They Had the House Inspected Before Buying It. The Report Said Copper and PVC Pipes; the State Said Polybutylene, and Fined the Inspector.

In July 2012, a buyer in Orlando hired a licensed home inspector to go through a house before buying it, and paid $325 for the inspection. The written report described the water pipes in the house as “PVC/CPVC/Copper” throughout.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation later said the pipes were polybutylene, and that the house had water damage the report never mentioned. The buyer went on to buy the house and, according to the department, then paid to repair the water damage and to replace the polybutylene piping.

A home inspector looks at the house before closing so the buyer knows what is in it, and the signed report can read like the last word on the house. This case, DBPR case 2012-046024, shows what Florida did when the department said the report and the house did not match.