CREIA Standards of Practice (SoP)

CREIA Standards of Practice
CREIA STANDARDS OF PRACTICE

Residential Standards – Four or Fewer Units
• Originally Adopted September 13, 1983
• Revised November 1, 1996
• Revised April 15, 1999
• Revised July 12, 2003
• Revised April 15, 2006 — Effective July 1, 2006
• Revised August 1, 2012
• Revised January 8, 2018
Note: Italicized words in this document are defined in the Glossary of Terms.
Table of Contents
I. Definitions and Scope
II. Standards of Practice

1. Foundation, Basement, and Under-floor Areas
2. Exterior
3. Roof Covering
4. Attic Areas and Roof Framing
5. Plumbing
6. Electrical
7. Heating and Cooling
8. Fireplaces and Chimneys
9. Building Interior
   III. Limitations, Exceptions and Exclusions
   IV. Glossary of Terms
   I. Definitions and Scope
   These Standards of Practice provide guidelines for a real estate inspection and define certain
   terms relating to these inspections. Italicized words in these Standards are defined in Part
   IV. Glossary of Terms.
   A. A real estate inspection is a survey and basic operation of the systems and components of
   a building, which can be reached, entered, or viewed without difficulty, moving obstructions, or
   requiring any action, which may result in damage to the property or personal injury to
   the Inspector. The purpose of the inspection is to provide the Client with information regarding the
   general condition of the building(s). Cosmetic and aesthetic conditions shall not be considered.
   B. A real estate inspection report provides written documentation of material defects discovered
   in the inspected building’s systems and components which, in the opinion of the Inspector,
   are safety hazards, are not functioning properly, or appear to be at the ends of their service lives.
   The report may include the Inspector’s recommendations for correction or further evaluation.
   C. Inspections performed in accordance with these Standards of Practice are not technically
   exhaustive and shall apply to the primary building and its associated primary parking structure.
   II. Standards of Practice
   A real estate inspection includes the readily accessible systems and components or
   a representative number of multiple similar components listed in Sections 1 through 9 subject to
   the limitations, exceptions, and exclusions in Part III.
10. Foundation, Basement, and Under-floor Areas
    A. Items to be inspected:
11. Foundation system
12. Floor framing system
13. Under-floor ventilation
14. Foundation anchoring and cripple wall bracing
15. Wood separation from soil
16. Insulation
    B. The inspector is not required to:
17. Determine size, spacing, location, or adequacy of foundation bolting/bracing components
    or reinforcing systems
18. Determine the composition or energy rating of insulation materials
19. Exterior
    A. Items to be inspected:
20. Surface grade directly adjacent to the buildings
21. Doors and windows
22. Attached decks, porches, patios, balconies, stairways, and their enclosures, handrails
    and guardrails.
23. Wall cladding and trim
24. Portions of walkways and driveways that are adjacent to the buildings
25. Pool or spa drowning prevention features, for the sole purpose of identifying which, if any,
    are present
    B. The inspector is not required to:
26. Inspect door or window screens, shutters, awnings, or security bars
27. Inspect fences or gates or operate automated door or gate openers or their safety
    devices
28. Use a ladder to inspect systems or components
29. 4. Determine if any manufacturers’ design standards or testing is met or if any drowning
    prevention safety feature of a pool or spa is installed properly or is adequate or effective.
    Test or operate any drowning prevention safety feature.
30. Roof Covering
    A. Items to be inspected:
31. Covering
32. Drainage
33. Flashings
34. Penetrations
35. Skylights
    B. The inspector is not required to:
36. Walk on the roof surface if in the opinion of the Inspector there is risk of damage or a
    hazard to the Inspector
37. Warrant or certify that roof systems, coverings, or components are free from leakage
38. Attic Areas and Roof Framing
    A. Items to be inspected:
39. Framing
40. Ventilation
41. Insulation
    B. The inspector is not required to:
42. Inspect mechanical attic ventilation systems or components
43. Determine the composition or energy rating of insulation materials
44. Plumbing
    A. Items to be inspected:
45. Water supply piping
46. Drain, waste, and vent piping
47. Faucets and fixtures
48. Fuel gas piping
49. Water heaters
50. Functional flow and functional drainage
    B. The inspector is not required to:
51. Fill any fixture with water, inspect overflow drains or drain-stops, or evaluate backflow
    devices, waste ejectors, sump pumps, or drain line cleanouts
52. Inspect or evaluate water temperature balancing devices, temperature fluctuation, time to
    obtain hot water, water circulation, or solar heating systems or components
53. Inspect whirlpool baths, steam showers, or sauna systems or components
54. Inspect fuel tanks or determine if the fuel gas system is free of leaks
55. Inspect wells or water treatment systems
56. Electrical
    A. Items to be inspected:
57. Service equipment
58. Electrical panels
59. Circuit wiring
60. Switches, receptacles, outlets, and lighting fixtures
    B. The inspector is not required to:
61. Operate circuit breakers or circuit interrupters
62. Remove cover plates
63. Inspect de-icing systems or components
64. Inspect private or emergency electrical supply systems or components
65. Heating and Cooling
    A. Items to be inspected:
66. Heating equipment
67. Central cooling equipment
68. Energy source and connections
69. Combustion air and exhaust vent systems
70. Condensate drainage
71. Conditioned air distribution systems
    
