Does you home inspector's insurance help protect buyers and real estate agents AFTER an inspection is completed?

Your home inspector may tell you he is "licensed and insured" but what does that mean and will it really protect you?

Florida Statutes state that a home inspector shall maintain a commercial general liability insurance policy, but does not require a home inspector to carry E&O insurance.  

General liability insurance handles cases where an inspector accidentally damages property or causes bodily harm while on the inspection, but what about what happens after the inspection?  What happens if the inspector makes a mistake and misses something that a buyer finds after they move into the home? Errors and Omissions insurance is designed for just this situation.  

Inspectors are human and mistakes can happen.  If an inspector inadvertently misses or simply fails to report an issue that later leads to property damage or bodily injury, E&O insurance helps cover these damages.   General Liability insurance does not.

Hope Home Inspections not only carries both GL and E&O coverage, we go even a step further to help protect the Real Estate Agents that refer us by carrying a special rider to help cover agents from being held responsible for any “wrongful act” in our performance or in our failure to perform “inspection services”.

So, the next time you need a home inspector, be sure to ask just exactly what type of insurance they carry and find out if  the inspector, the agent and the buyer are really covered.