Tom arrived early and did a very thorough job, to the point where the real estate agent representing the seller got a bit annoyed (which is great lol). The final report has photos and accurate descriptions helping me feel confident about what I was purchasing and what I wanted the seller to fix. Highly recommend Tom. He also used to be a contractor for many years which is a huge plus since he really knows what he's talking about. read more

Professionals that are knowledgeable. Very happy with service will use again in the future.

Quality and responsible reporting. Customers always satisfied. No nonsense inspections . Highly recommend them.

I had my inspection done with them. I had a problem at first when they charged me for a full inspection for a house on my condo. They did solve that so I was nice enough to take off my bad review. Now I have found out the all my window have problems. My inspectors answer was there was a shoe rack in front of it so they couldn't access it. This is some bs excuse. Good thing I have my picture there. U r telling me u can't reach to the window because of that shoe rack!!?? Update: I called the office. They said there's nothing they can do because their inspectors are not under their control. The inspector Eric is avoiding my phonecall and email. The office said they will help out to contact that's it. I still haven't hear anything back from the inspector. Im extremely unhappy with the service. Avoid if you can. Don't let the yelp reviews mislead you. read more

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UPDATE 2: Apparently the company has a policy of not allowing their inspectors to work if they have reviews lower than 4-5 stars - which I suppose is why you see so many 4-5 star reviews. I do not think it is fair to put on the customer that the poor inspector can't work during the holiday season because of the company's online review policy. I am updating to 4 stars because my intent certainly wasn't to make it so that the inspector couldn't work. The inspection company is scheduled to come out and make this right...on the day that we move in. Had we been living there already we wouldn't have had hot water for all of this time. We still may not have hot water on Saturday, but we'll see. As a side note, he also missed that sets of more than three stairs require railing (as has been pointed out to me on other properties). The lower part of our stairs has it, but the upper one doesn't). UPDATE: Apparently email doesn't work, but Yelp does. I received a phone call from the inspector after this posted. He said he'd see how his office wants to handle this and get back to me. Will update further to report back. ----- Lesson learned: When buying a house and using Universal Inspect, take the time to have the gas company inspect appliances too, 'cause you can't count on Universal Inspect to catch things. My regular inspector was already booked and we had a short contingency removal period, so I called them. I'm sorry I did. James was our inspector. We had the gas turned off for fumingation so needed to have it turned back on. The gas company representative came out, and left us a notice that he couldn't turn the gas back on because the water heater vent 1) had gaps in it (an easier fix), and 2) made contact with the wall into the ceiling (and also the fire place damper needs to be blocked open). I had hoped that a professional inspctor would have been able to tell us about a hazardous condition/unmet requirement (6" minimum clearance to combustibles for single wall or 1" clearance for type B vent, I learned - but certainly not touching) for a that would prevent us from being able to turn the gas back on to have hot water (or use the fire place). Upon further investigation, the vent wasn't even connected to the water heater, so it appears not to be properly vented (also not mentioned). James did mention the possibility of asbestos - which we didn't think we'd have to disturb, but it appears that we will now have to deal with asbestos abatement so that we can correct the condition about which James did not tell us so that we can turn on the gas to have hot water. The worst part is that I emailed James nearly a week ago to let them know - cc-ing Brett and Mercedes - and no one responded to me. :(. James was otherwise pleasant, and even tried to clear the seller's clogged sink (not his job) when he was there, but this omission from his report is proving to be very expensive and inconvenient. read more

Universal Inspect - Picture from the inspection report, showing the condition that would prevent us from turning the gas back on. - Home Inspectors Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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They did mold testing for me. On time and very professional and honest. I will definitely use them again if needed. Thank you so much.

We had a really bad experience. The scheduling was a real mess, they are extremely unorganized. After being at our home for almost a year, I can say the inspector missed a bunch of things! It is so unfair, we kept on learning about things that should have been caught in the inspection. If I could I give this place 0 Stars. read more

