CALL TO ORDER

The meeting of the Home Inspection Advisory Committee was called to order by Chairman Thomas Kraeutler at 9:50am in the Union Conference Room, 3rd Floor, 124 Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey. All parties were duly notified of the time, date and place and all pertinent material had been provided.

SUNSHINE LAW ANNOUNCEMENT

Joseph Grabowy, read the statement required by Chapter 231, Laws of 1975, known as the Open Public Meetings Act, and announced that notice of the meeting was prepared in the office of the Committee and mailed to the Secretary of State, the Star Ledger, the Courier Post, the Bergen Record and the Atlantic City Press.

ROLL CALL

CMs present:

Robert Corrado
Michael Fitzpatrick
Thomas Kraeutler

CMs absent:

Randy Ortiz

Others present:

Arthur Russo, Executive Director, Joseph Grabowy, Auditor/Accountant Assistant, Ernest Gonzalez, Senior Clerk Transcriber, DAG Olga E. Bradford, Martha Richardson, Staff, and 5 members of the public.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

On a recommendation of the Sub-Committee, the Committee unanimously voted to the following:

October 8, 2002

Approval of the minutes of October 8, 2002 as written.

November 12, 2002

Approval of the November 12, 2002 minutes as amended by the Sub-Committee.

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

General Report

ED Russo distributed a brochure from Tri-State Alarm Company which indicates that this company compensates home inspectors for providing it with the names and addresses of the inspector's clients as potential leads for its services.

After a review of the brochure, the Committee determined that a conflict of interest exists between the home inspector involved and Tri-State Alarm Company representing a direct violation of the prohibited practices section of the regulations. DAG Bradford will formulate a response to Tri-State Alarm Company for the Committee's review.

ED Russo informed the Committee that a draft home inspector application jacket has been prepared. The Committee unanimously approved the file jacket with amendments.

The Committee discussed the approval letters mailed to home inspectors approved for licensure. The Committee suggested a revision be made to the letter to explicitly indicate that the identification card included with the letter must be signed and returned along with the activation form and licensing fee.

A discussion ensued regarding complaints which have been previously forwarded to the Office of Consumer Protection for adjudication. The Committee seeks to develop a process by which to cross-reference the names of the home inspectors identified in the complaints with applicants applying for licensure. The Committee agreed to this new process.

The Committee requested that ED Russo determine the status of the Home Inspector Consumer Information Brochure previously sent to the Director's office for review.

Outgoing Correspondence

The Honorable Byron Baer
RE: Licensure as a home inspector
(January 23, 2003)

This response dealt with a request by one of Senator Baer's constituents who complained that there are not any schools available in southern New Jersey where an individual may take the approved home inspector course required for licensure. He states that the closest approved school would require approximately three hours of travel time from his home in Glouster County.

The Committee reviewed and approved a draft response to Senator Baer's letter.

LEGISLATION

S1685 - Revises the "grandfather" provisions for eligibility for a licensed home inspector licensure.

Joseph Grabowy informed the Committee of its position in opposition to this bill which had previously been submitted to Tisha Adams, Legislative Liaison.

A567 - Revises various provisions of the "Home Inspection Professional Licensing Act"

Joseph Grabowy indicated that a follow-up letter was sent to TIsha Adams indicating the Committee's opposition to this bill.

APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS

The Committee unanimously voted to approve the following applications for licensure:

The Committee also unanimously voted to approve the following applications for licensure contingent upon the submission and satisfactory review of additionally requested information:

The Committee agreed to send a letter to these conditional applicants informing them of the urgency to submit the requested information to expedite their applications.

Additionally, the Committee unanimously delegated authority to VC Fitzpatrick to review the information submitted by these conditional applicants for a final review.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

The Committee briefly discussed the issue of error & omission insurance policies expiring prior to the renewal date indicated on home inspector licenses. Its concern focused primarily on not being aware that an licensee's error & omission insurance policy may expire prior to a renewal of said license. The Committee will continue to monitor this matter.

OPEN FLOOR

The Committee addressed the concerns of the public attendees present at this meeting. The following issues were discussed:

Robert Fico stated that ASHI will be instituting a Ride-Along Program to help those seeking licensure as Associate Home Inspectors obtain the requisite inspections in the presence of a licensed home inspector. He also stated that many members have indicated that they will be charging those "trainees" a fee to assist them. The Committee informed Mr. Fico that it is not a prohibited practice to charge for a ride-along inspection.

Peter Danielle stated there are many individuals who have taken a home inspection course through a national school and believed that, since it is a national school, it is automatically approved to meet the licensure requirements in New Jersey. The Committee stated that this topic would be an item of discussion in a future press release.

MOVE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION

On a motion by CM Corrado, seconded by VC Fitzpatrick, the Committee unanimously voted to enter into Executive Session for the purpose of completing the Executive Session agenda.

RETURN TO PUBLIC SESSION

On a motion contained within the Executive Session minutes, the Committee re-entered Public Session for the purpose of adjournment.

ADJOURNMENT

On a motion by CM Corrado, seconded by VC Fitzpatrick, the Committee unanimously voted to adjourn at 1:30pm.

APPROVED BY:

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