Dec. 02, 2020
HARRISBURG – On Monday, Nov. 30, Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed
House Bill 21, authored by Rep. Sue Helm (R-Dauphin/Lebanon). This bill would protect homebuyers by requiring state licensure for home inspectors.
Specifically, the bill would license home inspectors under the State Board of Real Estate Appraisers, set qualifications for licensure, and prohibit unlicensed individuals from conducting inspections or claiming they are licensed home inspectors. Additional consumer protections in the bill included a requirement that home inspectors notify clients of evidence of interior mold found during the inspection process.
Helm issued the following statement in response:
“Throughout my time in the real estate industry, I have heard numerous horror stories of home inspectors who never notified prospective homebuyers of widespread internal mold. As a result, these consumers were forced to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars remediating the mold, suffering financial devastation and putting their health at risk. A home is the most important – and usually the most expensive – purchase an individual will make in his or her lifetime. As home inspectors are not currently held to any uniform standards, there is little to no recourse available to consumers.
“In the governor’s veto message, he expressed his concerns that the bill would increase barriers to entry for home inspectors. I would have hoped his concern would be with protecting Pennsylvania’s homebuyers and ensuring they do not encounter these problems – which can, and have, caused financial ruin – in the future.
“As we prepare for the beginning of the 2021-22 Legislative Session, I remain firmly committed to reforming the home inspection and homebuying processes to protect all Pennsylvanians.”
House Bill 21 was presented to the governor on Nov. 20 after being passed by the House of Representatives and Senate with strong bipartisan votes of 180-20 and 40-9, respectively.
For more information on Helm and her legislative priorities, please visit
RepHelm.com or
Facebook.com/RepHelm.
Representative Sue Helm
104th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Kevin DiGuiseppe
717.260.6419
kdiguiseppe@pahousegop.com
RepHelm.com /
Facebook.com/RepHelm