The home inspector is not an expert but a generalist. The home inspector can inspect a home and report upon the home’s condition as it was at the time of the inspection. That is the main responsibility of the home inspector.
The most important thing for a homeowner to understand is that things will break. As time goes on, parts of the house will wear out, break down, deteriorate, leak, or simply stop working.
A home inspection does not include predictions of future events, house warranties, or guarantees that nothing will ever go wrong. Future events (such as roof leaks, water intrusion, plumbing leaks, and heating failures) are not within the scope of a home inspection and are not the responsibility of the home inspector. Who’s responsible? The homeowner.
The home inspection and report are based on the observations made on the date of the inspection, and not a prediction of future conditions. The home inspection will not reveal every issue that exists or ever could exist, but only those material defects observed on the date of the inspection.