The last few months have seen some unprecedented events happen in the world around us.  The COVID-19 virus has brought much of the world to a screeching halt.  In the interest of keeping everyone as safe as possible, the meeting of the full Inspector Committee scheduled for April 13^th will not be conducted at the TREC building in Austin.  The meeting will continue as scheduled, but it will be done via teleconference.  Please check the TREC website for more details on how to call in to be a part of that meeting.

The Attorney General’s office has submitted their opinion on the request regarding whether licensed inspectors should be permitted to perform camera inspections of drain lines.  This will be one of the topics for discussion at the April 13^th meeting.

The real estate market was, arguably, in the process of changing prior to recent events.  With everything that has transpired, there will certainly be an impact on the way we conduct business.  Please keep others in mind when conducting your business.  Social distancing and regular washing of your hands is certainly a good practice.  However, you may also want to consider other changes as well.  If you are not feeling well, please do not perform inspections in other people’s homes.  If you do choose to continue to perform inspections, you may want to consider wearing gloves or take other protective measures to ensure your safety and the safety of others.  You may also want to consider doing a video phone walkthrough with your client instead of having them there at the time of the inspection.  You should clean and sterilize your equipment that you utilize such as tools, phones, and computers on a regular basis. 

One of the primary functions of an inspector is to protect the public.  Though I don’t believe this type of situation is what they had in mind when the Inspector Act was conceived, the thought process is still the same.  Please keep your safety and the safety of others your primary concern when conducting business now and in the future.  Together we can continue to perform our duties professionally and safely by taking the proper measures to protect ourselves and the vast number of those that we impact in our profession.