We used CIA fof a full home inspection including testing for mold. CIA's team did an excellent job and found several concerning items. They were very professional and meticulous and provided a detailed report. I would reccomend them for your inspection. Brian Bruce. Managing Broker North Shore Preferred Properties. read more

Issues with unit that was not caught during inspection: - There are 4 windows that do not fully lock. - The southwest corner of condo had moisture issues that started very shortly after moving in. This was due to tuck pointing maintenance needed by the building. - There are 2 bathrooms with vents but only one of the vents were actually on. I did not know the vents were centralized to the building until after moving in. I wish this would have been pointed out to me. - Dryer vented into an indoor VERY USED vent box located in the HVAC closet which was not pointed out during the inspection (every time I dried my clothes, it would have been a fire hazard). - Kitchen faucet head was leaking that was not found until I started doing dishes. This was causing a leak into the cabinet under the sink. - Refrigerator ice maker was non-functional. - The A/C was on its last leg. We had access to the roof at the time of inspection where the A/C was located, but no effort was made to actually find the A/C that was associated with the unit. Thank you for this though from the inspection from your report: 3) The microwave makes funny noises when operated. It should probably be replaced. The noise was coming from the plate not being seated properly inside the microwave. This was easily fixed in 2 seconds. The microwave has worked very well since. Please note that my inspection was in April of 2019. I waited a little bit of time to see if any new problems developed that I am now having to resolve. All of the listed above issues were found within the first month of moving in after the inspection was done. Lesson learned. read more

Brett did a great home inspection for me recently and instilled a lot of confidence in the home I was purchasing. He was quick and efficient, took notes, pictures and kept me looped into everything he was looking at at doing. I learned a lot about the background of home construction regarding furnaces and AC technology, so many things I'd had no idea what to look for without assistance. His 20 year background in home construction really comes to the fore on top of his easy going manner and great persona. Definitely recommend Brett Kelly if you need a home inspection! read more

My husband and I found Brett and Chicago Inspection Agency online and could not have been more pleased with the service we received. This was for an inspection that needed to take place between Christmas and NYE, so we were thrilled that Brett was so flexible with his time. Brett arrived and was very friendly. This was for a condo, so he began with pictures of the outside and moved in. He set up his mobile office, complete with laptop, camera, hot spot, and was off and running... He did his thing for quite some time, and called us over when he found something that set off a red flag. He explained to us what was wrong and his recommendation. This wasn't just for larger issues, even the small ones. He even gave us general maintenance tips, which we needed. He went through the place as if he were making the purchase for himself and we could not be more appreciative. We had the report before we walked out the door, complete with pictures and recommendations clearly indicated. We highly recommend Chicago Inspection Agency and Brett, and look forward to using them the next time we buy a place (which hopefully isn't too soon!). A+ read more

I arranged an air quality test for mold in my apartment, and I was able to make an appointment the following week (called on a Saturday) with Holly. Holly was super friendly, and the process was a breeze. I have already recommended this group for mold inspection to my neighbors, and I would definitely recommend them for this service. read more

I cannot tell you how much I regret hiring this guy for my home inspection. He was recommended by my realtor (my aunt, Jolanta K, who I thought I could trust) and could not have done a worse job assessing the condo I bought for issues both with the rooftop and certain structural/moisture issues. Whether it be his complete lack of knowledge or a blatent collusion with the real estate agent who referred him to me to make it a quick close, he did not point out any of the issues I would have to soon deal with because of the split block and roof leakage/ rooftop deck code violations. Now I am dealing with one nightmare after the other and am going to have to gut and rebuild a large part of my unit this summer/fall. Since I closed on this condo in December, I have since had multiple inspectors and contractors come out to help me look at the issues Brett failed to spot and they are completely baffled by his lack of detail in his inspection or even basic knowledge of the simplest code violations on the rooftop deck area. All in all this guy is going to cost me 10s of thousands of dollars (minimum) over the next few months and I haven't even owned this place a year. Please try and tell me I wasn't an actual customer, Brett, so I can post your report and the quotes I have subsequently received for the damaged areas you failed to report. read more

What a wonderful experience. Our guy was so knowledgeable and he took his time with our little 900 square foot home. Report was sent within 24 hours. I will continue to use CIA. read more

