Work group examines limits on home‑inspector liability, industry and insurers weigh tradeoffs

A Virginia legislative work group on housing heard competing views on whether state law should prevent home inspectors from capping their liability, a change supporters say would give homebuyers a practical remedy when inspections miss major defects.

Supporters, led by Senator Scott Serval, told the Affordable Housing Solutions: Landlord, Tenant and Real Estate Law Work Group that caveat emptor and current limits in home‑inspection contracts leave buyers without meaningful relief when major defects surface after closing. "If you have a home inspector who does a really thorough job, finds all the problems, the realtor ain't gonna call him back again because he's gonna ruin his commission," Serval said, arguing the present system disincentivizes thorough inspections.

Why it matters: Panelists said the gap between the apparent thoroughness of many inspection reports and the legal remedies available produces real, expensive harms for buyers. That has led sponsors to propose statutory…