SENATE DOCKET, NO. 425 FILED ON: 1/29/2021
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 162
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Joseph A. Boncore
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to home inspections.
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PETITION OF:
Name: | District/Address: |
Joseph A. Boncore | First Suffolk and Middlesex |
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 425 FILED ON: 1/29/2021
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 162
By Mr. Boncore, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 162) of Joseph A. Boncore for legislation relative to home inspections. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure. |
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 99 OF 2019-2020.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)
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An Act relative to home inspections.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Section 97A of Chapter 13 is hereby amended by striking out Section 97A, as so appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
Section 97A.
(a) The board of registration of home inspectors, in consultation with the state board of building regulations and standards, the executive office of energy and environmental affairs and the energy efficiency advisory council, shall develop requirements and adopt regulations to require documents to be provided to a buyer of a single-family residential dwelling or a multiple-family residential dwelling with less than 5 dwelling units, or a condominium unit at the time of closing, outlining the procedures and benefits of a home energy audit; provided however, that no additional fees shall be imposed or collected in connection with the provision of such documents.
(b) The Home Inspector shall describe the presence of any shade of yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) flexible gas piping observed during an inspection in which the inspector is not required to identify concealed conditions, components not readily accessible, or any other item excepted from inspection pursuant to this Act. If any shade of yellow CSST flexible gas piping is observed, the home inspector shall notify the buyer, in writing, as follows: “Manufacturers believe the product is safer if properly bonded and grounded as required by the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Proper bonding and grounding of the product can only be determined by a licensed electrical contractor.”
(c) “Bonding”, as used in this section, means connecting metallic systems to establish electrical continuity and conductivity. “Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST)”, as used in this section, means a flexible, stainless steel pipe used to supply natural gas and propane in residential, commercial and industrial structures. “Grounding”, as used in this section, means connecting to the ground or to a conductive body that extends to ground connection.