Just licensed in Louisiana? Your first 90 days.

What your license covers.

• Licenses are issued to individuals only. You can inspect for a company, but every report must be performed, prepared and signed by a licensed home inspector. (R.S. 37:1482; LAC 46:XL.111)
• Use “licensed home inspector” or “LHI” with your license number on all advertising, correspondence and inspection reports. (R.S. 37:1479(D); LAC 46:XL.135)
• Carry your picture ID license during inspections and show it on request. Display your license certificate at your place of business, or keep it readily accessible if you work from home. (LAC 46:XL.135)

What every report needs.

The board’s Standards of Practice (LAC 46:XL, Chapter 3) set what a Louisiana report must contain. The key requirements:

• Deliver a written report to each client within five calendar days of the inspection. (R.S. 37:1478(A))
• Describe the systems the standards require, state which systems were inspected and which were not and why, and state any items that are significantly deficient, unsafe or not functioning. (LAC 46:XL.305)
• Give the name, license number and signature of every licensed inspector on the job, and identify the lead inspector or qualifying licensee. (LAC 46:XL.305)
• Report visually observable evidence of suspected mold growth. (R.S. 37:1478(A)(2))
• Give every client a copy of the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics before the inspection, or attach it to the report if that isn’t practical. (LAC 46:XL.123)
• Don’t report on market value, advise for or against the purchase, or report on items you didn’t inspect. (LAC 46:XL.309)

Use a written pre-inspection agreement.

• Whenever possible, use a written pre-inspection contract that says the inspection follows the board’s Standards of Practice, describes the services and their cost, and includes copies of the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. (LAC 46:XL.305)
• A client can exclude systems from the inspection, but the exclusion must be in the written contract. (LAC 46:XL.305)

Keep your insurance in force.

• Carry errors-and-omissions insurance and general liability insurance, each with coverage of at least $300,000 per year and a deductible of no more than $5,000. (LAC 46:XL.127; R.S. 37:1481)
• File a certificate of coverage, with the board as certificate holder, by your annual renewal date. (LAC 46:XL.127)
• If your coverage lapses, tell the board immediately and stop inspecting until it is replaced. (LAC 46:XL.127)

File the monthly report.

• Pay the $5 state fee for each inspection and file the board’s monthly reporting form by the 15th of the next month, even for a month with no inspections. Late filing carries a fine. (LAC 46:XL.117)

Plan for your first renewal.

• Your license renews every year. It expires one year after the last day of the month it was issued, and inspecting on an expired license is a violation. (R.S. 37:1479; LAC 46:XL.115)
• Your renewal application must be received at least two weeks before your license expires. (LAC 46:XL.115)
• Your first renewal needs at least 30 hours of continuing education. After that it is 20 hours each licensing period. (LAC 46:XL.121)
• Renewal also needs a completed inspection report from the prior period that meets the board’s report rules. (LAC 46:XL.115)

Keep your records.

• Keep inspection records for three years from the day the report was provided to the client (five years if the board or a court questions a report), and produce them within 72 hours of the board’s written request. (LAC 46:XL.125)
• Report a change of address, phone or email to the board within 15 days. (LAC 46:XL.133)

Avoid the conflicts the rules prohibit.

• For one year after an inspection, neither you nor a company you work for, own or contract with may solicit or do paid repairs of items your report called deficient or unsafe. (R.S. 37:1478(B))
• Don’t pay agents, brokers or others with a financial interest in the closing for referrals or for a spot on a preferred list. (LAC 46:XL.501)
• Don’t take a job where your pay or future referrals depend on your findings or on the sale. (LAC 46:XL.501)