    B. The inspector is not required to:
72. Inspect heat exchangers or electric heating elements
73. Inspect non-central air conditioning units or evaporative coolers
74. Inspect radiant, solar, hydronic, or geothermal systems or components
75. Determine volume, uniformity, temperature, airflow, balance, or leakage of any air
    distribution system
76. Inspect electronic air filtering or humidity control systems or components
77. Fireplaces and Chimneys
    A. Items to be inspected:
78. Chimney exterior
79. Spark arrestor
80. Firebox
81. Damper
82. Hearth extension
    B. The inspector is not required to:
83. Inspect chimney interiors
84. Inspect fireplace inserts, seals, or gaskets
85. Operate any fireplace or determine if a fireplace can be safely used
86. Building Interior
    A. Items to be inspected:
87. Walls, ceilings, and floors
88. Doors and windows
89. Stairways, handrails, and guardrails
90. Permanently installed cabinets
91. Permanently installed cook-tops, mechanical range vents, ovens, dishwashers, and food
    waste disposals
92. Absence of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
93. Vehicle doors and openers
    B. The inspector is not required to:
94. Inspect window, door, or floor coverings
95. Determine whether a building is secure from unauthorized entry
96. Operate, test or determine the type of smoke or carbon monoxide alarms or test vehicle
    door safety devices
97. Use a ladder to inspect systems or components
    III. Limitations, Exceptions and Exclusions
    A. The following are excluded from a real estate inspection:
98. Systems or components of a building, or portions thereof, which are not readily
    accessible, not permanently installed, or not inspected due to circumstances beyond the
    control of the Inspector or which the Client has agreed or specified are not to be inspected
99. Site improvements or amenities, including, but not limited to; accessory buildings, fences,
    planters, landscaping, irrigation, swimming pools, spas, ponds, waterfalls, fountains or
    their components or accessories
    California Real Estate Inspection Association
100. Auxiliary features of appliances beyond the appliance’s basic function
101. Systems or components, or portions thereof, which are under ground, under water, or
     where the Inspector must come into contact with water
102. Common areas as defined in California Civil Code section 1351, et seq., and any
     dwelling unit systems or components located in common areas
103. Determining compliance with manufacturers’ installation guidelines or specifications,
     building codes, accessibility standards, conservation or energy standards, regulations,
     ordinances, covenants, or other restrictions
104. Determining adequacy, efficiency, suitability, quality, age, or remaining life of
     any building, system, or component, or marketability or advisability of purchase
105. Structural, architectural, geological, environmental, hydrological, land surveying, or soils related
     examinations
106. Acoustical or other nuisance characteristics of any system or component of
     a building, complex, adjoining property, or neighborhood
107. Conditions related to animals, insects, or other organisms, including fungus and mold,
     and any hazardous, illegal, or controlled substance, or the damage or health risks arising
     there from
108. Risks associated with events or conditions of nature including, but not limited to;
     geological, seismic, wildfire, and flood
109. Water testing any building, system, or component or determine leakage in shower pans,
     pools, spas, or any body of water
110. Determining the integrity of hermetic seals at multi-pane glazing
111. Differentiating between original construction or subsequent additions or modifications
112. Reviewing information from any third-party, including but not limited to; product defects,
     recalls, or similar notices
113. Specifying repairs/replacement procedures or estimating cost to correct
114. Communication, computer, security, or low-voltage systems and remote, timer, sensor, or
     similarly controlled systems or components
115. Fire extinguishing and suppression systems and components or determining fire resistive
     qualities of materials or assemblies
116. Elevators, lifts, and dumbwaiters
117. Lighting pilot lights or activating or operating any system, component, or appliance that
     is shut down, unsafe to operate, or does not respond to normal user controls
118. Operating shutoff valves or shutting down any system or component
119. Dismantling any system, structure, or component or removing access panels other than
     those provided for homeowner maintenance
     
