Information for Inspectors

The Professional Home and Property Inspectors of Canada
Full membership in PHPIC is an earned credential and the best evidence of an inspector's competence and professionalism.  PHPIC is at the leading edge of the home inspection profession in Canada and the PHPI™ designation ("Professional Home & Property Inspector") is our prestigious designation of competency for the private home inspector.  PHPIC is dedicated to promoting the home inspection profession of Canada as a vital service to the home and property buyer while keeping the needs of our members at the forefront of our mandate.


Becoming a Home Inspector
Considerable experience, education/training, field work and expertise are required for successful performance in this profession.  No single source of information is sufficient to launch a competent practice;it is a combination of all.

First, there is no other profession or line of work that would fully prepare you to become a Home Inspector.  Although construction related fields require an understanding of how new homes are built, they rarely deal with the extended use and age related deterioration of components that the Home Inspector encounters daily.  You will need extensive detailed knowledge in many areas such as electrical and plumbing systems, heating and cooling systems, roofing, attic structures, as well as interior components and structures.  You will also require knowledge of components that are obsolete yet still in service.  No single course or even a collection of courses can prepare you for all of the significant conditions that occur in the field.  The ability to recognize a condition or defect that may be a problem comes in part from experience with "what can go wrong".

PHPIC's regional chapters, conferences and seminars, are also instrumental in producing well qualified professional Inspectors.  Inspectors who lack exposure to more disciplined and formal training and rely on their "experience" only are at risk for having difficulty distinguishing between arm-waving opinions and well researched authoritative sources of information.  This is a critical distinction if you are to practice as a qualified professional, rather than simply as a generic business operator.

PHPIC requires that all members become certified by the National Home Inspector Certification Council (NHICC) to the National Certification Program criteria, this is a mandatory requirement to ensure that its members are above the crowd and true professionals.  The best credential you can have in the home inspection profession today is our PHPI™ designation.  This designation is recognized across Canada.  Anyone interested in becoming a home inspector should join PHPIC as a Candidate Member as early as possible, so that our monthly mailings and meetings can enhance their competence and professionalism.  Remember, your customer's expectations will be very high.  In order to meet those expectations, you will need to be very good and very careful.  Sharing ideas and experiences with others in the business can be extremely valuable to the survival of your business.


Getting Started
As a minimum, you will need required education, sufficient working capital, a reliable vehicle, a computer, and sufficient basic inspection tools.  Your best source of information about these items as well as how to proceed towards obtaining your professional status, is by joining PHPIC.  We invite you to fill in the Membership Application.  Those aspiring to become members must first apply as Candidates unless you are current National Certificate Holder.  Please make sure to complete, sign and mail all applicable forms, photo copies of all related documents and your cheque for fees, payable to PHPIC.  For those requiring an assessment of their credentials, please allow approximately six to eight weeks.


To become a Nationally Certified, an inspector must meet rigorous professional and educational requirements.

Through CHIBO (Canadian Home Inspector and Building Officials) 1&2 the National Initiative established the most widely recognized standard of quality for home inspections nationwide.  An increased demand for home inspections and the lack of qualified practitioners lead to a number of consumer concerns.(Inconsistencies in the quality and level of service provided).  The Canadian public, through CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation), demanded some level of competence and training. 

Certification of PHPIC's members is conducted by an independent, fully accredited, certification body thus ensuring our members have undergone thorough third party scrutiny.  No other Canadian Home Inspection Association/Organization demands this degree of rigor of its members.