Editorial: Risky for consumers

Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005 | 9:21 a.m.

No one moving into a new home wants sparks jumping from electrical outlets or toilets backing up. To protect against such surprises, local governments employ people to inspect homes before the buyers move in.

Clark County is now considering a major change to this traditional service. The county's Development Services Department wants to allow home builders to hire private inspectors. The reason is that the department is having trouble filling all 95 of its inspector positions. The department is down 10 inspectors, which in some cases causes a delay for home buyers eager to move in. Ron Lynn, who heads the department, says it's difficult to fill open positions because the county's pay scale for inspectors is not competitive with other local governments.

The County Commission is scheduled to consider the proposal on Aug. 16. In our view, commissioners should oppose it. The cost of the private inspectors would be passed on to home buyers, who are already stressed by the median new-home price of $307,000. Of greater consideration, however, is the conflict of interest. How tough will an inspector be on a home builder who is paying his salary? We'd rather see the county pay inspectors a little more than put consumers at risk.