A Professional Real Estate Inspector is a person who is trained and qualified to perform real estate inspections and who accepts employment to perform a real estate inspection for a buyer or seller of real property.  Professional inspectors may also supervise or sponsor Real Estate Inspectors and Apprentice Inspectors.

You have one year from the date your application is filed to meet all license requirements.  Once you have met all license requirements, TREC will send an active professional inspector license to you via email.

General Qualifications

• Citizen of the United States or lawfully admitted alien
• 18 years of age or older
• Meet TREC’s qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity
  • Consider requesting a Fitness Determination before applying for the license

Requirements

You must enroll in courses by March 1, 2021, complete all education and experience requirements, and submit an application by June 30, 2021 to apply under these requirements. Significant changes to inspector requirements will take effective March 1, 2021.

Complete Your Qualifying Education

• 130 classroom hours of qualifying real estate inspection courses as follows:
  • 10 hours in foundations
  • 8 hours in framing
  • 10 hours in building enclosure
  • 10 hours in roof systems
  • 8 hours in plumbing systems
  • 10 hours in electrical systems
  • 10 hours in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems
  • 8 hours in appliances
  • 4 hours in Texas Standards of Practice
  • 12 hours in Texas Standard Report Form/Report Writing
  • 8 hours in Texas Legal/Ethics
  • 4 hours in Standards of Practice Review
  • 4 hours in Inspector Legal & Ethics
  • 24 hours in any qualifying inspection subject

After completing your course work, you are welcome to submit a course and instructor evaluation. 

Meet the Experience and Additional Education Requirements

• The chart below shows three options for an applicant to satisfy the experience and additional education requirements. Applicants for a professional inspector license must select one option and satisfy all requirements for that option.

*Affidavits of personal experience must detail the time and nature of your experience in a field directly related to home inspection, including but not limited to installing, servicing, repairing or maintaining the structural, mechanical, and electrical systems found in improvements to real property.

Finding a Ride Along Instructor

Qualified Ride Along Instructors must have at least five years of active experience as a Texas Professional Inspector and meet one of the following criteria:

• have performed at least 200 real estate inspections as a Texas professional inspector
• have three years of experience in teaching or sponsoring trainees or inspectors

You may reference a list of previously approved ride along instructors here.

To request qualifying credit for field work through a ride along inspection course, submit the Qualifying Credit Certification of Completion of Ride Along Inspection Substitute Experience Course Session form with your application.

Filing your Application

• Mail your application for Professional Real Estate Inspector License and fee to TREC.
• Mail copies of your education and experience documents to TREC with your application.

Get your Fingerprints Taken and Pass Your Background Check

• You are required by law to have fingerprints on file with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) so a background check can be performed. Fingerprints on file for other agencies will not be accepted.
• A license will not issue if the background check has not been passed. Expect a delay if you are notified of an investigation into your background history.

Take the Exam

• License exams are administered by PearsonVUE, a testing service company. 
• Once TREC has approved you to take the exam, you will receive a notice with instructions for scheduling the exam and obtaining a copy of the exam Candidate Handbook.
• If you fail the exam three times, you will be required to take additional education before you can retake the exam.

Real Estate Inspection Recovery Fund

After you have passed the exam, you will be sent a notice from TREC requesting the required fee for deposit in the Real Estate Inspection Recovery Fund before your license will issue.

Financial Responsibility

• Once you have met all other requirements for a license, you must submit proof of professional liability insurance, or any other insurance that provides coverage for violations of Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1102, Subchapter G ($100,000 per occurrence).
• Use the TREC Certificate of Insurance form or Proof of Financial Responsibility form.