Just had Universal do my inspection and I have some constructive feedback for them. Inspector was totally nice, fast and seemed very knowledgeable. So props to Tom! The house had an inspection an few months before so I was able to compare the two to see if there were any differences. For the most part, the two agreed but there were a few things notated on the first inspection not noted on the second. Those could have been addressed by the seller between; hopefully that's the case. The reason I'm rating Universal so low was because of the process after the inspection. I was charged 292 dollars for the inspection and while Tom was still at the house, I provided my credit card number to Universal over the phone. They confirmed the information, including the charge amount of 292 dollars. They said they would send me a receipt shortly. I never received that receipt. I get an email a couple days later saying they need my credit card info. Keep in mind this was AFTER we had already gotten the report. I responded saying I had provided it. Fast forward 10 days, I arrive at work after being out of town on business, and I have 6 voicemails from Universal on my desk voicemail with stories from, we need your number, your card was declined and then even one from the inspector asking me to call him. Not only that, they decided they were going to add a 4% credit card fee and the new total was 304 dollars. Sorry, but that's not how business works and you don't deserve a 5 star rating. You lost my CC number, you can't charge me more than disclosed. UPDATE: a response to the comment below: Brett called to discuss my worries and admitted his crew screwed up and said he'd find out who to talk to, to avoid the issue in the future. Then decides to post a comment saying he doesn't understand the two star review. Really dude?! We talked on the phone. Be real and honest for once. Be aware of his dishonesty. read more

I yelp messaged Universal Inspect along with several other mold inspection companies on Saturday morning around 9am. Brett was one of the first to respond and give me all of the information that I needed. He was especially communicative and was able to set my appointment up for first thing Monday morning at 9am. I had purchased the yelp deal and Brett immediately emailed me and said that I could not apply it to the service that I was wanting but that he would honor it. I received a confirmation email once Brett put the appoinment on the books. On Monday, or inspector, Eric showed up right on time. He called me via facetime when he arrived and explained to me what he did and that it would take 3-4 days to receive the results. I got the results the next day! Everyone that I interacted with was extremely professional and friendly. I would highly recommend! read more

I am a first time home buyer. Also the first time shop for a home inspector. I did my homework about home inspection, such as what are the standard items to be inspected and what needs to pay extra attention. I did not use the inspector recommended by my agent because I don't want potential bias (if any) involved. I called about 10 different home inspection companies and finally chose Universal Inspect. I spoke to Brett, the owner for a while and felt he is very knowledgeable in this field. He answered my questions patiently. We discussed about the services I needed. I then called Brett again after I studied Universal's website. Brett answered my questions and later we exchanged some text messages. Brett took his time to educate me and finally make me feel comfortable to use Universal Inspect. I am glad I chose Universal Inspect. First, Universal Inspect has an ultra-professional team. The manager, the inspector and office staff I dealt with all held themselves with high level of professionalism. It makes me feel the business is well managed and staffs are all well-trained. Second, Diligent and thorough work. Darren was my inspector. He showed up on time and started the inspection right away. Unlike traditional home inspection companies, Universal Inspect uses advanced technologies to conduct inspections. Darren brought a drone to inspect the roof. The drone came back with detailed pictures showing areas that humans could not reach. A couple hours later, Darren walked me through different areas and pointed out issues, followed by solutions recommended by him. As a buyer, you want your inspector to be specific, be able to notice the smallest issues in the house or issues potentially could come up in the future. Darren did that. Darren really knows what he is doing and what he is talking about. Two days later, I got my report. The report was prepared in an organized, professional and detailed manner. The report not only points out issues but also gives clients a good amount of educational materials, which I found very helpful as a home owner. Both my agent and I called Darren with some further questions. Darren answered with full knowledge and great amount of patience. All in all, I am very satisfied with my home inspection experience with Universal Inspect. They really know the business and really take care of their customers. Because I ordered a premium package, the cost is on the pricier side. I know most people I talked to only get the general home inspection. I decided to go with the premium package. My theory is I'd rather spend a little more having the house thoroughly inspected than finding problems later after closing. I am happy that I chose the full package and learned many more details about the house. I'd highly recommend Universal Inspect to all home buyers, especially first time home buyers. Make sure you check your contingency period and confirm with the inspector when you will get the report. After all, good communications before and after the inspection, high quality of work and well-trained team. read more

