Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors, Virginia Board for; new home inspections, penalty. (HB2103)
Introduced By
Del. Chris Peace (R-Mechanicsville) with support from co-patron Del. Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✓ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
✓ |
Passed Senate |
✓ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors; new home inspections; penalty. Makes it unlawful for any person who is not a certified home inspector to perform (i) a home inspection on any new residential structure or (ii) any inspection on any new residential structure unless the seller of the property or his agent is given the opportunity to accompany the home inspector during the inspection. The bill also authorizes the Board to issue a certificate to practice as a certified home inspector to any applicant who has submitted satisfactory evidence that he has successfully completed a training module developed by the Board in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Community Development based on the International Residential Code component of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. The bill requires the Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors to develop, in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Community Development, this training module and to make it available for use prior to July 1, 2016. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2016. Read the Bill »
Outcome
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/14/2015 | Committee |
| 01/14/2015 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/14/15 15103354D |
| 01/14/2015 | Referred to Committee on General Laws |
| 01/20/2015 | Assigned GL sub: Subcommittee #4 |
| 01/22/2015 | Impact statement from DPB (HB2103) |
| 02/03/2015 | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (6-Y 0-N) |
| 02/05/2015 | Reported from General Laws with substitute (21-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/05/2015 | Committee substitute printed 15104296D-H1 |
| 02/07/2015 | Read first time |
| 02/09/2015 | Read second time |
| 02/09/2015 | Committee substitute agreed to 15104296D-H1 |
| 02/09/2015 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB2103H1 |
| 02/10/2015 | Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N) |
| 02/10/2015 | VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (100-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/10/2015 | Impact statement from DPB (HB2103H1) |
| 02/11/2015 | Constitutional reading dispensed |
| 02/11/2015 | Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology |
| 02/23/2015 | Reported from General Laws and Technology (14-Y 1-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/24/2015 | Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/24/2015 | Read third time |
| 02/24/2015 | Passed Senate (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 03/06/2015 | Enrolled |
| 03/06/2015 | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB2103ER) |
| 03/06/2015 | Signed by Speaker |
| 03/07/2015 | Signed by President |
| 03/09/2015 | Impact statement from DPB (HB2103ER) |
| 03/10/2015 | Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on 3/10/15 |
| 03/10/2015 | G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, Sunday, March 29, 2015 |
| 03/23/2015 | G Approved by Governor-Chapter 411 (effective - see bill) |
| 03/23/2015 | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0411) |
Comments
Note that this bill requires that the "seller" of a new home (i.e. a new home builder) be present when a home inspection is performed on a new construction home. This bill has been demanded by the Home Builders' Lobbyists because the Home Builders cannot police their own and follow industry standards when building new homes. They keep getting caught with poor or lacking construction techniques when new home buyers call in a home inspector to evaluate the highly priced new home, flaws are found, and the contract for purchase falls through.
This bill takes away the freedom and privacy rights of new home purchasers who are contracting the home inspector to perform a service in their interest - and should be rejected. Why separate new homes from existing homes? Should existing home sellers be denied "equal protection" if this is a real issue? This bill, as written, will fail Constitutional review.
A bill requiring new home builders to be signatory in a home purchase agreement that they have followed specifically stated new construction industry standards is where the GA should be headed with this issue. A County building inspector cannot possibly evaluate every system in a new home and evaluate the integration of all the systems constructed by all the independent contractors called in to build the new home.