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Formats:
Live Online
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Duration:
25 hours per course
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Registration Fee:
$295 per course
Start Date
Live Online 
Part Time:
Please refer to the dates section
Have questions about the program?
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Overview
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 courses are designed to provide prospective home inspectors with the technical and report-writing skills necessary to perform quality home inspections. 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. Our home inspection courses are recognized by the Home Inspectors Association of British Columbia and also prepares you for the HIABC examination. Please note that these courses meet the requirements for licencing as a home inspector in Alberta as well.
Students are advised to check with their own province or territory on the specific requirements for practice prior to enrolling for a course at Ashton College. There are also a number of professional membership associations that home inspectors can apply to for admission. The majority of these associations will require proof of formal training.
In British Columbia, students can contact the Home Inspectors Association of British Columbia.
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.
The Ashton College courses provide comprehensive training in the major areas of the home. 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 courses can be taken individually. Successful students will receive a Home Inspection attendance certificate upon finishing each course.
Educational Partner
Ashton College partners with Carson Dunlop, a leading provider of educational materials for Home Inspection Programs. Carson Dunlop has been endorsed by a number of home inspection member associations, universities and colleges.
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Ashton College's online home inspection courses are approved by Consumer Protection BC (CPBC). Completing all the home inspection courses will prepare you to take on the HIABC's Home Inspectors Association BC (HIABC) examination and earn your Home Inspection Licence, which you are required to have to operate as a home inspector in BC. Please note that these courses meet the requirements for licencing as a home inspector in Alberta as well.
Our 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
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.
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 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. 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.
Instructors*
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 licensed 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 under the National Home Inspector Certification Council.
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 Masters 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 licensed in British Columbia with the Consumer Protection Branch.
David Fairbairn
David began his career in the trades as a Power Engineer, working in commercial buildings. In 2012 he obtained his Home Inspection license 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.
*Subject to change without notice
Dates
Live Online
- Webinars will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 pm PST
- HI-EX (Exterior): February 15, 2022 – March 15, 2022
- HI-R (Roofing): March 22, 2022 – April 19, 2022
- HI-B (Business Practices/Standards of Practice): April 26, 2022 – May 24, 2022
- HI-S (Structure): May 31, 2022 – June 30, 2022
- HI-E (Electrical): July 05, 2022 – August 04, 2022
- HI-H1 (Heating I): August 09, 2022 – September 08, 2022
- HI-H2 (Heating II): September 13, 2022 – October 13, 2022
- HI-AC (Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps): October 20, 2022 – November 17, 2022
- HI-P (Plumbing): November 22, 2022 – December 20, 2022
- HI-IN (Interior/Insulation/Ventilation): Coming in January 2023
Required Materials
Textbooks must be ordered before the start of the course. Ashton College students are eligible for a reduced price of $250 per textbook, plus shipping and applicable taxes. The link to purchase discounted textbooks will be provided to you upon registration.
Fees
The registration fee for each course is $295.
Technical Requirements
Live Online Students
Ashton College uses web conferencing tools to help instructors and students connect and collaborate live 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.
These courses do not require approval by the Private Training Institutions Branch of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training. As such, they were not reviewed.
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