I had sent a yelp message to Universal Inspect as follows: "I recently discovered mold on the bottom and inside of my dresser in the master bedroom. I am worried that means there is mold growing somewhere nearby." I got a message back from Brett that someone would call me. I got a call from Mercedes soon after and she told me all about the process of a mold inspection. I told her I had contacted a few other people and wanted to get a couple bids. After getting another bid, I decided I wanted to go with Universal Inspect. Brett came out a few days later for the mold inspection. He was super friendly and explained what he was doing and what he was/wasn't seeing. He didn't find any obvious source for mold, but did find a leak in our roof while looking around our home. He completed the mold testing and was on his way. He was there about 1-1.5 hours. The mold inspection came back "normal" and now I have a little piece of mind. I still do not know why there was mold on the dresser, but I have a few theories. The moisture may be coming from the bathroom or there was some exposure prior to purchasing the dresser. We had cleaned off the mold before the inspection (which you should not do - they need something to test). So, I will make some changes to see if the surface mold returns. read more

Finding a good inspector can be tough. I came across Universal Inspect and was satisfied with their reputation. I hired them to do the pre purchase inspection and they scheduled it right away. They did the inspection in 2 Hours and I had the report the very next day. Fast, easy, and impressive.Great Job!! Brett and his team are professionals! Kraig did a great job with the inspection. I recommend universal inspect! read more

Very dishonest company. Inspector was not thorough and did not take responsibility. Also Mark (Marcus) was very dismissive and not honest at all when we contacted him to address issue. He did not want to hear it & quickly ignored calls. Very nasty way to run a business. There is just no way I will ever hire them again. Customer BEWARE. read more

Tom Dundorf at Universal Inspect did a great job inspecting my home. He was very detail oriented, honest and came early to our appointment. My home is a serious fixer-upper and I paid for the additional mold and asbestos examinations. Before even taking the samples that were sent to the lab, Tom identified both mold and asbestos and educated me on how to manage and fix these issues. Throughout the entire inspection, Tom was giving me tips and pointers on how to address the various problems he was inspecting and at the end of the process I got a 50+ page report detailing everything that was working and everything that needed to get fixed. I would highly recommend Universal Inspect for your home inspection needs. read more

They did an inspection for me in April. It was pretty thorough, however I emailed them some follow up questions and never received a reply.

Brett just left the property. Did a great job. He found mold in the crawl space. He said he was going to drive out to the lab in Pasadena to ask for a rush turnaround. Very nice guy and did a thorough job. Will update this review when all is said and done, but highly recommended! Update: Brett presented the report, and explained what my next steps should be with the mold. In my view, it is important to heed what the general inspector's usually write in their reports. For example, if they note moisture anywhere they will usually advise you to check that out further, which I did by hiring Universal Inspect. read more

We had the fortune of having James as our inspector. I can not say enough great things about him as he was amazing!! He was extremely efficient and thorough. He spent a lot of time doing an amazing job and even making suggestions and recommendations for repairs. He even gave us rough estimates how much repairs would cost. It was so easy reaching him and he was so pleasant, patient and caring at every conversation. He even did our sewer inspection. I would definitely recommend Universal Inspect to all family and friends as they have great prices and flexibilty with time and they come out on short notice. This company was not one of recommended ones by my realtor but I am so glad I did my own research and went with them. read more

These guys are great. They're priced well, came by on short notice, (two days), and our guy (Owen) was friendly, smart and efficient. Felt bad he had to crawl around a spider-infested crawl space, but I guess he was prepared for that part of the job. We decided not to invest in this house thanks, in part, to the great job done by Universal Inspect. They saved me from buying a money pit. Thank you, thank you, thank you. read more

I am a realtor in the Greater Los Angeles area. After my brokerage's preferred vendor was unavailable to schedule an inspection in the timeline I wanted, I had to find someone else quick. After a few phone calls to vet vendors, I decided to use Universal Inspect and boy am I glad that I did. Brett was great and worked with me to make sure that my timelines were met. His customer service and professionalism is impeccable. James did the actual inspection and he was absolutely amazing. He was detailed and thorough. He explained all of the information regarding what was going on with the property to my buyer in very easy-to-understand terms and also took the time to advise him on what the big issues were vs things that were merely cosmetic. To top it off, he has a charming and personable demeanor that put my buyer at ease. I could not have asked for better service and look forward to using Universal Inspect as my go-to vendor for home inspections. read more

Great job....again!!! I am a real estate agent and investor and I've used Universal Inspect inspector - James Huggins two times now. Always on time, great attitude, very professional, knows his work. Reports are easy to read, straight to the point and explanatory. Recommending my fellow agents and buyers to hire those guys! It's been a pleasure all the way. Bella Barova Merit Capital Real Estate read more

