Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
About Texas Home Inspector Education

The Qualifying Education (QE) for Professional and Real Estate Inspector licenses can be taken via a combination of Classroom, Virtual Classroom, and Online-Correspondence courses. The Texas Practicum (Ride Along) class is completed at a Champions campus location or via Virtual Classroom.

Starting on March 1, 2021, all applicants for a Professional or Real Estate Inspector license must complete the 40-hour Texas Practicum (Ride Along) to satisfy the TREC mandated experience requirements. This course is included in the 194-hour Professional Inspector Program and the 154-hour Real Estate Inspector Program.

Applicants may also satisfy the experience requirements by serving as an Apprentice Inspector for 3 months within the 12 month period before the filing of the application and completing a number of inpections under the direct supervision of licensed Professional Inspector.

To confirm that your previous experience will meet TREC experience requirements, we recommend submitting your state application prior to choosing a Champions program. In addition to the application, please mail your application fee and supporting documents to TREC. TREC will review your application and experience and confirm which classes will be required.

A Professional Home Inspector is able to inspect residential properties and, unless prohibited by law, commercial properties. Please check with the Texas Board of Professional Engineering to determine when a Professional Engineering license is required. Professional Inspectors are able to work for themselves.

A Real Estate Inspector is only able to inspect residential properties and is required to work under a Professional Inspector.

The Qualifying Education (QE) courses can be taken in several different formats. For this reason, the length of time to complete the classes will vary from person to person. On average, it is estimated to take somewhere between 3 - 6 months.

Please visit the TREC fee schedule for more information on application fees: https://www.trec.texas.gov/agency-informaiton/fee-schedule

Tuition for all packages is due in full at the time of registration. However, Inspector packages can be separated into the National and State modules and sold separately. If you decide to split a package, the tuition for each half is due in full at the point of registration. For more information, please contact a campus to speak to a career counselor.

The textbooks are not available in PDF format. All Home Inspection material can be shipped ($8.50 per material) or picked up from a Champions campus for free.

All Home Inspector QE course exams must be proctored. Upon passing all of the required Topic Quizzes online, you will be able to select a Proctoring session for the exam. If you wish to take advantage of our online proctoring system and have the exam proctored from your home, select the "Virtual Classroom" option (a webcam is required) from the first dropdown menu and then select a time slot from the second dropdown menu and click the "Submit" button.

Once a selection has been made, you will receive an automated email containing a link that can be used to access the proctoring session during your selected time. Once you are successfully logged into the proctoring session, the Proctor will verify your ID and then unlock the exam. You will then be able to access the exam via the start button the "Class Information" screen and you will have two hours to work on it. If you do not finish the exam during that time, your exam will be graded based upon the questions that have been answered. If you do not receive a passing grade, you will need to schedule a retake or pay the necessary course topic retake fee if you have failed the exam twice.

All licensed inspectors must complete 32 Hours of Continuing Education every two years. The 32 hours of Continuing Education must include 4 hours of Inspector Legal & Ethics and 4 hours of Standards of Practice Review.

Champions will electronically report all Home Inspector CE courses on the student's behalf. For this reason, it is imperative that you provide Champions with the correct license number when prompted. Providing the wrong license number may result in a delay of the reporting process or even the expiration of your license if the error is not caught in time. Champions will upload CE to TREC within 24-48 hours of course completion.

The renewal fee for the Professional Home Inspector is $63.00, payable to TREC.

Once you are done with your courses, you can either renew your license online using TREC's Online Services or through the mail by submitting a completed Renewal Form for Inspector License. On the TREC website, click on 'Renew License,' select 'Inspector,' and follow prompts from there. When renewing, please be sure to do the following:

• Submit copies of your inspector CE course completion certificates to TREC.
• Provide current proof of financial responsibility that provides coverage for violations of Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1102, Subchapter G ($100,000 per occurrence) using the TREC Certificate of Insurance Form or the Proof of Financial Responsibility Form.
• Apprentice Inspectors and Real Estate Inspectors must be sponsored by a Professional Inspector. Find a Professional Inspector qualified to sponsor you.

Licensed Inspectors must renew their license every two years.

$8.50 per book for standard shipping or $20 per book for FedEX

Most of our CE classes have a downloadable PDF version of the book available. You will be able to see if the PDF version is available in the course description.

Any license that is not renewed at the end of the license period will be considered late, and may move to expired status. If the license has been expired for less than 6 months, all required CE hours must be completed, proof of financial responsibility and all applicable renewal fees must be paid before the license can be renewed in active status.