Oregon Home Inspectors and Contract Law

This Oregonian “Complaint Desk” article from 2/10/08, “Handling inspectors and inspections is tricky,” was interesting:

What do you do when you believe that the home inspector hired by a potential buyer of your house managed to damage your house in the course of the inspection?

Excerpt from the article:

“… For … the anger rekindles each time she passes the exterior wall of her Tualatin home where she said a home inspector dug too deep and left “fist-sized holes” as he checked the wall for a potential buyer in late November…., whose home remains on the market, points to state guidebooks that direct inspectors to “probe or sound structural components where deterioration is suspected, except where probing would damage any finished surface.”
…
If … had a contract, she could file a complaint with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board, which licenses tradespeople and mediates complaints for consumers, spokeswoman Gina Fox said.
…
Finally, homeowners can contact the Oregon Real Estate Inspectors Association, a trade group that aims to protect local consumers, President Walter L. Loehrke said. His group fields homeowner questions about the inspection process, helps resolve disputes and, if necessary, censures members. Booting them from the association can mean fewer referrals from real estate agents, Loehrke said…. ” (Full article, here.)

Maybe it’s time to teach contract law in high school.