Home Inspector Registration Alert!
Beginning November 1, 1998, all home inspectors are required
to be registered by the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and
Licensing (DRL) in order to conduct a home inspection. Because
the DRL does not have a list of all persons practicing home
inspection in the state, it will be extremely important that
REALTORSŪ assist in getting the word out to home inspectors who
are practicing in your area. In this way, we can ensure an
adequate supply of home inspectors in the months following this
deadline.
In order to be registered by the DRL, the home inspector will
need to obtain an exam and registration application packet from
the DRL, pass an exam and register with the DRL. The initial
registration fee will be $41.
The application packet will be available in mid-August and
can be ordered now by calling (608) 266-5511. Press 4 and then 3
when you get the recorded message. Home inspectors calling this
number will also be placed on a DRL mailing list.
The exam will be offered on Saturdays beginning on September
19 in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Eau Claire and potentially
Rhinelander. It will be offered on a weekly basis through the
end of October (less often thereafter). The exam fee is $43.
The exam will initially consist of 32 questions covering 1997
Wisconsin Act 81, the new home inspector statute. In the next
year, a more detailed "practice" exam will be
developed and added. Home inspectors who only had the
"statute" exam available when they registered will be
required to take the "practice" exam at the time of
renewal.
REALTORSŪ should contact all of the home inspectors that
they work with to be sure that the application packet is ordered
immediately, that the exam application is submitted right away
and that once the exam is taken and passed, the registration
forms are filed with the Department. With the assistance of the
brokerage community the DRL is hopeful that the transition to a
regulated home inspection industry can be as smooth as possible.
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