Message From TREIC Chair Lee Warren: July 2024

The Texas Real Estate Inspector Committee (TREIC) met on July 15 at TREC headquarters in Austin.

Texas Practicum Discussion

The committee reviewed public comments it received about proposed rule clarifications to the Texas Practicum. TREIC recommended the Commission propose rule amendments that simply rearrange existing inspector licensure requirements to clarify that the Texas Practicum is an experience requirement separate from an educational course. The Commission proposed this rule change at its May meeting, and it was open for public comment until earlier this month.

Should this rule change be adopted by the Commission, education providers will still be able to offer the Texas Practicum but would do so through the utilization of a qualified inspector. They will no longer need to go through the course approval process or issue completion certificates to students. Instead, students will submit the credit request form to the agency to obtain credit.

The Practicum must be conducted by professional inspectors who meet the proper criteria, similar to the criteria required to be a sponsoring inspector.

Keep in mind that this does not prevent an existing inspector or someone applying to be an inspector from taking a virtual course to enhance the knowledge they obtain through the Practicum.

Standards of Practice

The committee received some comments from stakeholders on a few different subjects. As was mentioned previously, the Standards of Practice are currently under review.

The SOP subcommittee has no directive to make substantial changes. The SOPs are always under review, as the SOPs are a living document that evolve as times change in this industry. If inspectors have items that they would like to see considered for possible change, I highly encourage you to participate in the meetings. This is the time for your voice to be heard. This is a long process that the subcommittee is undertaking, but the earlier that input is received, the better.

Enforcement Reminders

Based upon a review of recent enforcement actions, it is apparent that there are still a substantial number of inspectors who have action taken against them for using the wrong inspection report form. Please keep in mind that the current form is the Property Inspection Report Form (REI 7-6). Please ensure you are using the most current form for all inspections performed. If you use a software system to do your inspection reports, make sure its templates are correct, since you are ultimately responsible for the report. These simple actions can prevent this easily correctable disciplinary action before it takes place.

Another recent disciplinary action serves as a reminder that inspectors are required to keep inspection reports for four years after an inspection has been performed. If the inspector uses a company to store reports, it is recommended to have a policy in place for that inspector to be able to obtain those reports should they be requested by TREC.

Education Updates

The Education and Exams Division reported that the processing time to review and approve CE courses has been cut dramatically in the last few months. The department has been working hard to get those approvals done faster, and I am greatly appreciative of their efforts to make that happen. There were some recent changes to the national exam for inspectors. The Education Subcommittee and education staff will be looking into the changes and determine if there may be any changes needed to the prelicensure requirements as a result.

Farewell to Deputy Executive Director Tony Slagle

On a sad note, Deputy Executive Director Tony Slagle has announced his retirement from TREC effective in August. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with Tony for the last 12 years that I have been on TREIC. I greatly appreciate everything that he has done to assist in the relationship building between the Commission and the inspector community. Tony has gone out of his way to help make needed changes, last-minute revisions, long-term goals and tasks, and the occasional request or inquiry from committee members that increased his already full workload. From attending trade association meetings to accommodating the TRIEC and subcommittee meetings on countless occasions, Tony has made a positive impact within the inspector community that will be remembered for some time. The committee members, and most certainly I, wish Tony the absolute best in his future endeavors.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.