How to Become an FHA Home Inspector

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) inspectors must follow a certification program outlined by the Uniform Physical Condition Standards put forth by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Office of Public and Indian Housing - Real Estate Assessment Center (PIH-REAC) runs the examinations and filtering to determine who can qualify for these positions. Becoming an FHA inspector provides regular employment as millions of Americans apply for FHA loan assistance every year and need an FHA inspector to examine the property before they can receive federal assistance.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Complete at least 250 property inspections. According to the guidelines published by HUD, these inspections must have been conducted alone, without assistance. The inspections must have been thorough, recorded promptly and have been digested into a written report. These inspections count for an entire property, not unit-by-unit, and must include assessments of the site, building exterior, building systems, non-residential areas and residential buildings and units.

2. Fill out the Inspector Candidate Assessment Questionnaire. You can find a link to it in the Resources section. This application asks for relevant details about education, construction experience, the distance the applicant is willing to drive to perform an inspection, inspection experience, computer skills and other information.

3. Submit the questionnaire to the e-mail address provided in the Resources section. Wait for a response to the application.

4. Complete the training program required for all new applicants to the inspection program. Attendance is mandatory. Applicants will be sent all the software that they need to perform their housing inspections.

5. Work through the conditional period. After completing training, home inspectors can work as normal, but are closely supervised. On-site training is provided.

Tips & Warnings

• Travel expenses are not compensated, but the inspector candidates are not charged tuition for their training.

Resources

• HUD.gov: Home Inspector Qualifications
• HUD.gov: Becoming a UPCS-certified Inspector
• HUD.gov: Inspector Assessment Form Information