make several key changes regarding the requirements for specific components and systems, including, but not limited to:
- specifying how an inspector determines if a cooling system is functioning properly;
- requiring an inspector report the visible material used for water supply, drain, and gas lines;
- providing a single location under the plumbing section regarding issues and requirements relating to inspecting the gas distribution system while also maintaining the requirements for reporting issues relating to specific gas components and appliances;
- adding a definition of “gas distribution system” to provide additional clarity; and
- adding the option to inspect “built-in appliances” under the optional systems.
The Inspection Report Form has also been updated to reflect these changes and was adopted under the new form number REI 7-6. The REI 7-6 is required for all real estate inspections performed in Texas as of February 1, 2022.
Click here to learn more about the Updated Standards of Practice & Inspection Report Form
