InterNACHI's Free, Online Healthy Homes Inspector Certification
Become an InterNACHI® Certified Healthy Homes Inspector today.
People in North America spend about 70% of their lives inside their homes and almost 20% in a school or other commercial building. This suggests that the condition of a home is a primary factor in a person’s overall health. If your client’s home has defects, their health may be suffering, too.
Scientific evidence demonstrates a solid relationship between housing conditions and human health. Studies on the economic burden of specific defects in homes show costs rising into billions of dollars annually. Defects in the home contribute to both poor health and economic burdens on society at large.
The good news is that most home-based hazards are preventable. Not only can we help reduce health problems for homeowners and their families, but we can also relieve the economic costs associated with poor housing, which also results in a positive return on investment. And it all starts with inspecting the home. InterNACHI® recommends that an annual home inspection should be a part of a homeowner’s routine maintenance plan because a healthy home provides a safe and healthy environment for its occupants.
Substandard housing has long been associated with a wide range of health hazards. In the 19th century, public health officials targeted poor sanitation, overcrowding, and inadequate ventilation to help reduce the spread of infectious diseases, as well as fire hazards.
A healthy home is:
- dry;
- clean;
- safe;
- pest-free;
- free of contaminants;
- well ventilated;
- well-maintained; and
- thermally controlled.
Today, we use multiple strategies to maintain improved housing conditions, such as developing and enforcing construction standards and codes and advocating for safe and healthy housing that’s also energy-efficient. You can be a part of this movement by joining InterNACHI’s Healthy Homes Inspector Program, which is primarily based on housing in the United States. Become an InterNACHI® Certified Healthy Homes Inspector today!
InterNACHI's Healthy Homes Inspector Program requires the completion of fourteen total courses:
- Healthy Homes, Part 1: Housing History and Purpose Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 2: Basic Principles of Healthy Housing Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 3: Housing Regulations Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 4: Disease Vectors and Pests Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 5: Indoor Air Pollutants and Toxic Materials Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 6: Housing Structure Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 7: Environmental Barriers Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 8: Rural Water Supplies and Water-Quality Issues Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 9: Plumbing Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 10: On-site Wastewater Treatment Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 11: Electricity Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 12: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Ventilating Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 13: Energy Efficiency Course
- Healthy Homes, Part 14: Residential Swimming Pools and Spas Course
Become an InterNACHI® Certified Healthy Homes Inspector today!
Based on Housing in the United States
The training materials and course content of the entire 14-course program is based primarily upon housing in the United States.
InterNACHI® Healthy Homes Inspection Checklist
The Healthy Homes Inspection Checklist is a template that a home inspector can customize to suit their needs. The following templates are available for download for any InterNACHI member to use:
Get a Healthy Homes Inspection Today (consumer-targeted article)
Read the consumer-targeted article about contacting an InterNACHI®-Certified Professional Inspector® and asking for a Healthy Home Inspection.
