I thought our instructor was great. Very knowledgeable and did a great job going through the course material.
Byron Lewis-Pickering, Home Inspection, 2022
Home Inspection Certificate Overview
Ashton College’s Home Inspection Certificate is designed to provide prospective home inspectors with the technical and report-writing skills necessary to perform quality home inspections.
The Home Inspection Certificate is offered in partnership with Carson Dunlop & Associates and will prepare you to start a career as a provincially licensed professional Home Inspector. To qualify for the Home Inspection Certificate, students must complete all ten Home Inspection courses offered by the Continuing Education Division of Ashton College.
Ashton College offers 10 courses that provide comprehensive training and expertise in the major areas of home inspection.
- Each technical course:
- Describes the function of systems and components
- Details the possible non-performance issues, and their causes and implications
- Includes inspection and testing strategies to help identify problems in the field
These ten courses can be taken individually. Successful students of all ten courses will receive the Home Inspection Certificate. You have 3 years to complete the requirements of your certificate. Once you have completed all certificate requirements, you can request your Home Inspection Certificate.
A home inspection involves an assessment of the condition of residential buildings. Home inspectors are trained to examine various systems, determine their condition and deficiencies, and prepare reports on the physical conditions of the following:
- Roofing
- Exterior
- Plumbing
- Heating
- Cooling
- Electrical
- Insulation
- Interior
- Structure
Students do not need a building-related background to become a Home Inspector but must be technically accurate and able to provide professional customer service to clients.
Admission Requirements
None
Educational Partner
The Home Inspection Certificate is offered in partnership with Carson Dunlop & Associates, a leading provider of educational materials for Home Inspection Programs.
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Students will get access to Educational Materials such as:
- Online textbook through Carson Dunlop portal
- Videos, case studies and interactive exercises
- Inspection procedures and field exercises
- Online quizzes
- Support from live instructors
- Technical support
Learning Resources
Students will receive an email with course information 24 hours before the start date. Students will not need to pre-purchase the textbook; all course content will be available through the Carson Dunlop portal and Learning Management system. If you wish to purchase a hard copy of the textbook, please send an email to [email protected] for a discount code.
Career Opportunities
The need for home inspection courses was first introduced to ensure industry regulation and reflect the high standards that Canadians have come to expect from home inspectors. Home inspection is a great career choice that provides a stable industry, flexible schedules, and the ability to work for yourself.
- If you:
- Can identify problems in existing homes
- Are a good communicator and can work with home buyers, real estate agents and property managers
- Have an interest in construction and how things work
Then a career in Home Inspection could be right for you!
Home Inspector Licensing
Home inspectors are currently required to have a valid licence to practice in both Alberta and British Columbia. However, all provinces and territories require home inspectors to have the necessary education and skills training in order to seek employment or open their own businesses.
Ashton College's online home inspection courses are approved by both Consumer Protection BC and the Government of Alberta for licensing purposes.
Course Descriptions
HI-AC: Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps
The emphasis in this course is on cooling systems and heat pumps. Considerable detail is provided on how these systems fail. Students will also learn to identify typical defects and apply correct inspection techniques.
HI-P: Plumbing
This course prepares students to inspect, in a residential dwelling, the interior water supply and distribution systems (including fixtures and faucets), as well as water heating equipment and drain/vent/waste systems and their related fixtures.
HI-IN: Interior/Insulation/Ventilation
This course focuses on the inspection of thermal insulation, vapour retarders and ventilation systems, as well as the inspection of interior elements of residential dwellings such as walls, ceilings, floors, basements, doors, windows, interior stairs/railings, installed countertops and cabinets, and garage doors/door operators.
HI-EX: Exterior
This course covers retaining walls, grounds, window wells, lot grading, driveways, patios, walkways, decks, balconies, stoops and steps, porches, railings, wall cladding, flashing trim, eaves, soffits, fascia, as well as exterior doors and windows. Students learn to describe the exterior wall covering and inspect all aspects of the exterior named above.
HI-R: Roofing
This course describes sloped and flat roof construction. Detailed descriptions and illustrations help to explain flashing details and the intersections that are often problems on roofs. Roof problems causes and implications are identified for all the common roofing materials. Included are sections on how to inspect roofs and what to watch for with various roofing materials.
HI-B: Business Practices/Standards of Practice (British Columbia)
The professional home inspector is required, both verbally and in writing, to describe the inspection process and communicate inspection findings to the client. The home inspector must be able to communicate clearly and effectively to ensure that clients understand the inspection results and the report. Students develop their oral and written communication skills and learn the reporting requirements and proper conduct for a professional home inspector.
HI-S: Structure
This course focuses on the following structural components of a residential dwelling: foundations, floors, walls, and roof structures. Students learn to apply knowledge of structures to inspections that focus on system performance, safety concerns and compliance with good construction practices.
HI-E: Electrical
This course starts with a description of house electricity and develops an understanding of the basics. The course moves on to address getting electricity into the house and distributing it safely to its end use points including switches, lights and receptacles. The course is designed to provide students who do not have an electrical background with the skills necessary to perform the electrical portion of a professional home inspection.
HI-H1: Heating I
This course focuses on residential heating systems, starting with a description of fuels and then furnaces and boilers. Detailed instructions on operational tests, common failure modes and life expectancies of various systems are included. Each topic starts with a description of how the system works. This course also concentrates on inspection strategies, test procedures and problem identification.
