Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve Got Questions. We Have Your Answers.
Do Home Inspectors need a license ?
Home inspectors do not require a licenses in California; however they are regulated under the Business and Professions Code which can be found here.
What about a Contractors License ?
All businesses or individuals who construct or alter any building, highway, road, parking facility, railroad, excavation, or other structure in California must be licensed by the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) if the total cost (labor and materials) of one or more contracts on the project is $500 or more.Â
As Home Inspectors do not build or construct, no such license is needed.
What is a Home Inspection?
A real estate inspection aka (Home Inspection) is a survey and basic operation of the systems and components of a building which can be reached, entered, or viewed without difficulty, moving obstructions, or requiring any action which may result in damage to the property or personal injury to the Inspector. The purpose of the inspection is to provide the Client with information regarding the general condition of the building(s).
What is a Home Inspection Report?
According to the California Business and Professions Code Section 7195. A "home inspection report" is a written report prepared for a fee and issued after a home inspection. The report clearly describes and identifies the inspected systems, structures, or components of the dwelling, any material defects identified, and any recommendations regarding the conditions observed or recommendations for evaluation by appropriate.
Do you have to attend the Inspection?
No, although attending the Inspection of your Future home is recommended, it is not required. Our reports are designed with each room being treated separately we do not combine rooms or areas. (Please note that we cannot discuss your Inspection until payment is made.)
Can you fail a Home Inspection?
No, Home Inspections are not a Pass or Fail, they are strictly informational and not required by the State.
How long does a Home Inspection take?
An average inspection may take 2-3 hours or more to complete, we are not on a time table so we will stay until all your questions are answered.
Are all Inspections and Inspectors the same?
No, every Inspector may see something different, some may see something as normal wear and tear and not point it out where others may point it out. Our inspections are based on the age of the property where others may think an older home needs to meet current standards.
Do you have to repair everything that was pointed out?
To repair or not to repair is only a question you as the client can answer. A Home Inspection Report is just that, a report for YOU, the report is only shared if you share it. We only point out areas that are in the Inspectors opinion of needing attention.
Do you get pictures with your report?
Yes, of course, pictures are inserted in the report at the same place the issue is report, we do not believe in having to flip pages to find pictures.
What if there is a Pool?
In a dwelling with a pool or spa, the report shall identify which, if any, of the seven drowning prevention safety features listed in subdivision (a) of California's Section 115922 of the Health and Safety Code the pool or spa is equipped with and shall specifically state if the pool or spa has fewer than two of the listed drowning prevention safety features.
What do we check for?
A Home Inspector visually checks hundreds if not thousands of items on the property, including but not limited to:
Appliances, Attic, Electrical Systems, Fireplaces, Foundation, HVAC system, Water Heaters, Plumbing, Roof, General Interior & Exterior.
Answers to the most common questions !
What do you need for a room to be considered a bedroom ?:
1. Floor : Overall size of ≥ 70 sq ft, and not smaller than 7’ in any horizontal direction.
2. Ceiling: Height ≥ 7’.
3. Natural Light: A minimum of 8% of the floor area of the room.
4. Heat Source : A permanent heating system capable of maintaining a minimum indoor temperature ≥ 68° Fahrenheit.
5. Egress: 2 methods of egress, 1 from within the house, and 1 that leads directly to the exterior.
6. Smoke Alarm: A working smoke alarm.
7. Outlets: (Since 2009) Any wall that is ≥ 2' require outlets.
*Note : A Closet is not required in California for a room to be considered a bedroom.
Where do you need Smoke Alarms?
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California Health and Safety Code Section 13113.8 provides that on or after January 1, 1986, whenever a single family dwelling or factory built housing is sold, the seller must have an operable smoke alarm, approved and listed by the State Fire Marshal, installed in accordance with the State Fire Marshal’s regulations.
According to the California Residential Code R314.3 & California Building Code 310.9.1.4 Smoke Alarms are required:
1. In each sleeping room.
2. Outside each, separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms.
3. On each additional story of the dwelling, including basements and habitable attics.
Where do you need Carbon Monoxide Alarms?
California’s Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 requires that all residential property be equipped with a carbon monoxide alarm when the property has a fossil fuel burning heater or appliance, fireplace, or an attached garage
According to the California Residential Code R315.3
Carbon monoxide alarms are required:
1. Outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms.
2. Where a fuel burning appliance is located within a bedroom or its attached bathroom, a carbon monoxide alarm shall be installed within the bedroom.
3. At every level of a dwelling unit including basements
What the difference between a Smoke Alarm and a Smoke Detector?
A detector is a device that has an built-in sensor to detect the presence of smoke and generally reports to a centralize monitoring location, whereas an alarm is a device that comprises of smoke detection sensor, audible sounder, and power supply. Although you might have detectors in your house associated with an alarm company, they are not considered a substitution for an alarm.
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Do you need Smoke Alarms in the kitchen and if so what kind?
Smoke Alarms are not needed nor required in the Kitchen area, but if your cooking skills leave a bit to be desired and you want to place one in the Kitchen it is ok.
There are 2 different types of Smoke Alarms: Photoelectric and Ionization alarms.
