Last month, Team 4 found loopholes in Pennsylvania's law regulating home inspectors.

Now, a court ruling is raising more questions about exactly who is qualified to inspect homes.

A court in Chester County found inspectors belonging to one of the largest associations of home inspectors are not complying with state law. Because of the state's quirky law, there's no one to enforce the court's ruling.

The following report by Team 4 investigator Paul Van Osdol first aired June 10, 2004, on Channel 4 Action News at 6 p.m.

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Nick Gromicko: "We're the largest home inspection association in the world."

That's what Gromicko, of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, told Team 4 last month. He also said his organization does more to protect consumers than a licensing board ever could.

Gromicko, from May 18: "It doesn't protect the consumer like NACHI does."

That was before he knew about the Chester County court ruling that says "the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors was not at the time the home inspection law became effective and has never been subsequent thereto a national home inspectors association" as required by Pennsylvania law.

The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania Home Inspectors Coalition, which comprises two other national associations.

Brendan Ryan, of the coalition, says NACHI does not require enough field experience for would-be inspectors.

Ryan: "If you haven't had in-the-field actual practice, it makes it very difficult to go out on day one and do your home inspection."

But Gromicko said of that policy, "PHIC is designed to enslave. When whites owned blacks, the blacks did not pay to be enslaved. This is worse."

Last year, Gromicko filed a lawsuit against the PHIC, saying e-mails from its officials blackened the reputation of himself and NACHI and exposed them to public hatred, contempt and ridicule. Earlier this year, the suit was dismissed.

Under Pennsylvania law, it's up to the home inspector associations to regulate themselves. But what if there's a fight between the associations, like we're seeing now? In Pennsylvania, there's nobody to settle it -- not even the attorney general."

Van Osdol: "So there's this judgment. But what does that mean, without enforcement?"

Ryan: "Without enforcement, unfortunately not a whole lot. We really would have liked to have gotten some more help from the attorney general's office."

A spokesperson for the attorney general's office tells me the law does not allow them to regulate home inspectors. There is a proposal in Harrisburg to end this problem by creating a licensing board.

Meanwhile, Gromicko tells me NACHI is planning to appeal the court ruling against them.