Every claim is the same sentence: you should have seen it.

Errors and omissions

Claims that you missed a defect, or reported one inadequately.

Without it — The only claim this trade really has, and general liability excludes it.

General liability

Damage to the property during the inspection, and injury on site.

Without it — Attics, crawl spaces and roofs — you break things by being there.

Referring party liability

Extends cover to the agent or brokerage who referred you, where required.

Without it — Referral relationships often require it, and it is an endorsement not a default.

Ancillary services

Radon, mould, pest, sewer scope, pool and thermal imaging.

Without it — A policy written for a general inspection can exclude each of these by name.

Tools and equipment

Cameras, moisture meters, thermal imagers and ladders.

Without it — Everything you own travels in a vehicle.

How are E&O claims usually defended?

With the report and the agreement, which is why both are insurance documents rather than paperwork. The defense rests on scope — a visual inspection is not a destructive or exhaustive one — on the pre-inspection agreement having been signed BEFORE the inspection, on clear photographs of what was and was not accessible, and on limitations recorded at the time rather than recalled later. Inspectors who photograph blocked access and note it in the report win claims that inspectors relying on memory lose.

Do I need to name the referring agent?

Frequently, and it is worth asking before you agree to a referral relationship. Brokerages that refer inspectors often require to be an additional insured or to have referring-party cover, because a buyer suing over a missed defect commonly names the agent who recommended you. It is an endorsement, it is inexpensive, and the requirement usually appears in the brokerage’s vendor paperwork rather than in conversation.

Additional insured versus certificate holder

What if I also do radon, mould or sewer scopes?

Say so explicitly, because these are frequently excluded by name from a policy written for general home inspection. Mould is the one most often carved out and the one most likely to produce a large claim. Pest, radon, sewer scope, pool and spa, and thermal imaging each get asked about separately. An inspector offering five services on a policy describing one has a coverage argument waiting on whichever service produces the claim.

Is E&O required in my state?

In some, and the requirement varies more than most inspectors realize. A number of states that license inspectors set minimum E&O or general liability limits as a licensing condition; others require none. Separately, individual brokerages and franchises set their own minimums regardless of state law, and those are often higher. Check both, because meeting the state and failing the brokerage still costs you the referral.