4/90 Home Inspection Guarantee

When you schedule a pre-listing or home-buyer inspection with The Real Estate Inspection Company, you can trust that we will take care of your interests and your home with our 4/90 Home Inspection Guarantee. Contact us at (800) 232-5180 for more information. We serve San Diego and the surrounding areas.

What does the 4/90 Home Inspection Guarantee mean for the customer?

It means you are covered for four years against missed roof defects and 90 days for everything else. In the unlikely event that a minor repair is needed for something that should have been discovered within the scope of a home inspection*, we will pay to get it corrected — with no deductible.

We have performed tens of thousands of inspections over the years, and very rarely something gets past our certified inspectors. A home inspection covers hundreds of points, and, after all, our inspectors are only human. Most defects can easily be repaired.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are our thoughts on 90-day warranties versus our 4/90 Home Inspection Guarantee:

  1. The warranties offered by some home inspection companies come with an extensive list of limitations, exclusions, and deductibles.
  2. Certain companies extend warranties to inspectors with the true motive of obtaining buyer information. They then call the buyer to sell them all sorts of services from alarm systems to utility hookup services.
  3. Many 90-day warranties have a high deductible – sometimes hundreds of dollars!
  4. Since “short-term” companies exclude so many things, we decided to offer our clients a better guarantee of our work.
  5. We administer our own guarantee, so you deal with us directly, not some out-of-state company that is unaccountable to you. Our guarantee is different. If a defect should have been found during the inspection, we’ll pay to fix it — with no deductible.
  6. We do suggest that you purchase a full one-year home warranty from a reputable company to cover future failures, but call us first if you discover something that doesn’t work after you move in.

No. The 4/90 Home Inspection Guarantee is not a home warranty. It is in place to cover defects that we should have found within the scope of a home inspection but didn’t. A home warranty covers items that did work at the time of inspection, but fail at a later date.!

It covers items that should have been caught during an inspection but got past us. Examples include a broken garage door spring, a broken window, or a flue repair.

This is not an insurance policy. As such, no repairs will be performed for leaks that are caused by snow, ice, hail, lightning, wind gusts in excess of 30 mph, or any impact such as tree branches falling onto the roof. Likewise, leaks caused by extraordinary wind-driven storms are excluded as they cannot be predicted. No credit or coverage will be paid when the roof is replaced in part or in whole.

Other situations not covered under the warranty:

  1. Any repairs performed without first making a claim.
  2. Any roofs deemed by the inspector to be more than 30 years old.
  3. Any roof noted by the inspector that was installed improperly.
  4. Wood shake and shingle roofs.
  5. Roofs without underlayment (such as tar paper).
  6. Items noted in the report as in need of repair or at the end of their expected service life.
  7. Leaks as the result of lack of maintenance, such as leaves or debris left on the roof.
  8. Leaks on flat roofs due to clogged roof drains/scuppers (lack of maintenance).
  9. Interior damage of any kind, including damage to paint, wall coverings, furniture, flooring, drywall, and/or mold, occurring because of a roof leak.
  10. Any claims for leaks in excess of $1,500 in four years.
  11. When some or all of the roof requires replacement due to age, it is at the sole expense of the homeowner.
  12. Items that were functioning normally on the day of the inspection but fail sometime afterward.
  13. Defects that were concealed or could not have been discovered at the inspection.
  14. Items that could not be checked due to lack of utility service.
  15. Appliances that are simply past their expected service life.
  16. All other mechanical items more than 20 years old as they are past their expected service life.
  17. Items that were concealed, not accessible, or not operable at the time of inspection.
  18. Secondary property damage, such as water damage.
  19. Upgrading items to current code requirements if the code is different than when installed.
  20. Damage caused by termites or other wood destroying organisms, severe weather, acts of God, vandalism, floods, or earth movement.
  21. Any item that has been serviced or repaired after the inspection without prior notice to us.
  22. All other exclusions defined in the Inspection Agreement.
  23. Drain blockage of any kind if no video scope was performed. We run a lot of clear water through drains but cannot predict blockage due to normal use (toilet paper, food debris, soap suds, and so on).

