By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
Your column has made me acutely aware of the many defects that can be found in homes of all ages and conditions. I'm not likely to purchase a home any time soon but am considering an inspection of my current home to ensure general safety and to anticipate needed maintenance. How often should homeowners obtain this kind of inspection? -Kathy
Dear Kathy,
Hiring a home inspector for maintenance purposes, rather than for real estate disclosure, is a prudent but rare practice. As often stated in this column, all homes harbor unknown defects of one kind or another, many of which involve serious safety issues. Anyone employing a home inspector for maintenance purposes is likely to thank himself/herself for having pursued this wise course of preemptive action. However, a guideline as to how often such inspections should be performed is subjective and is likely to vary from one property to another, depending upon age, quality of construction, weather conditions, and levels of routine maintenance. In most cases, five-year intervals would be a reasonable minimum span.
To ensure the safe operation of gas burning fixtures, such as furnaces, water heaters, and kitchen ranges, an annual review by the local gas company is also recommended. Fortunately, this is a free service provided by most gas utility companies. In many cases, they are able to identify life-threatening defects, such as leaking combustion exhaust.
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