ASHI Reveals its 2007 State Rankings: Louisiana, New Jersey and Arizona Retain Top Three Spots for Protecting Consumers; Homeowners in Florida, Pennsylvania and California Beware CHICAGO, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Later this month, when state legislators in Florida, Pennsylvania and California reconvene for the 2008 session, they may want to take a close look at the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) 2007 state ranking of the best and worst home inspection regulation laws in the United States. In the last 10 years, 28 states have enacted some form of home inspection regulation. Many wonder, however, if these laws are enough to protect the interests of consumers. "Florida is the latest state to regulate home inspection," said Frank Lesh, 2007 ASHI president. "We wonder why lawmakers would enact a law that does not require home inspectors in the state of Florida to take and pass a valid psychometric examination or adhere to standards of practice?" ASHI's 2007 position statement includes a recommendation that states authorize a sunrise review by a neutral public agency to determine the need, costs, benefits and alternatives to the proposed regulations prior to adoption. This is in addition to ASHI's 2006 provision to evaluate whether laws as drafted are enforceable. Pennsylvania, for example, was ranked fifth on ASHI's 2005 list but dropped dramatically in 2006 and 2007 because the state's "inspector experience" requirement as stated was not enforceable. California has been ranked dead last for two years because several of its provisions -- including its "prohibited acts" provision, which outlines an inspector's code of ethics -- cannot be enforced. ASHI says its state ratings are based on a multi-criteria system. Because laws vary significantly from state to state, a detailed set of criteria is used to review each state's regulations to determine the positive elements of legislation as well as areas that might need improvement. States receive points according to the weight or importance ASHI places on different regulation standards and are evaluated against 13 criteria, including experience, education, testing requirements, standards of practice and codes of ethics.
