Program Overview
As of 2009, Canadian home inspectors in BC are now required to obtain licensing. The need for a home inspection course was first introduced in British Columbia to ensure industry regulation and reflect the high standards that British Columbians have come to expect from home inspectors.
Home inspection courses are designed to provide prospective home inspectors with the technical and report-writing skills necessary to perform quality home inspections. Students get a Home Inspection attendance certificate upon finishing each home inspection course.
Partners
These courses are intended to prepare students for the Canadian Home Inspection Examination, as run through HIABC (Home Inspector’s Association of BC).
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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 structure: roof, exterior, plumbing, heating, cooling, electrical, insulation, and interior.
Ten courses provide comprehensive training in the nine major areas of the home. Each technical course describes the function of systems and components, details the possible non-performance issues, their causes and implications, and includes inspection and testing strategies to help identify problems in the field. The course titled HI-B (Business Practices/Standards of Practice) provides instruction on reporting issues and creating professional home inspection reports.
Course Descriptions
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
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 focusses on inspection strategies, test procedures and problem identification.
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 inspections 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 the 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. It is important that the home inspector is 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.
Admission Requirements
Applicants need a minimum of a high school diploma and must be 19 years or older at the time of starting the course.
Technical Requirements
Online Students
Ashton College uses Adobe Connect and Schoology to help instructors and students connect and collaborate online. Students should have regular access to a computer, laptop or smartphone to access the class materials.
To be able to participate in webinars, students would need a webcam and headset, or a microphone and headphones, along with a high-speed internet connection. To view the technical requirements for Schoology, please click here and to view the technical requirements for Adobe Connect, please click here.
Please run a test to ensure whether your device can run Adobe Connect. You may be required to install the Adobe Connect add-in. If that’s the case, you will receive instructions to do so when you access a meeting for the first time. It is mandatory to run a Diagnostic Test to join an Adobe Connect meeting on a computer. The Diagnostic Test ensures that your computer and network connections are verified.
Adobe Connect mobile app is only available on Android devices and iOS. Recorded sessions are not accessible via the mobile device app, so students will need to use a desktop/laptop to view the recorded sessions.
Upcoming Dates
Live Online
Part Time:
Webinars are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM PST.
- HI-P (Plumbing): November 19, 2019 – December 19, 2019
- HI-IN (Interior/Insulation/Ventilation): January 2, 2020 – February 4, 2020
- HI-EX (Exterior): February 6, 2020 – March 10, 2020
- HI-R (Roofing): March 12, 2020 – April 14, 2020
- HI-B (Business Practices/Standards of Practice, BC): April 16, 2020 – May 19, 2020
- HI-S (Structure): May 21, 2020 – June 23, 2020
- HI-E (Electrical): June 25, 2020 – July 28, 2020
- HI-H1 (Heating I): July 30, 2020 – September 1, 2020
- HI-H2 (Heating II): September 3, 2020 – October 6, 2020
- HI-AC (Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps): October 8, 2020 –November 12, 2020
Fees
The registration fee for these courses is $295* per course.
Note: The textbook must be ordered before the start of the course. When you register for each course, you will receive an Ashton College Student Code to order books at the reduced price of $250 per course (plus shipping and applicable taxes).
* Does not include the cost of any required materials or textbooks.
