New Mandatory Inspection Changes Take Effect Feb. 1st, 2022

Texas real estate inspectors need to pay attention to the new mandatory inspection changes to the Standards of Practice (SOP) now officially in effect. On August 9, 2021 the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) adopted the changes based on recommendations from the Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee. The revisions spell out the minimum requirements for a real estate inspection performed for a prospective buyer or seller of a one to four family dwelling. While the complete updated TREC property inspection forms can be found at trec.texas.gov, here’s a few notable changes to be aware of from TREC’s Updated Real Estate Inspector “Standards Of Practice” report: 

General Provisions

Several changes and clarifications were made to the general provisions of the SOP including: 

1) Requiring an inspector to use reasonable and appropriate tools to satisfy the requirements of the SOP. 

2) Specifying that an inspector that provides any services in relation to a real estate inspection beyond the scope of the SOP must be competent to do so. 

3) Prohibiting an inspector from performing an inspection when the inspector routinely departs from inspecting a system or component until the inspector notifies the client of that departure.

Component & Systems Requirements

There were key changes made on the requirements for components and systems including: 

1) Specifying how an inspector reports deficiencies in 125-volt and 250-volt (plug-in) receptacles.

 2) Specifying how an inspector determines if a cooling system is operational. 

3) Requiring an inspector to report the visible materials used for water supply, drain and gas lines. 

4) Requiring an inspector to report water pressure exceeding 80 PSI.

5) Providing a single location under the plumbing section regarding issues and requirements relating to inspecting the gas distribution system while also maintaining the requirements for reporting issues relating to specific gas components and appliances. 

6) Adding a definition of “gas distribution system” to provide additional clarity. 

7) Adding the option to “built-in appliances” under the optional systems.