After working with another inspector I am not impressed with my inspection from CIA. There were major issues with the house we had an offer on and he just kind of breezed over them even though the were structural issues. He never pulled out a ladder to get up on the roof. If your inspector shows up without a roof you should tell them to go home. He talked on the phone with other clients the entire time he was in the home. He told my dad (who has been working on old home for almost 40 years) that we should repair a wood issue on the outside of the house with Bondo. Bondo + wood = not a good idea. Brett was a recommendation from our realtor and I never felt like he was working for me, I felt like he was working for her and just trying to get the deal to go through. Thank god we were smart enough to walk away based on our gut feeling and advice from our family Do yourself a favor and call Mike Massert from Speaker of the House read more

Currently under contract to purchase a condo in BG. The detail report of every issue and concerns discovered were very well explained verbally and on documents. Brett was very reliable and knowledgeable. Business very much appreciated! read more

If I could give him zero starts I would. Instead, I will copy and post an exchange he had with my wife on the BBB site: Original Review: Last year I posted an honest, though negative review of this business. Mr. Kelley's response was to claim he never did our home inspection and that perhaps I was confused because I "was drinking." Mr. Kelley reached out to me today, at the same email address that he sent our home inspection report, and said that he never did an inspection for us and asked if I would post a correction to my negative review. I told him that he had, indeed, been our home inspector, emailed him our address and my fiancé's last name and still he denied he'd done our home inspection. So, I actually forwarded to him - from his email address - the home inspection reports that he sent us. And how did he respond? Not with an apology for calling me a liar or suggesting I drink so much I don't know what company did our home inspection. Not an apology for HIS confusion and an inquiry as to why we were so unhappy. This was, verbatim, his response. And I am happy to forward it to anybody who'd like to see it: "You were the crazy lady then, and you still got the title..." So, he's unhappy with an honest review, accuses me of drinking, denies he ever did our home inspection and then, when the evidence is overwhelming that he did, indeed, do our home inspection, resorts to name calling?!? He is as unprofessional as he is incompetent. A bully disguised as a home inspector. Use him at your own risk. Comment from the Business: I'm not sure how to respond to a complaint from someone who couldn't be bothered to get off the phone the entire inspection. You walked in with the phone against your ear, and your barely said hello...my entire interaction was with your realtor. After my inspection was complete, you declined going over the photos, or my findings to help you understand what you were purchasing. ...you were still on the phone. I explained that there were numerous big problems with your very large house, and it had not been properly maintained. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of big problems. I explained them all to your realtor. Many months, if not years, later, you started posting bad reviews. I was very concerned, and contacted the realtor, who explained that I had noted all the issues about which you were complaining. My apologies, but you can lead a horse to water.............. Response from Homeowner: Even for you, this is low, Mr. Kelley. Let's look at your history of pathetic excuses for your complete incompetence. After denying you did our inspection and accusing me of drinking so much I had you confused with someone else, I emailed you irrefutable proof that you did indeed do our inspection. Your response was to call me a "crazy lady" and deny you missed anything significant in your home inspection. NOW you're claiming that you did identify several problems and we chose to ignore them? Because I was on my phone!? Too ludicrous to waste my time expounding on. And in addition to that, you emailed us evidence via your inspection that there were significant problems with our house and we CHOSE to ignore them? Mr. Kelley, you are digging yourself a bigger hole. We had one of the best, most experienced lawyers representing us in the purchase of our home. Are you actually claiming that he allowed us to move forward with the "numerous, big problems" unresolved and uncompensated for? You're coming across not only as incompetent, but unscrupulous. You would've been far better off just owning your mistakes and apologizing. There isn't a homeowner on this site reading this that will believe someone would pay for an inspection on what you characterized as a "very large house" and then ignore the significant issues that were found in advance of the closing. The ONLY thing you have been honest about is that your incompetence cost us tens of thousands of dollars. Shame on you, Mr. Kelley. read more