Update 2: Since posting the first update, they called me back right away and are coming out to fix the situation. I'd say that's 5-start worthy and top-notch customer service. Update: After moving in, there have been many things that were not caught during inspection, but should have. Most notable: re-circulation pump on hot water heater was not working, but also installed incorrectly. Numerous outlets not working properly. read more

We had James as our inspector. He spent a lot of time doing a very thorough job. He explained everything he was doing in detail and to top it off, he had a great personality and was funny. It didn't really felt like we were going through an inspection and it was more like a couple of friends were kicking it on a Friday afternoon. Thank you James for making this process enjoyable. Bobby and his bossy wife! :) read more

Universal Inspect is a joke. All they inspect is your pockets for money. They ignore all inquiries after you pay. It's completely disrespectful and it shows they do not value your home. Chose another home inspection service. read more

Stay away. They take your payment and ignore any concerns or issues that arise afterwards. Calls and emails are not returned, your questions are not answered. They leave you guessing and that's not the way to do business. This place is a scam. Stay away. read more

We Recently had our home inspected by Universal.The inspector was very thorough and ran all the water for about 15 min. He then flushed the toilet and water started coming out of the shower drain!!, There was a blockage in the sewer line. So naturally we added the sewer line inspection to the job and discovered The blockage was root intrusion. We were able to save thousands of dollars on plumbing cost. read more

This company missed sever structural flaws in our patio cover and sever plumbing code violations. I walked through the home with the inspector pointing out several concerns, and he said "Don't worry, that seems up to code". About 1 month after moving in the patio cover started to fall. We had had a structural engineer come by to take a look and he would not even stand under it. I was advised by other homeowners, my contractor, the structural engineer, 2 attorneys I consulted with, and the California Building Department to contact the Home Inspection company. Upon calling, the blame was immediately pushed off onto all other parties. The said they have zero responsibility. I then wrote a letter certified mail, which they ignored. I am now taking them to court. read more

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Man, James is the REAL MVP (sorry mama Durant) - Give this man a bonus and a raise! Always overlooked and either fake reviews for most home inspection companies, we had a few recommended from our realtor, while i always double guess peoples suggestions so i go reading up on the companies. Universal Inspect was not on the list from my Realtor, but BOY AM I THANKFUL I DID RESEARCH AND FOUND THEM. Pretty sure they will be on the recommended list from our realtor now. Scheduled within a day for the next day via yelp. Awesome by the way! James showed up on time, got to work, I was late and while he was doing inspection, would kind of shadow him here and there, point things out, and he'd explain to me in depth exactly what he was doing what the heck was wrong with the tornado of a house he was inspecting. Took around 2.5 hours or so for the whole house along with the pool. After all said and done, he did a final walk through with us, showed us everything he found wrong with the place, small little pieces from missing doorknobs, to pipes under the house, and things most inspection companies would just overlook. While we decided to not purchase the home and we thank James for it. Hiring him for our next home inspection without a doubt. 100% honest review. Get your inspections from these guys. TOP NOTCH! read more

They inspected a condo for me. I moved In There 20 days after Inspection The condo was empty and Ko one was living there. When the aide door of the oven was broken and the oven was not working at all. The guy says that this happened after they inspected the condo ! Which is not true. read more

Inspection itself went well - I ordered an asbestos and lead paint inspection. The inspector who came out was friendly, informative and even gave me money-saving advice about what to do if we did find lead and asbestos in the house. He also pointed out some issues another professional gave me related to my attic insulation. Overall the inspector seemed to genuinely want to make sure I was well-informed and felt safe in my house. The only issue was the fellow managing the phones and sending the reports: he sent the asbestos report but failed to send the lead. He didn't respond to my email, so I called, and during that call he interrupted me twice and didn't apologize for the delay. read more

Ron was punctual. He provided a great inspection for our first home. He was very kind and had an awesome sense of humor. There was a slight hiccup, but when I reached out to the branch manager, Mercedes, she was so kind and understanding. She found a solution to the issue and made everything so much easier for us. We are first time home buyers and this is a very scary process. Thankfully Ron and Mercedes made my experience with Universal Inspect amazing!! read more