Photoelectric units are less prone to false alarms from burnt food, so they may be a better fit in kitchen areas whereas Ionization smoke alarms are more prone to nuisance alarms from cooking and should not be installed near kitchens.
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What should your Water Heater temperature be set at?
Low is a setting of approximately 80° - 90°, this is generally used as a 'vacation' setting.
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Hot / Triangle / Oversized Indicator (120°): A setting of approximately 120°, at this setting a child or elderly person can suffer 2nd degree burns in approximately 5-8 minutes. (This is the most common setting)
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Position "A" is a setting of approximately 130°, at this setting a child or elderly person can suffer 2nd degree burns in approximately 18 seconds.
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Position "B" is a setting of approximately 140°, at this setting a child or elderly person can suffer 2nd degree burns in approximately 3 seconds.
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Position "C" is a setting of approximately 150°, at this setting a child or elderly person can suffer 2nd degree burns in approximately 2 seconds.
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Very Hot is a setting of approximately 160°, at this setting a child or elderly person can suffer 2nd degree burns in approximately 1 second.
How can I tell if I have a Heat Pump or a Furnace?
This is a harder question and comes with my conditions, however the easiest way to tell is to turn your Heat on the when it actually comes out, then go outside or listen for the condenser, if it turned on when the Heat is on, then it is a Heat Pump, if it did not then it is a standard furnace. ( A lot of people think the outside unit is the AC, but in reality it is not ).
Where is that darn GFI / GFCI reset?
As a general rule of thumb GFI / GFCI Resets locations are different based on the location of the outlet in question.
Outside and Garage outlet resets can usually be found within the garage, usually within a few feet from the entrance into the property.
Bathroom outlet resets can usually be found within one bathroom which controls all the other bathrooms within the property. Unless each bathroom has its own dedicated GFI
Kitchen outlet resets can usually be found within the Kitchen area. (There is usually 2 GFI/GFCI resets in a Kitchen)
Is it GFI or GFCI?
There is a big debate around GFI vs GFCI on electrical discussion forums. It seems that even the professionals aren’t too sure if there’s difference between Ground Fault Interrupters (GFI) and Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI).
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Technically, GFCI refers to a breaker that protects an entire circuit. This would be a GFCI breaker on your electric distribution panel and will protect multiple outlets. A GFI is a local Ground Fault Interrupter, it is at the outlet and not on the panel.
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GFI and GFCIs are a form of a circuit breaker that quickly shuts off the flow of electricity (via relay) at a speed between 25–40 milliseconds, when it detects a difference (as small as 4 milliamps) between the electric current exiting the system compared to the current entering. So call it whatever you want, they still perform the same function.
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Does Carbon Monoxide rise or sink?, and what height should I install Carbon Monoxide Alarms?
Weight:
Carbon monoxide is roughly the same weight as air (carbon monoxide's specific gravity is 0.9657, with the specific gravity of air as 1.000) and has a molar mass of 28.0, and air has an average molar mass of 28.8.
The difference is so slight that CO is found to evenly distribute itself indoors.
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We researched the Top 2 Companies and found this information for installation locations and only found this:
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First Alert
Minimum coverage for Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms: One on every level and in every bedroom.
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Kiddie
Choose locations free of obstructions, where the alarm will stay clean and protected from adverse environmental conditions. Do not place the unit in dead air spaces or next to a window or door.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms: One on every level and in every bedroom.
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You may notice that they do NOT state an installation height, but only locations.
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We at Strike First Inspections feel that the placement should be about pillow height, as beds are different in height we do not state a exact height.
Our reasoning behind this is that we feel you are more likely to walk outside or open a window during the day if you feel any of the symptoms of CO poisoning; however at night while you are sleeping you may not notice the effects as easily so we have to wake you up, before you breath in to much.
(Note : There is no scientific proof for our recommendation, and is our opinion only.)
Can you tell me how much life I have left on an item?
The California guidelines we adhere to specifically states that 'Determining adequacy, efficiency, suitability, quality, age, or remaining life of any building, system, or component, or marketability or advisability of purchase' is not part of a Home Inspection.
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However, We do include an Average Life Expectancies file on our download section.
Can we perform repairs?
NO,
California Business and Professions Code / Chapter 9.3 / Home Inspectors [7197.A]
(a) It is an unfair business practice for a home inspector, a company that employs the inspector, or a company that is controlled by a company that also has a financial interest in a company employing a home inspector, to do any of the following:
(1) To perform or offer to perform, for an additional fee, any repairs to a structure on which the inspector, or the inspector’s company, has prepared a home inspection report in the past 12 months.
Can we tell you how much a repair might cost?
NO,
We do not work with nor recommend any type of Contractor to do repair work, and in most cases it is against the code of ethics related to Home Inspectors.
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The California guidelines we adhere to specifically states that 'Specifying repairs/replacement procedures or estimating cost to correct' are excluded from a Home Inspection.
Do you have Termites?
Industry guidelines prohibit Inspectors from relaying information 'related to animals, insects, or other organisms, including fungus and mold, and any hazardous, illegal, or controlled substance, or the damage or health risks arising there from.'