     B. The Inspector may, at his or her discretion:
120. Inspect any building, system, component, appliance, or improvement not included or
     otherwise excluded by these Standards of Practice. Any such inspection shall comply with
     all other provisions of these Standards.
121. Include photographs in the written report or take photographs for Inspector’s reference
     without inclusion in the written report. Photographs may not be used in lieu of written
     documentation.
     
     IV – Glossary of Terms
122. Note: All definitions apply to derivatives of these terms when italicized in the text.
123. • Appliance: An item such as an oven, dishwasher, heater, etc. which performs a
124. specific function
125. • Building: The subject of the inspection and its primary parking structure
126. • Component: A part of a system, appliance, fixture, or device
127. • Condition: Conspicuous state of being
128. • Determine: Arrive at an opinion or conclusion pursuant to a real estate inspection
129. • Device: A component designed to perform a particular task or function
130. • Fixture: A plumbing or electrical component with a fixed position and function
131. • Function: The normal and characteristic purpose or action of a system,
132. component, or device
133. • Functional Drainage: The ability to empty a plumbing fixture in a reasonable time
134. • Functional Flow: The flow of the water supply at the highest and farthest fixture from
135. the building supply shutoff valve when another fixture is used simultaneously
136. • Inspect: Refer to Part I, “Definition and Scope”, Paragraph A
137. • Inspector: One who performs a real estate inspection
138. • Normal User Control: Switch or other device that activates a system or component and
139. is provided for use by an occupant of a building
140. • Operate: Cause a system, appliance, fixture, or device to function using normal user
141. controls
142. • Permanently Installed: Fixed in place, e.g. screwed, bolted, nailed, or glued
143. • Primary Building: A building that an Inspector has agreed to inspect
144. • Primary Parking Structure: A building for the purpose of vehicle storage associated
145. with the primary building
146. • Readily Accessible: Can be reached, entered, or viewed without difficulty, moving
147. obstructions, or requiring any action which may harm persons or property
148. • Real Estate Inspection: Refer to Part I, “Definitions and Scope”, Paragraph A
149. • Representative Number: Example, an average of one component per area for multiple
150. similar components such as windows, doors, and electrical outlets
151. • Safety Hazard: A condition that could result in significant physical injury
152. • Shut Down: Disconnected or turned off in a way so as not to respond to normal user
153. controls• System: An assemblage of various components designed to function as a whole
     • Technically Exhaustive: Examination beyond the scope of a real estate
     inspection, which may require disassembly, specialized knowledge, special equipment,
     measuring, calculating, quantifying, testing, exploratory probing, research, or analysis