This is the BEST Home Inspection company in Los Angeles. I have worked with dozens prior to Universal, and will never call anyone but them again. Example: I had an unforeseen weekend inspection need, called past contacts, no luck. Universal Inspect answered my call, listened to what I needed, and were on the property within the hour. Unbelievable! James, who met me at the inspection site, was professional, knowledgable, friendly, and happy to help with exactly what I needed. He did not try to sell extra services, like most others do, and did not seem to mind about the rush request on a Sunday afternoon. If you need excellent service from the start, call this company. read more

I would like to give the crew at universal inspect five star rating. As a first-time home-buyer I knew little about the home inspection and what goes into the whole process. Our inspector was James and he did a fantastic job during the home inspection. He was really thorough in conducting the inspection and took the time to explain everything in detail after the inspection. He was also very punctual and reached the inspection site on time and delivered the inspection report in a timely manner. The communication with Brett was also smooth and and I was able to quickly schedule an appointment for my desired date. I would definitely choose universal inspect the next time I need inspection services. read more

I'm not one for writing positive reviews unless someone hits out of the ballpark, but they deserve it. Rather than write about the process from start to finish, I want to call out one of their inspectors, Tom Dundorf, and give him especially high marks. Here's how he went overboard (in a good way): He identified some issues and I called the main number to speak to him after I received the report. He called back within an hour, explained everything, talked me through the pros/cons/how long it would take, etc./cost - without rushing anything - and, at my request, even sent me info on who to hire for this and that. He was appreciative of the business and made me feel like a valued customer. I even had him take a sample for asbestos testing and he willingly did so, speaking to the seller's agent who pushed back on how dangerous this was and didn't want it sampled. Short of the long story, I would ask for him by name any day and this company has definitely earned my repeat business. read more

My wife and i were very impressed with the work that was done by Brett this past Saturday on the inspection of our future home. Brett was very well rounded with the information he provided to us , which will be helpfull in the negotiation part of the purchase of the house. Brett involved us in the process of the inspection which helped alot with getting to know what the issues were first hand. Brett also found asbestos in the house which was unexpected and a great bargaining chip on our end,Thanks again Brett! read more

I am a Realtor with a large brokerage firm and was first introduced to Universal Inspect through a client whom I was working with. Universal Inspect is a company that not only provides excellent service but who also goes the extra mile to make sure that their clients are completely informed about the property they are about to purchase. I have secured their services several times. Brett is wonderful to work with. James, who has performed all of my inspections, is always on time, professional and pays attention to details. He performed an inspection this week, where the home had a pool. He pointed out a few things about the pool that warranted further inspection from a pool resurfacing company. Universal Inspect has gained my trust and respect as a leader in the home inspection industry. read more

Robert was on time (which is more than I can say about my timeliness!) and was very thorough and professional in his inspection. He answered all of my questions and took all the necessary pictures needed for the report. Despite short notice this company was also able to accommodate my appointment date and time. read more

Before I closed escrow, I had them come in and inspect everything. The inspection was great and the inspector very knowledgeable so I learned a lot. The problem was in the followup. The inspector forgot to put certain things in the report and he and the company never responded to my several follow-up attempts. If you work with them, don't give in to the pressure to pay on the spot. You should only pay after they complete the scope of work for you. read more

Brett did a fantastic job inspecting the property. He was thorough and pointed key features to what's desirable in a rental unit and what will be costly in the long run. Very prompt, organized, and easy to work with. Report was comprehensive and really helped me bargain with the seller. Fantastic work. read more

This company is amazing!!! The service, from the second I spoke with Mercedes in the office, to a few short hours after (when Craig arrived to inspect and take samples of our mold) was OUTSTANDING!!!!! If you have every been in an emergency mold situation, having to find someone quickly... you will appreciate the dedication that this company has to addressing the needs of their clients quickly and effectively! The inspector, Craig was amazing; very knowledgeable, answering all of our questions and concerns. He was professional, but also very compassionate to our situation, and made some suggestions that we would never have thought of. I truly can not thank you guys enough for coming to our rescue...the other companies that I had called would have taken 2-3 days to get out to us! YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY, and CRAIG!!! read more

Universal Inspection was great. We contacted nearly 10 inspection companies and we found Universal to be the most thorough and reasonably priced. The inspector took several samples for testing lead, mold, and asbestos and gave a deal on multiple samples to help give us peace of mind. Would absolutely recommend Universal to others. read more