Home Inspector Alert/Mike McKinny

[ArcticSplash]

[I now hope everyone understands the importance of calling L & I at 215 686-8686 to verify that a contractor is licensed to work in the City of Philadelphia prior to hiring that contractor and just as importantly getting a copy of the contractor' insurance information in the event a dispute arises. I have made 5 calls to L & I in the last week and all 5 calls took less then 5 minutes so there is no reason not to call.
so... BC- are you saying you finally called and verified that you were wrong and in fact Mike IS licensed and has been since 2004?? because yesterday you said that you called and he was not licensed- which several people proved untrue. I really think a retraction would be nice
and as far as your spelling... its reenie, not reeny

You know you can also call your home insurer to also get an inspector that THEY use and give out referrals to already-vetted inspectors on their internal list. They freely give this information out to anybody who asks.


If you have USAA insurance (doesn't matter what product you have), you can get free referrals for home inspection just by calling the Policy Service number and ask to be transferred to a Claims specialist and then ask them for a referral and why you want the inspection.

If you are making changes to your home, buying a new home or selling your existing one--you're going to be calling your insurer anyway. You might as well call them and ask the question there before you whip out the Yellow Pages or run to Angie's List.

[Julia1020]

Hi this message is for everyone on this forum. Michael McKinney is in fact insured and licensed inspector of Philadelphia. I called 215.686.8686 or 311 he has been a licensed inspector since 5/04 till 2012 and they do not have any gaps in the record. PLEASE CALL and see for yourself. PLEASE use # 24381 and you can verify that it is Michael McKinney.

Home Inspector BC - WAITING FOR AN APOLOGY. Thanks

I just called the 215.686.8686 number and, while the city indicates that Mr. McKinney's license is currently valid through 10/31/12, he appears to have had a gap from 2007 to 2010. Apparently, he got his license in 2004 but then it lapsed in 2007...he was again current in 2010 and paid all back fees for the intervening years (per the city). I don't know the reason behind the lapse but IF he was performing unlicensed inspections in Philadelphia during this time, it personally makes me uncomfortable. I just think it's important to check to make sure your home inspector is currently licensed and insured. It's worth the time and effort.

[mixiboi]

The new system works!

MCKINNEY MICHAEL 388021 200 PLYMOUTH AVE WT BERLIN NJ 08091

City of Philadelphia: Find a Licensed Contractor

[rks]

I just called the 215.686.8686 number and, while the city indicates that Mr. McKinney's license is currently valid through 10/31/12, he appears to have had a gap from 2007 to 2010. Apparently, he got his license in 2004 but then it lapsed in 2007...he was again current in 2010 and paid all back fees for the intervening years (per the city). I don't know the reason behind the lapse but IF he was performing unlicensed inspections in Philadelphia during this time, it personally makes me uncomfortable. I just think it's important to check to make sure your home inspector is currently licensed and insured. It's worth the time and effort.

well then that proves again that he wasn't licensed when he did my inspection in April 2008 - even though he told me he was - and he missed several big issues which ended up costing me thousands of dollars to fix (not including the money i basically wasted suing and getting a worthless judgment against him). he also refused to give me his insurance information - i belive because he had no valid insurance at the time.

all i can say is he may have a valid license now, but based on my experience with him, i wouldn't recommend him to my worst enemy.

[mixiboi]

Maybe that is what we should get the city to do next, create a Yelp like system.


But I can already hear them crying....

[Tartan69]

Maybe that is what we should get the city to do next, create a Yelp like system.

Angie's List is trying to be that...unfortunately it needs more traffic. However I don't see it getting the Yelp level until they change their business model and forgo the requirement of paid memberships.