e010330 Can an inspector do a prize drawing for real estate agents who refer business?

Identifier: e010330

Date: 10/15/2001

Question

After each paid home inspection (by the buyer or client) can I give a free car wash ticket to the client's realtor (approx $10 value) regardless of how the client chose to pick us? This is done as a thank you to the realtors for the time they took waiting at the home inspection. Would this gift to the Realtors be a violation of any ASHI Standards?

Response

No. The ASHI standards do not address this issue. If by "any" you intended to refer to the ASHI Code of Ethics rather than the ASHI Standards of Practice, such a gift would certainly be considered by many as a potential violation. 

Members should check applicable laws in their states regarding gratuities and referral fees passing from inspectors to real estate agents. A gift which clearly does not fit into the normal category of "promotional items" such as calendars, pens, logo coffee cups.. etc could be viewed as an improper payment. 

The Code states: members...should uphold the honor and dignity of their profession and avoid association with any enterprise of questionable character, or apparent conflict of interest."] It is the committee's recommendation that inspectors avoid providing potentially questionable gifts to real estate agents.