As a home inspector, it’s your job to help your clients make an informed decision on housing by providing them with clear and detailed reporting on all areas of their property. Everything from plumbing and electrical, roofing and structure, YOU are the expert.
Being a home inspector can be a natural career step for those with experience in trades. Using the knowledge and skills learned on the job helps ensure credibility in home inspection reports. An added benefit of being a home inspector is that your services are in demand throughout the entire year. This means no more seasonal work, irregular shifts and uncertain work scheduling.
Standards of Excellence
Home inspection courses at Ashton College are recognized by the province of British Columbia. As a licensed profession, home inspection in British Columbia was previously supervised by four separate associations, each with its own set of standards. Recent changes to the profession were implemented by Consumer Protection BC, bringing a universal standard throughout the province. The new standards will be under the banner of the CSA (Canadian Standards Association), allowing for improved oversight of the profession, as well as better consumer education.
Licensing
Home Inspection is a licensed profession. Consumer Protection BC issues licences to individuals who perform home inspection services based on the requirements of the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act and the Home Inspector Licensing Regulation. In order to apply for a licence, applicants must meet the necessary requirements, including the education requirement from the designated associations or authorities to operate as a home inspector.
Home Inspection Examinations
Upon completion of coursework, you will be required to take a Canadian Home Inspection Examination (CHIE ) in order to get the certification. Exams are administered online but must be taken at an approved test centre. Ashton Testing Services has a long standing relationship with home inspectors in British Columbia. To take the exam at Ashton Testing Services, students pay regular proctor rates of $40.00 per hour, which is payable prior to the examination.
Lee Ottewell is the owner of Crest Building Consultancy Ltd. in Victoria. His company undertake building inspections for both residential and commercial clients, as well consulting services to Government Organizations (including BC Housing, VIHA etc.). He is also a volunteer inspector for the Victoria Heritage Foundation. Lee has been inspecting since 1988 and over that period has inspected thousands of buildings.
Lee is a Licensed Home Inspector with Consumer Protection BC, an Accredited Home Inspector with Home Inspectors Association BC, and a former Chartered Building Surveyor with Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Having worked in the UK providing inspection services, Lee also provided architectural, project management, facilities management services for commercial clients, including projects for the refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings.
Lee has numerous academic credentials, including an honours degree in Building Surveying (Inspecting) obtained in the UK in 1988 (in the Canada the term “building surveying” is known as “building inspecting”), and a Diploma in Building Studies. He is also a graduate of the Carson Dunlop home inspection program and CDW Commercial Inspection program.
Dr. Kamyar Ajdari (Ph.D., C.H.I.) has significant working and teaching experience with different companies and educational centres in Canada, Germany, India and Iran. His professional experience consists of:
President, Doctor Home Inspections, Vancouver
Professor/Instructor In U.B.C., S.F.U. & Ashton College, Vancouver
Invited Scientist, Merck Chemical Company, Germany
C.E.O., (Managing Director) Karun Hydroelectric power plant, Iran
His teaching and research experience includes teaching multiple engineering courses and supervising graduate students in UBC (AMPLE ), SFU (Physics/Electricity & Magnetism) and Ashton College (Home Inspection). He published many research articles in international journals and was awarded the National Electrical Research Prize.
James Bell (AHI, BComm) is an accomplished entrepreneur, business leader, and home inspector with experience of over 2,000 home inspections with his firm, Solid State Inspections Inc. James is a recognized industry author with numerous articles in trade publications and regular guest work in newspapers and on radio. He has published seven home inspection books, including the series ‘A Home Inspector’s Guide to’, which focuses on practical home inspector techniques.
James is a licensed BC home inspector and an Accredited Home Inspector (AHI) with the Home Inspectors Association of BC. He is also an accredited home inspection field trainer and evaluator for Consumer Protection BC. In addition to his home inspection credentials, James has 15 years of head office marketing experience in the consumer electronics and e-commerce industries, including RadioShack, Intertan, Future Shop, and Best Buy brands in Canada.
James has numerous academic credentials, including a degree in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University and a Diploma in Finance from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. He is also a graduate of the Carson Dunlop home inspection program and CDW Commercial Inspection program.
Mark Goodwin has six years’ experience in the building assessment industry and is a licensed BC Home Inspector. He has broadened his scope and professional development by working as a consultant with Marsh Building Inspections and Opus Dayton Knight, where he undertook building envelope assessments, depreciation reports and condition surveys. Mark completed a Commercial Building Inspection course with Carson Dunlop. As a qualified Home Inspector and Domestic Energy Assessor in the UK, he has brought these additional skills, experience and building knowledge to the Canadian market. As a former Inspector with the Metropolitan Police in London (UK), he has transferred his wealth of experience in evidence-gathering, investigation, risk assessment, observation, communication, police officer training and development to the building environment in BC.