NEVER NEVER USE THIS INSPECTOR!!! He arrived 45 minutes late which was very inconvenient for us. His inspection seemed rushed and spotty. I also had hoped that he would discuss his finding with me in private. I mentioned this to him on the phone prior to the inspection, that I wanted to take a little time and discuss his findings at the end. Instead, he not only talked about his inspection in front of the sellers Realtor (I'm the buyer), but spent the last half hour trying to drum up business with him which I found completely unprofessional! NEVER NEVER USE THIS INSPECTOR!!! More importantly, due to the inaccuracies in his report, I did not have documentation of the wooden porch deficiencies and my bargaining power with the sellers was compromised. The inspector told me the wooden porch in back was in perfect condition. Luckily I had a feeling it wasn't and I had the porch re-inspected by a City of Chicago professional porch carpenter who stated it would not pass the Chicago porch codes. Porch disrepair is a very serious matter, and this inspectors assessment was dangerously wrong and I have told the Better Business Bureau about it. NEVER NEVER USE THIS INSPECTOR!!! When I gave him a copy of the City of Chicago porch codes and tried to tell him of my findings, he belittled me, was completely defensive and dismissed my concern that his price was not warranted because he was providing false information. NEVER NEVER USE THIS INSPECTOR!!! I want to make sure no one else has to go through this horrible experience. This man is not only ripping people off, but he is giving out incorrect information, and with something as serious as the safety of a wooden porch, that false information could be deadly. In purchasing a new home all I wanted was a through, honest, and reliable home inspection. I simply required an inspection report I could trust was accurate and honest. With Chicago Inspection Agency, Inc. I got neither. NEVER NEVER USE THIS INSPECTOR!!! read more

Update to my previous review: Apparently, Brett took exception to my negative review on the BBB website. Instead of reaching out to me, he responded on the BBB website by claiming he'd never done work for me and suggesting perhaps I had been "drinking too much" when I wrote the review and targeted the wrong company. I just took that as proof positive that not only did he lack competence in his field, he lacked character and integrity as well. Fast forward several months later. He emailed me and said "You wrote a negative review on BBB about our home inspection services, and yet, there is no record of us ever having worked for you..." I responded by assuring him that he had, indeed, done our home inspection, and that my review accurately characterized our experience with his company. I provided our address and my fiancé's last name and still he insisted I had the wrong company. So, I then forwarded to him an email HE sent me with information about his inspection. To that irrefutable proof, he responded with the following (this is verbatim): "You were the crazy lady then, and you still got the title..." Seriously?!? First, you accuse me of drinking as an explanation for my writing a negative review, then you deny ever doing the job, then, when faced with proof you can't refute, you resort to name-calling?!? I am fairly sure this review speaks for itself. This guy is unprofessional, incompetent, rude and dishonest. Use him at your own risk. read more

Brett was very thorough and took the time to answer all of our questions. He has a tremendous amount of knowledge based on years of first-hand experience. I feel more comfortable with our purchase after the inspection with Brett and have a better understanding of its condition/functions and upcoming maintenance needs. I would certainly use him again for other services CIA provides. read more

What a great experience! Brett was just what we were looking for in a home inspector - knowledgable, informative, honest, and reliable. I high recommend his services to anyone, as he is experienced and always has his customers' interests in mind. An added bonus = he came out on a weekend at a time of our choosing. Very much appreciated. Thank you! read more

Horrible Inspector. Spent a little over 2 hours at my future Money Pit and thought the dark spots on the ceiling were no big deal. Checked the Furnace and A/C but never checked the Filter which had not been changed in 5 years. Said nothing about the essential parts missing in the dishwasher. Never mentioned anything about the drain on the roofdeck that was not built to code nor the condition of the roofdeck. This was a little over 2 years ago. Within 2 months of moving into the house we discovered all these problems. We had to replace the roof. and the deck, have the drainage on it replaced. Had 2 pipes burst, noticed one of the bathtubs had gas pipe instead of a water wipe when the tape that was holding the faucet on stopped holding. We had to tear out an entire room and have mold removed. We had a $900 repair on the furnace because it wore out from the filter never being changed. This was a 5 year old house when we bought it. $840k. This guy should have told us not to buy it, instead he said it was a great house. My only recourse was to go after him for the $350 I paid for his useless inspection. At this point my homeowner's insurnace has dropped me and I have spent over $40k fixing stuff that I should have never had to fix. DO NOT USE THIS GUY HE IS HORRIBLE. read more