Clients have four years from the date of inspection during which we will repair defects on the roof that should have been discovered at the time of the inspection. These defects must be within the scope of a home inspection and in accordance with our Inspection Agreement.

Since this is a guarantee of our work and not a warranty, it does have a time limit. You need to let us know right away if something is wrong. You have 90 days from your close of escrow to contact us with a claim.

Scope of Guarantee

Limits:

The 4-Year Roof Guarantee Against Leaks covers leak repairs for up to $1,500. Any payments for repairs made under the guarantee cannot be combined with the 90-Day Guarantee. If the inspection report called for further evaluation of the roof by a licensed roof contractor, and no licensed roof contractor evaluated the roof prior to the end of your contingency period, the roof guarantee is void.

The 90-Day Inspection Guarantee covers repairs up to $1,500 in the dwelling. If the inspection report called for further evaluation of a system or component by a qualified or licensed contractor, and no qualified or licensed contractor evaluated the item prior to the end of the contingency period, the 90-Day Guarantee is void for that item.

Deductible: NONE

This guarantee covers leaks only. Defects that were reported in an aerial roof inspection report are excluded. If the report identifies the roof as worn, beyond its life expectancy, or in need of replacement, this guarantee is void and no repair coverage will be provided.

The client must notify us prior to making any repairs. If repairs are performed without notifying us first, the guarantee is void. We do not reimburse the client for repairs performed without prior approval. We reserve the right to verify that the item should have been included in the report, within the scope of a home inspection, and have an opportunity to have a contractor of our choice perform the repair.

Our inspections tell the story of your house.

Are there other restrictions?

You must notify us prior to making any repairs. If repairs are performed without notifying us first, the guarantee is void. We do not reimburse the client for repairs performed without prior approval. We reserve the right to verify that the item should have been included in the report, within the scope of a home inspection, and have an opportunity to have a contractor of our choice perform the repair.

  • Items that can be repaired will not be replaced if repairs can be performed.
  • Items that were functioning normally on the day of the inspection but fail sometime after the inspection (latent defects).
  • Defects that could not have been discovered at the inspection. These include leaks from the roof if there was no rain at the time of inspection.
  • Items that could not be checked due to lack of utility service.
  • Drain blockage of any kind. We run lots of clear water through drains, but cannot predict blockage due to normal use (toilet paper, food debris, soap suds, waste, and so on).
  • Items that are more than 20 years old as they are simply past their service life.
  • Items noted in the report as in need of repair or at the end of their expected service life.
  • Items that were concealed, not accessible, or not operable at the time of inspection.
  • Secondary property damage, such as water damage.
  • Any item that has been serviced after the inspection without prior notice to us.
  • Any items repaired without having contacted us first.

Additional Products & Services

At The Real Estate Inspection Company, we strive to go above and beyond the norm to provide our clients with the utmost in service. We provide the following products, services, and information for your convenience:

*Any repairs must be for items that fall within the scope of a home inspection. The scope of a home inspection is defined in our InterNACHI Standards of Practice, and our inspection agreement which is available on our website at www.SDinspect.com.

Items that do not fall within the scope of a home inspection are not covered. Examples include sprinkler systems, window coverings, concealed defects, and items not observable due to ambient conditions or personal items.

Items that were not accessible at the time of inspection due to personal items, locked rooms, lack of utilities or concealed are excluded. Home inspectors do not move personal items.

Inspection company must be notified prior to any repairs being performed or guarantee is void.

Schedule Your Inspection Today

Be assured that the professionals of The Real Estate Inspection Company provide the best inspection services in the business. We back up our work and protect your interests with our 4/90 Home Inspection Guarantee. Contact us at (800) 232-5180 for more information. We service San Diego County, Orange County and Riverside County.

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