I want to share my experience with Alliance Home Inspections because I relied on their one year…read morewarranty inspection to catch a serious problem and was badly let down.
I scheduled them to inspect my new home before the one year builder warranty expired and specifically told the inspectors that the builder had already been out four times trying to fix issues with the bathroom fan ventilation, and that I still suspected there was a problem. Despite that clear concern, their written report states that the bathroom fans were "hard piped to the exterior" and that "no major issues" were noted with the venting systems.
After the inspection, I discovered that the ductwork and ventilation had in fact been installed improperly, which led to moisture damage and required nearly 4,000 dollars in repairs, including replacement and insulation of the bathroom fan piping, moving vents, and repairing moisture damaged ceiling areas. The repair invoice details extensive work: replacing piping for two bathroom fans, insulating the pipes, moving vents, and replacing the damaged ceiling in the main bedroom, along with new fan boxes and associated materials. These are not minor, hidden defects that suddenly appeared months later; they are exactly the type of problems I hired an inspector to identify while the builder's warranty was still in effect.
When I raised this with Alliance, the response was essentially that their inspectors only check that the fans turn on and appear to vent outside, that they did not see anything visually wrong at the time, and that issues can arise months later due to condensation, poor builder craftsmanship, or other factors. They emphasized time limitations (about a two hour visit) and suggested the problem was more with the builder than with their inspection.
I understand that a home inspection is limited and non invasive, and I do not expect inspectors to predict every future issue. But in my case, I explicitly flagged an ongoing, recurring problem with the bathroom ventilation, and the report still gave the venting systems a clean bill of health with no qualifications or recommendations for further evaluation before my warranty expired. Given the scope and cost of the repairs that were ultimately needed, I do not feel that Alliance provided the level of diligence and professional care I reasonably expected when I hired them for a critical one year warranty inspection.
Because of this experience, I cannot recommend Alliance Home Inspections. If you are depending on an inspection to protect you before a builder's warranty runs out, I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere or, at minimum, getting an additional specialized evaluation for any system you already suspect may have problems.