HI-H2: Heating II
It is recommended that HI-H1 & H2 should be taken sequentially.
This course focuses on chimneys, wood heating, steam heating, electrical heating systems and space heaters. Each topic starts with a description of how the system works. This course also focuses on inspection strategies, test procedures and problem identification.
Dates
Online
Webinars are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm PST.
- HI-EX (Exterior): February 14, 2023 – March 14, 2023
- HI-R (Roofing): March 21, 2023 – April 18, 2023
- HI-B (Business Practices/Standards of Practice): April 25, 2023 – May 23, 2023
- HI-S (Structure): May 30, 2023 – June 27, 2023
- HI-E (Electrical): July 4, 2023 – August 1, 2023
- HI-H1 (Heating I): August 8, 2023 – September 5, 2023
- HI-H2 (Heating II): September 12, 2023 – October 10, 2023
- HI-AC (Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps): October 17, 2023 – November 14, 2023
- HI-P (Plumbing): November 21, 2023 – December 19, 2023
- HI-IN (Interior/Insulation/Ventilation): Coming again in 2024
Fees
The total registration fee for each course is $595 ($295 course fee + $300 materials fee). Total fees include GST.
Instructors
Subject to change without notice
Nicolaos Athanassiou
Nicolaos has been involved in the home inspection industry for the past decade. Both as an instructor at vocational schools and as a building inspector for residential and municipal buildings. He has also been a licenced contractor and indoor environmental practitioner in Laval, Quebec.
Nicolaos has a specialized BA in Human Environment, a degree that focuses on how geography influences human behaviour and examines the impact of human activity on the environment. This gives him a unique view of construction as he looks at it through a lens of providing creative solutions towards climate change, biodiversity loss, natural resource management and sustainability. He has also been certified by the National Home Inspector Certification Council.
David Fairbairn
David began his career in the trades as a Power Engineer, working in commercial buildings. In 2012 he obtained his Home Inspection licence and started Fairbairn Inspection Services, a successful property inspection company serving the BC Lower Mainland. Since going into business, David has performed over 9000 home inspections and has become one of the most successful inspectors in the Vancouver area. He has also contributed to Global TV as a condo expert. His YouTube channel has several videos with over 50,000 views, and David has been invited to perform talks at real estate offices, trade schools and high schools around BC. David brings a passion for the building and inspection industry to every job and looks forward to sharing his passion with students at Ashton.
Mark Heartt
Mark Heartt is a Red Seal Carpenter and entrepreneur that has owned and operated a successful construction company for more than 16 years. He has spent the last 16 years in post-secondary coming up through the ranks, starting as an instructor of carpentry and moving up to a Program Chair, Associate Dean and then the Dean of Trades for two post-secondary institutions. Mark also currently holds a Diploma in Adult Education as well as many certificates in leadership.
Outside of teaching, Mark enjoys curling, riding quads, and woodworking. He’s also a coach for Special Olympics curling.
Darcy McGregor
Darcy McGregor achieved his Red Seal journeyman’s ticket in 1977. He first worked in commercial construction as a carpenter, then as a Forman but soon gravitated into residential housing and became a superintendent building multi-family and single-family homes. He then ran his own custom home building company and started inspecting them professionally in 1986. He had over 30 years of experience inspecting homes, consulting on homes under construction, forensic investigations, and litigation consulting as an expert witness in residential construction and home inspection before retiring in 2017.
Darcy is also a founding member of the first Home Inspection Association in Alberta (CAHI now APHIS) chartered in 1992 and continues as a retired member remaining active on the board of directors as well as a lecturer and report verification chair. His teaching experience includes over 17 years as a part-time instructor at a technical school. He is excited to continue sharing his knowledge and experience at Ashton College.
Lee Ottewell
Lee Ottewell is the owner of Crest Building Consultancy Ltd. in Victoria. His company undertakes building inspections for both residential and commercial clients, as well as 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 Licenced Home Inspector with Consumer Protection BC, an Accredited Home Inspector with Home Inspectors Association BC, and a former Chartered Building Surveyor with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Ray Toscani
Ray Toscani has lived in the Lower Mainland since 1992. He graduated with an architectural degree from the University of Manitoba (1986) and a Master’s of Urban Planning (1991), subsequently working for Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) for 10 years, in Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. Ray acquired further training and became Certified in Real Estate Finance (CRF), a Certified Mold Inspector, an air quality sampler as well as an EcoEnergy assessor administering the EcoEnergy and LiveSmart BC programs.
Ray previously owned a HouseMaster home inspection franchise in the Lower Mainland, and later opened his own firm, 1st Choice Inspection Services Ltd. He is an Accredited Home Inspector (AHI) with the Home Inspection Association of BC (HIABC) and licenced in British Columbia with the Consumer Protection Branch.
Technical Requirements
Online Students
Ashton College uses web conferencing tools to help instructors and students connect and collaborate online. For the online classes, students need to have a fully functional computer system with a webcam, speakers and microphone or headset and headphones, along with a reliable high-speed internet connection. Though the classes can be accessed using smartphones and tablets, we recommend using a laptop or desktop computer for a better learning experience.
This program was reviewed and approved by the Registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training.
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