It's been a long time coming. George V. Voinovich was still Governor of Ohio when OAR first adopted a position supporting enactment of a license law to regulate the home inspection industry in our state. Now, twelve years later, we may be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

Last week, a bill requiring licensing of home inspectors finally cleared its first major hurdle in the legislative process. HB 257, sponsored by Rep. Michelle Schneider (R) Cincinnati, was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and sent to the Senate.

If the legislation is passed by the Senate and signed into law by the Governor, Ohio will become the 31st state to enact a statute addressing the performance of home inspections.

Among the provisions included in HB 257 are the following:

• criminal penalties for performing home inspections without a license.
  
• creation of the Ohio Home Inspection Board to regulate the industry.
  
• a requirement that all inspections be performed pursuant to a written contract.
  
• creation of standards for performing inspections.
  
• creation of a process for investigating complaints filed against inspectors.

The Superintendent of the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing would have responsibility for administering the new law and providing staff support for the Home Inspection Board.

Passage by the House was not unanimous. A handful of legislators disagreed with the bill for various reasons. Some felt it needed more teeth. At least one wanted it to include a prohibition against referrals of home inspectors by real estate licensees, a provision OAR will fight to keep out of the bill as it works its way through the Senate.

We believe the legislation is long overdue. It may not be as stringent as some would like, but at present we have no law at all. Passage of HB 257 will be a huge step in the right direction.