A dynamic hands-on professional with more than 15 years’ experience in engineering and more than five years as an electrical contractor and home inspector, Ed Nicolas (P.Eng, CHI) is a Registered Professional Engineer, a certified and licensed Home Inspector, and a licensed Electrical Contractor in British Columbia.
He is the owner of Sigma Technical Services, which provides engineering consulting, electrical work, and home inspection services in the Lower Mainland and has been a faculty member of Ashton College since 2013. He incorporates his engineering and trade skills to coach students how to be an effective home inspector.
Lee Ottewell is the owner of Crest Building Consultancy Ltd. in Victoria. His company undertake building inspections for both residential and commercial clients, as well consulting services to Government Organizations (including BC Housing, VIHA etc.). He is also a volunteer inspector for the Victoria Heritage Foundation. Lee has been inspecting since 1988 and over that period has inspected thousands of buildings.
Lee is a Licensed Home Inspector with Consumer Protection BC, an Accredited Home Inspector with Home Inspectors Association BC, and a former Chartered Building Surveyor with Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Having worked in the UK providing inspection services, Lee also provided architectural, project management, facilities management services for commercial clients, including projects for the refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings.
Lee has numerous academic credentials, including an honours degree in Building Surveying (Inspecting) obtained in the UK in 1988 (in the Canada the term “building surveying” is known as “building inspecting”), and a Diploma in Building Studies. He is also a graduate of the Carson Dunlop home inspection program and CDW Commercial Inspection program.
Dr. Kamyar Ajdari (Ph.D., C.H.I.) has significant working and teaching experience with different companies and educational centres in Canada, Germany, India and Iran. His professional experience consists of:
President, Doctor Home Inspections, Vancouver
Professor/Instructor In U.B.C., S.F.U. & Ashton College, Vancouver
Invited Scientist, Merck Chemical Company, Germany
C.E.O., (Managing Director) Karun Hydroelectric power plant, Iran
His teaching and research experience includes teaching multiple engineering courses and supervising graduate students in UBC (AMPLE ), SFU (Physics/Electricity & Magnetism) and Ashton College (Home Inspection). He published many research articles in international journals and was awarded the National Electrical Research Prize.
James Bell (AHI, BComm) is an accomplished entrepreneur, business leader, and home inspector with experience of over 2,000 home inspections with his firm, Solid State Inspections Inc. James is a recognized industry author with numerous articles in trade publications and regular guest work in newspapers and on radio. He has published seven home inspection books, including the series ‘A Home Inspector’s Guide to’, which focuses on practical home inspector techniques.
James is a licensed BC home inspector and an Accredited Home Inspector (AHI) with the Home Inspectors Association of BC. He is also an accredited home inspection field trainer and evaluator for Consumer Protection BC. In addition to his home inspection credentials, James has 15 years of head office marketing experience in the consumer electronics and e-commerce industries, including RadioShack, Intertan, Future Shop, and Best Buy brands in Canada.
James has numerous academic credentials, including a degree in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University and a Diploma in Finance from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. He is also a graduate of the Carson Dunlop home inspection program and CDW Commercial Inspection program.
Mark Goodwin has six years’ experience in the building assessment industry and is a licensed BC Home Inspector. He has broadened his scope and professional development by working as a consultant with Marsh Building Inspections and Opus Dayton Knight, where he undertook building envelope assessments, depreciation reports and condition surveys. Mark completed a Commercial Building Inspection course with Carson Dunlop. As a qualified Home Inspector and Domestic Energy Assessor in the UK, he has brought these additional skills, experience and building knowledge to the Canadian market. As a former Inspector with the Metropolitan Police in London (UK), he has transferred his wealth of experience in evidence-gathering, investigation, risk assessment, observation, communication, police officer training and development to the building environment in BC.
A dynamic hands-on professional with more than 15 years’ experience in engineering and more than five years as an electrical contractor and home inspector, Ed Nicolas (P.Eng, CHI) is a Registered Professional Engineer, a certified and licensed Home Inspector, and a licensed Electrical Contractor in British Columbia.
He is the owner of Sigma Technical Services, which provides engineering consulting, electrical work, and home inspection services in the Lower Mainland and has been a faculty member of Ashton College since 2013. He incorporates his engineering and trade skills to coach students how to be an effective home inspector.
