This Post is Open to Interpretation

Interpret. It’s a strange looking word with a straight-forward meaning.

It is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “(deciding) what the intended meaning of something is.” Every word that we provide to our paying clients, what we say, what we email and text, and what we write in our inspection reports is going to be interpreted.

And interpreting what we mean by the language in our business materials and inspection reports is what opposing attorneys do for a living. 

So, what’s a small business owner to do? Can we match wits with an experienced plaintiff’s attorney in their natural element of the courtroom? Should we even try, or is there a better way we should approach our defense? 

I am not doubting the fact that an experienced home inspector may be capable of defending themself and overcoming the arguments of a professional attorney. However, it makes much more sense to attempt to address those issues before they become a problem. Benjamin Franklin is often quoted as saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” So, it becomes our job to properly apply that ounce of prevention in the most effective possible way.

One of the ways I have found to protect myself is to remember all the possible ways that things can turn out with our clients. Our clients could be happy and content with our product. They could also be unhappy with our product, but never complain. They could complain at first but then fade into the past without ever being heard from again. Or, a client can be so unhappy with our product that we find ourselves fighting an insurance claim…

As inspectors, our product is our inspection report, our contract, and any other materials we send to our clients. In order to minimize the possibility that we’ll end up in court, we must make sure that our products is as polished as they can be. We want our words to be crystal-clear, leaving as little room for interpretation as possible.

Some of the best advice that I’ve ever received was to write my inspection reports with an eye toward any potential problems. If we anticipate that a regulatory board, attorney, judge, or an arbitrator is (eventually) going to read our inspection report, it forces us to produce a better product. 

A good mantra for home inspectors is make sure that our reports, language, and recommendations are fool-proof. We must remember that our clients are going to possess varying levels of education and experience. Keeping this fact in mind, and writing our reports so that anyone can clearly understand the points we are trying to make, no matter their level of competence, is one of the best things we can do to minimize problems. We don’t want to do anything that can open the gate to potential issues.

Regardless of a person’s level of education, knowledge of construction, or experience buying houses, our clients should be able to easily understand what we are trying to say. We should describe what we do, what we find, and any applicable limitations as clearly and concisely as we can. If we don’t leave any room for interpretation, we can eliminate that possibility before it becomes a reality.

I’ll leave you with a quote from the author Bhavik Sarkhedi, who said “Presumption is the opposite of prevention.” We shouldn’t just assume that a judge will understand what we were trying to say in our report. If we spend just a few more minutes working on our product and carefully documenting the situation, that ounce of prevention can go a long way to solving those problems before they even start.

Want some help upgrading your own inspection report? Check out my Resource page for an idea of the kind of information I include in my report.

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Thanks, Joe