Stephanie Jaynes
Marketing Director Stephanie Jaynes simplifies complex insurance and legal concepts to help home inspectors protect their livelihood and avoid unnecessary risk. Her articles have appeared in publications like the ASHI Reporter, CREIA Inspector Magazine, and the InspectorPro Blog. She’s been a guest on NACHI TV, Spectora Spotlight, The ASHI Online Learning Center, The Successful Home Inspector Podcast, Today’s Home Inspector, and the Home Inspection Authority Podcast. Stephanie received her Bachelor of Arts from Mills College with a major in creative writing and a minor in journalism. She has also earned her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation from The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys trying new recipes and taking walks with her husband and sons.
Your insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance carrier. As such, it’s important for you to know the terms to which you agreed to so you can make sure that you and your carrier fulfill your ends of the bargain, which qualifies you for coverage. That’s where your policy’s Conditions section comes…
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While performing a routine roof inspection, KC Bartley of Professional Home Inspections in Tennessee set his ladder up on the rear deck of the property. It had rained recently, and a thin coat of mildew coated the deck, making it a little slick. However, Bartley had encountered similar scenarios a hundred times, so he thought…
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Sometimes, courts can take issue with one or multiple provisions in a business contract. If the court decides that a clause in your agreement is unfair to your client or is contrary to local or federal laws, they can invalidate one or more provisions in your contract. They can even dismiss your agreement altogether. That’s…
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The following is a real home inspection insurance claim from our insurance claim archives. To protect the insured’s identity, all identifiable characteristics—including names, associations, and locations—have been omitted or removed. While sitting at home, an inspector heard a strange sound coming from outside. The noise seemed to be coming from the driveway, so he went…
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While inspecting an attic, a home inspector noticed a damaged truss on the other side of an air handler. Wanting to get a closer look, the inspector took what he described as a “blind step” over the air handler. His right foot missed the platform, resulting in him stepping through through floor and creating a…
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Recently, a kitchen fire resulted in $100,000 in damages to a home inspection client’s property. Upon investigation, the inspection client discovered that a defective electrical component in the dishwasher, which was subject to a national recall, caused the fire. A review of the state’s regulations showed that nothing requires a home inspector to document the…
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When Bob Pearson sees a need, he fills it. That’s what he did when he was working as Vice President of Operations for Perkins Restaurants & Bakery and Country Kitchen Restaurants. And that’s what he did when he owned his own home inspection firms. In both cases, there was a need for better insurance and…
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While inspecting the outside of a house a couple years ago, Joe Mazza of Exclusive Home Inspection in New York encountered a metal grating, like a louver, that went into the crawlspace under the property. According to Mazza, the grating was installed incorrectly. It wasn’t screwed in, so it was just sort of hanging there.…
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When Michelle Shishilla of Honor Services in Florida received a complaint regarding mold behind wallpaper, she knew her inspection company wasn’t at fault. They had offered mold testing, and the client had refused it. Plus, a visual, non-invasive inspection can’t find mold behind wallpaper. “In our mind, we were covered six ways from Sunday. We…
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What damage can a drone cause when it collides with a person? According to an article by Popular Mechanics, the answer is that it depends. In an 18-month long study by the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE), researchers flew drones into and dropped drones onto crash dummies and cadavers to…
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While inspecting the attic of a condominium, a home inspector noticed that the vent pipe from the stove was not connected. Stepping closer to photograph the defect, the inspector accidentally stepped on a plastic fire sprinkler line. The line broke, unleashing 150 pounds of water flow. The inspector immediately called the fire department to shut…
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Over a year after their inspection, one of our insured home inspectors received a letter from an attorney. The attorney alleged that the inspector was negligent in performing his clients’ home inspection and failed to identify multiple defects. The letter demanded that the inspector pay the cost of repairs to multiple areas of the property.…
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