When it comes to having a home inspection before you buy a new house, most people know that the professional you need is a home inspector. But when you are faced with a water infiltration problem in your house or condo, who should you refer to? Another inspector or an expert? Stay with us as our inspectors – and experts – explain the major differences between their duties and responsibilities.

The building inspector performs a visual inspection of the building which may or may not be instrumented depending on the case. His service is aimed at the building in its entirety, except when it is a question of acquiring a condominium unit, a condo. Buyers of a new house call upon him for the inspection of a future residence, sellers to proceed with the inspection of their dwelling before putting it up for sale and thus minimize the risks of legal complications. Homeowners, on the other hand, will call upon the services of an inspector to find out where they need to carry out work in order to ensure the durability of their most important financial investment: their home.

Regardless of the client, the objective of his service is to establish an accurate and most complete picture of the building’s condition and to identify apparent defects and signs of hidden defects. He will inspect everything that is accessible: foundation, exterior siding, doors and windows, interior finishes, plumbing, electricity and will go into the attic. Then, he will write an inspection report where all the inspected elements will be found.

It should also be noted that the inspector is not there to make any openings in the walls. In fact, since his clients are often not the owners of the building to be inspected, he does not have permission to make such openings or even to move objects that could impede his inspection. For this, the owner must instead call upon a building expert.

Thus, the role of the building expert is not to paint a picture of the entire building: he is rather there to confirm the presence of a specific problem: mold, water infiltration and so on. His job is to get to the source of the problem, to identify the cause(s) and to provide sustainable and realistic solutions to fix the situation for good.

To do this, he will use the appropriate equipment, whether it is a thermal camera, a hygrometer or other. Once he has an excellent idea of where the problem is, he will – with the owners’ permission – proceed with an opening to confirm his hypothesis. Of course, not all problems require an opening

As for the report, in addition to a verbal summary to the client, the expert will write a complete report including the findings as well as recommendations to resolve the problematic situation for good.

Considering the nature of his role, the building expert’s clients are building owners, condominium corporations, contractors and even lawyers.

In summary, we can draw a parallel between inspectors and experts and doctors. If your elbow hurts and you have a cough, a general practitioner will be able to identify both problems and refer you to the appropriate specialists, a radiologist and a pulmonologist. The respirologist can help you with your cough, but I doubt he or she can help with your elbow…