New inspector pre-licensing education and experience requirements begin March 1, 2021.  The new experience requirement includes a 40 hour Texas Practicum, which must consist of a minimum of five complete and in-person inspections.  In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, TREC will grant a temporary allowance for on-site inspections to take place virtually, as long as the Practicum instructor conducts inspections live and on-site, and the instructor and students are able to interact with each other in real-time through both audio and video. 

The Inspector Advisory Committee met virtually on January 15^th.  This was a lengthy meeting, as there was a lot to cover on this go around.  First off, I would like to welcome the two newest members of the IAC.  Bruce Carpenter is an inspector member from Pittsburg, and Brian Carroll is a public member from Temple.  Both of them dove right into the meeting providing feedback and giving input, so it was clear that they came prepared to be involved with the IAC. 

Submit Course Applications to Satisfy New Requirements

The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is pleased to announce the updated CE Posting System. Now available to allow providers of inspector CE (ICE) courses to post course credit directly into the agency’s system of record. Providers are required to post course credit within 10 days of course completion.  If credit is not posted within 10 days of course completion, the license holders should contact their education provider.   

The Inspector Advisory Committee met on October 12 via teleconference.  There were some public comments submitted in response to the newly proposed Consumer Protection Notice, and most of the feedback was positive.  The new notice includes verbiage to inform consumers that inspectors are required to carry E&O insurance, and that inspectors have the ability to limit their liability through the use of an agreement between themselves and their client. 

The Commission adopted rules at the August meeting that implement significant changes to the education, experience, and exam requirements for real estate and professional inspectors.  These changes are a reflection of the Agency’s commitment to making pre-licensing requirements more impactful while minimizing undue burdens on new applicants entering the industry. 

The agency has been busy over the last several months adjusting to the new norm resulting from the COVID-19 virus. We are operating almost 100% remotely, with only essential staff coming into the office to process mail, or deal with the various technical issue that arise from a remote workforce. All of our meetings have been held remotely since mid-March and will be conducted that way for the foreseeable future, including the meeting of the full Inspector Committee scheduled for July 20th via teleconference.

In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, TREC understands that some inspector applicants may find it challenging to complete the in-person ride-along course required for licensure. For that reason, TREC has granted a temporary allowance to the on-site ride-along course requirement and will permit ride-along course sessions to take place virtually, so long as ride-along instructor conducts inspections live and on-site, and the instructor and the students are able to interact with each other in real-time through both audio and video.