Your KBHI. Another Year, Another Dollar | Professional Learning Institute

KBHI – Another Year, Another Dollar

The KBHI is still breathing, satellite images confirmed recently.

It’s hard to be sure. Its Zoom screen is mostly blacked out. Over all, the Board has been so deathly quiet – mostly keeping the public out of its meetings.

Practically all KBHI meetings over the past year spent more time in secret Zoom dark screens, with the public thrown out, since the most recent board attorney, August Pozgay arrived. And its time in public generally was perfunctory. A few motions, no discussion, a unanimous vote, approve payments to board members, adjourn. The board members can’t seem to put their thoughts into words. Basically, Pozgay runs the meetings. So what, to your wondering eyes might appear, what has the KBHI accomplished in the last year or so —- with your fees?

KBHI Accomplishments

Maybe five things stand out:

SHIRTS. They bought themselves some white polo shirts, custom embroidered with the KBHI state government seal.

Do you think the shirts probably protect the public?

VEGAS JUNKET. They bought themselves a junket to Las Vegas, supposedly to learn all the stuff inspectors who have been at it at least five years are ignorant about, at NACHI’s convention. This was not a conference about administrative policy making or home inspector licensing board operations. That they could use. All licensed home inspectors paid for them to go to the convention in Vegas.
HIGH FEES, SKY HIGH. It costs $50 (Fifty Dollars) to get a license or to renew a license in Indiana. Why not here? You’d think the Public-at-large member, Ralph Halcomb, would push for lower costs.
COMPLAINTS. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? They filed 5 or 6 complaints against home inspectors. But when they were wrong, not once did they apologize.

The worst example was a married home inspector charged with “lewd and lascivious conduct”! That is an ugly, ignominious charge. It’s not some grumpy old lady mudslinging. It is the Commonwealth of Kentucky talking. Any wife would think long and hard about that. The charge supposedly was based on an “investigation” report. But the report never mentioned lewd or lascivious anything. So either (a) no board member read the report or (b) not one understood what they read. But they all voted for it. It took the inspector thousands of dollars to beat back the false allegation. Ultimately it was dismissed this year, “with prejudice.” But even then, the board lacked the decency and character to apologize or offer recompense for all it put him through. Standup guys.

The KBHI simply fails to understand its job. It says it’s “protecting the public.” But what it means by that is bullying or beating up home inspectors. Almost always, targeted inspectors fold and settle. It costs too much to defend themselves. It’s like 6 or 7 against one.

Actually protecting the public means far more important things. It means helping the public understand how important a home inspection is for their protection when buying a home. Nobody does more to keep buyers out of fire traps and money pits than home inspectors. But you’d never know it from this board.

“Protecting the public” means supplying enough inspectors to protect everyone. There are about 580 home inspectors compared to about 20,000 real estate agents.

“Protecting the public” means making it easy to find and hire a home inspector in the short time that buyers have to get that done. The Board won’t! They think telling people how to contact their competitors should not be allowed; it is “private”!! Anyone know an inspector who does not want people to call, text or email to hire them?

“Protecting the public” means promoting Errors & Omission (E&O), or “malpractice”) insurance. The simplest way is setting up group coverage for licensees. It’s a win-win. E&O protects the public against negligence – far more than the handful for board complaints ever will. And it protects home inspectors too. Might as well bundle in General Liability Insurance group coverage too.

Of course, “protecting the public” also means handling complaints. There were hardly any complaints filed the last several years.

But when there are, there should be a Client Protection Fund, similar to KREC’s. Kentuckians should be able to get a fix right away for any real problems. That’s “heads up” to the board without waiting for complaints. And it “protects the public.”

COMMUNICATION. They communicated with all home inspectors. Ooops. Wait. That was April, 2022. When the Covid emergency ended. That followed other 2021 communiques from the KBHI attorney predicting it was ending earlier, or earlier, or …whatever.

KBHI Has NOT Done

Next, what has the KBHI NOT done in the same time?

NO LOCATOR. The least the KBHI could do is make it easy for people to hire a nearby home inspector.

Over 10 years ago, a “Find A Home Inspector” tool was launched (when the board was in the Office of Occupations & Professions aka OOPs). But it was worse than useless. It was maddening. That’s because the KBHI kept absurdly claiming home inspector contact information is “private.” Does anyone know anybody who wants to keep his contact info “private” from a customer?

A search tool letting people find home inspectors in their area – by county and zip code – is long overdue. Only one member of today’s board – and none of its KREA “supervisors”—can even remember the last meeting where a Inspector Finder tool on the KBHI website got discussed. And he’s been mum.

NO GROUP INSURANCE. Inspectors’ costs – and fees – could be lower if the KBHI got group insurance. The Ky Real Estate Commission (KREC) does that for its licensees. Why not the KBHI? Group E&O from KREC costs less than $200. Because the KBHI forces home inspectors to go it alone, E&O is about ten times that, about $2,000 – for no reason other than the board’s laziness.
NO RECIPROCITY. Southern Indiana and Ohio, not to mention northern TN, would be happy hunting grounds for Kentucky home inspectors – if only the KBHI got reciprocal licensing up and running. It hasn’t even been on the agenda for years.
NO CASE REPORTS. The board voted four times over the last 15 years to publish reports of complaint cases. Every licensing board and court publishes decisions to guide professionals and the public. Not the KBHI.

So how do they expect you to know about decisions and rules for inspectors?

The only place to find out about KBHI cases is the PLI Newsletter. Even today’s board has no idea what decisions were made 5, 10, or 15 years ago. There are no precedents for the KBHI. No guidance for you. And no guidance for agents or the public.

NO PUBLICATIONS, NO PSAs. Public awareness and education has not been on the KBHI’s agenda for years. A former KBHI chairman, Mitch Buchanon, who had experience in public broadcasting, tried to get one Public Service Announcement (PSA) on the air. He was on the board six straight years. They never even got one written. (A PSA takes around 50-75 words.)

For two years, the KBHI put up a booth at the State Fair. It was popular. But it had two problems. First, the KBHI had nothing like the brochures all the other state agencies, including real estate agents, were handing out. (It never could get one together.) Second, I guess it was just too much work.