True Certification Awaits Membership Approval
Yes, the American Society of Home Inspectors has been
approved by the National Commission for Certifiying Agencies (NCCA) to become a recognized accrediting association. And, yes, the process by which our associates strive to become full members has been approved by the NCCA as a fair and equitable Certification Program. But the final approval needed to make true certification a reality is yours.
Membership approval has, from the very beginning of the certification project, been the key to making certification a reality. Your approval is in the form of a ballot to accept the addition of a standing Certification Committee to the ASHI Bylaws. Responding to the ballot is extremely important. Amending ASHI’s Bylaws is intentionally difficult in order to protect the core structure of the society. A very high percentage of ASHI’s voting members is required to respond to a bylaw proposal. For an amendment to be approved, two-thirds of those responding must vote YES.
So, why did we wait until now to propose a bylaw amendment? While your Board of Directors and staff felt strongly that ASHI could meet the requirements for NCCA approval, there was no guarantee that we would get it. In fact, the project proved to be considerably more difficult than anticipated. Our application of more than 1,200 pages was reviewed and deferred twice for further clarification by the NCCA Board before finally being approved. From conceptualization to where we stand now, the project has spanned two years. We left the creation of the committee until the end of the process for two primary reasons:
- We wanted to ensure that the committee structure and description met the NCCA requirements before a bylaw vote took place, and
- Had the amendment been presented and passed first and then we were denied NCCA approval, we would have had to propose a second ballot to remove the committee.
The Certification Committee amendment to the ASHI Bylaws is an addition. It is not a change or removal of any of the existing sections. Nothing in the current structure of ASHI will be affected. In December 2008, the wording of the required additions to the bylaws was reviewed by legal consul and approved by the Board of Directors for submission to the members. The additions include placement of the Executive Director as an ex officio member of the Certification Committee in Article 6.3; the prohibition of the President as an ex officio member of the committee in Article 7.4; and adding the Certification Committee to the list of standing committees in Article 8.2.
Article 8.2.7 lists the basic charge of the Certification Committee as having authority over all essential certification program decisions. The operating policy of the committee is subject to oversight by the Board of Directors and can be found in Section 17 of the ASHI Policy & Procedure Manual. Fiscally, the Committee will have no budget of its own and will operate within ASHI’s overall operating budget. The final portion of the Bylaw addition is a description of the committee’s makeup. The full wording of the motion can be found in the Announcements section of this issue of the Reporter.
What will the Certification Committee do once the ASHI Bylaw addition is accepted?
The first and foremost goal of the committee is to get the message out that ASHI is a recognized accrediting body with membership in the NCCA and that our members are the only home inspectors who have completed a recognized certification process.
The Certification Committee will work with the ASHI Public Relations Committee and Gibbs & Soell, our public relations firm, to deliver this message to media outlets, the real estate community, homebuyers and even home inspectors. From that point, the committee will begin to explore other areas of opportunity for accreditation and certification to enhance membership value in ASHI.
Voting for accreditation of ASHI as an association is a great step forward for the society. It will open doors for media relations, stakeholder status in both state and federal government issues, educational opportunities, and membership recruitment and retention. It creates a meaningful marketing difference between you and your competitors. But more than all that, it is your acknowledgement that the title ASHI Certified Inspector is a designation you have earned and deserve.
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ASHI Members Speak Up About Certification
“It is a vitally important step forward in assuring credibility and transparency in the certification process of home inspectors.”
– Claude Lawrenson, chairman, National Certification Authority, Canada
“Great job ASHI. This will be the biggest feather in our cap in a long time. Certification will be a huge differentiating point in the marketplace.”
– Jon Rudolph, ASHI Certified Inspector
“I am really pleased to see ASHI has met the requirements to truly call ourselves Certified.”
– Don Norman, ASHI past-president
“It has been a long struggle, but it is worth it! Keep up the good work ASHI.”
– Alvin Ubell, ASHI charter member #56
“I’ve taken notice of the forward thinking coming from ASHI, and am excited that ASHI leadership is listening to its members.”
– David Sorge, newly ASHI Certified Inspector
“While to some the NCCA Certification may seem like ‘Oh, well,’ to the majority of ASHI members who understand the significance, we say ‘thank you!’.”
– Terry Laas, ASHI Certified Inspector
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