Rise of the Virtual Pool Inspection BY JOE TRUSTY
INSPECTED.COM
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n the wake of Covid-19, an entirely new cottage industry has popped up. Virtual pool inspections are becoming increasingly popular in the state of Florida, where new legislature recently enacted now means pool inspections can be done remotely.
inspections are vital as they are used to determine if pools comply with local building and safety regulations. These inspection reports also help home buyers and homeowners identify any potential safety hazards or repairs that need to be made.
Traditionally pool inspections are performed by certified pool inspectors or home inspectors that are able to submit an official report about the overall condition of the home owners pool and equipment. Pool
A white-hot market for pools has seen the demand for these services increase. The process of getting an inspection done traditionally involved scheduling a date and time for the inspector to come out to the job site.
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Changes to Florida legislation were recently made to streamline that process. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a bottleneck began to occur for many builders. An incredible backlog of requests for inspections and a drastically reduced number of inspectors who were available to perform them helped ease the pathway for legislation to allow virtual pool inspections. Recent changes to Section 553.79, allowed a “state or local enforcement agency” to “perform virtual inspections”. Starting on July 1, 2021, SB 1382 now requires building authorities to allow virtual inspections to be performed remotely and submitted electronically.
