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Plumbing Inspection in Kent, WA
Kent turns over at about the national middle: 24% of its owner households arrived in 2018 or later. Common enough that most people know somebody who has had a report, rare enough that few have read the exclusions in one.
The one-paragraph answer
24% of owners in Kent bought in 2018 or later, an ordinary rate. Ordinary is where the usual mistake happens, which is assuming the inspection covered the plumbing: the buried lateral is excluded by both published standards.
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25038.
When Kent moved in
At an ordinary rate of turnover, the housing here divides fairly evenly between homes inspected in the last few years and homes that have not been looked at since the previous sale, whenever that was.
| Owner households in Kent | Share of all owners |
|---|---|
| Moved in 2021 or later | 7% |
| Moved in 2018–2020 | 17% |
| Moved in 2010–2017 | 29% |
| Moved in before 2010 | 48% |
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25038 (tenure by year householder moved into unit), 2023 release. Universe: 58,411 occupied housing units, of which 36,168 are owner-occupied. This counts when the CURRENT occupant moved in, so it measures recent moves as a share of the housing stock — not a rate of sales per year.
What the inspection will not cover
Both standards exclude septic and other sewage disposal or wastewater treatment systems. The inspector confirms that the fixtures drain; the run leaving the building is not part of the job, and it is the most expensive thing on a property to be wrong about.
Source: InterNACHI Home Inspection Standards of Practice; ASHI Standard of Practice.
What it is required to cover
ASHI requires the energy source and vent system of the water heating equipment to be covered, and InterNACHI requires the same ground from the other direction. Where the two standards overlap is the part of the report you can rely on whichever association the inspector belongs to.
The rest of what an inspector must do is set out here. It is shorter than the excluded list and it is the half that tells you what a finding is worth.
What to do about it
Ask a contractor what would have to be opened up to answer the question, rather than asking for a number. A quote given without that step is a guess with a figure attached to it.
Before you accept a report, read what it did not have to cover against what it did. Then decide whether the drains outside need their own visit.
Other Washington towns we route in
- Lakewood 22% of owners moved in since 2018
- Battle Ground 26% of owners moved in since 2018
- Mercer Island 17% of owners moved in since 2018
- Mountlake Terrace 21% of owners moved in since 2018
- Lynden 32% of owners moved in since 2018
Checking a plumber in Washington
Checking a credential in Washington
Washington licenses are issued by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, which publishes a public search you can use before work begins.
Inspection report in front of you?Read us the plumbing lines and nothing else — we do not want the document. We will route you to a contractor covering your area who can quote the items on it, and you are never charged by us. Report or no report, Kent reaches a contractor through us.
Call (888) 764-3501