Tim Smartt did our termite inspection today. He was great! Very professional, courteous, and thorough. He explained everything completely and made sure I didn't have any questions. Very happy with his work. Thanks Tim! read more

Buyer beware. my experience with this inspection company has been horrible. They really paint the property in a bad light all in an effort to sell you on their contracting services. and when they miss something in inspections...they do everything in their power to weasel out of their responsibility. there are so many better home inspection services out there - many that do not perform repair work so you will have an unbiased report read more

Homeguard made our life a living hell. The seller hired them and they supposedly sprayed for termites in March but when we (the buyers) had another termite inspection in May, there were still live bugs and termite tubes and cellulose debris under the house. They are coming back to spray but refusing to remove the debris without charging another inspection fee DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY WILL BE UNDER THERE RE-SPRAYING WHAT WASN"T KILLED! and they wont remove any debris without the report. We even offered to pay for the removal but they wont do that without first charging us for another separate inspection. terrible business practice- I sure as heck wont be using them again. read more

This company performed a termite inspection on our house for $355. It was most unsatisfactory. The inspector only went over a few "minor" items he found. When we got the report, we found way more faults that he did not disclose and did not have anything to do with termites (e.g. shower heads too high, vegetation against a cement foundation, etc.). And worst of all, he said he found evidence of drywood termites. When I asked how, he showed me a pile of "termite pellets" on my kitchen window sill, which he then collected and took with him. In fifteen years of opening up the blinds on that window every day, and cleaning the window sill, we have not ever, not once, seen any "termite pellets", nor since. Just too convenient that they all of a sudden appeared on the day he showed up to inspect. We believe he planted them. read more

DO NOT use these home inspectors if you're thinking to buy a property. There's a reason for bunch of 1 star reviews!! I had the home, roof, and termite inspection done with these guys for our first house purchase. They put in the report that the Air Conditioning unit in the property showed temperature drop, and the coil was cooling and the unit in all is working efficiently. I end up buying the property and move in couple of days later and turn the AC on, and guess what? You probably guessed it from my 1 star rating (which would be "0", if it was allowed), the AC was not cooling it at all!!! I left the AC on for 3 hrs on three separate days (and at varying times) but forget the temperature coming down, it went up (and yes it was set on COOL)! That tells me the AC is spitting out room temperature air (if at all), and not cool air! I call HomeGuard and explain the situation to representative, and told her how they completely missed checking one of the key and most expensive appliances in the house! Her response was "oh, we only check for if the unit turns on/off, we don't check if it cools"!! I thought it was bad joke. I told her to look up my inspection report and go to the page where it explains that the ac is cooling sufficiently and she did not have a response to that. She said she will have her supervisor call me the next so. Curtis (the supervisor) called and would take no ownership to the fact that they blatantly missed checking the ac unit and reported it as working properly. He said "the inspectors check for temp drop with a laser gun to see if there sufficient temp drop; we do not sit there the entire to see if it is working". He was just plain rude, and obnoxious. Also note how his statement totally differs from the reps where she claimed they only check if ac turns on/off and not for cooling. Curtis suggested I call my home warranty and the ac checked out, which frankly should not be his concern. His concern should be how they blatantly misreported the ac condition on the report; that's something I paid for in the purchase price of the home. His final suggestion was that he has no suggestion or resolution for me, and to call ac contractor and the ac checked out, and then he hung up! Yes, HUNG UP!!! So much for customer service! What do we pay home inspectors for?? I think it's to use their expertise and experience to check various parts of the house and appliances that could potentially be a significant expense for the buyer! Any home buyer can go around flipping switches to check if lights, fans, turn on but home inspectors are supposed to more thorough and check key areas that are not easily accessible for the owner (for example the attic). I thought they would be checking that, but their report said they do not check attics. What a joke of an inspection!!! read more

it is indeed very true that most of the 4 and 5-star ratings come from realtors and not from homeowners. i spoke with a customer service representative regarding a dishwasher that was not installed properly. i was hoping for a serviceman or technician to come to my property for an investigation. the rep said that my one year warranty would not cover this because i needed to show proof that it ever worked at all. how the heck am i going to show proof that it ever worked if it is not even installed properly? were they expecting me to record a film or take a picture of it working. i stated then that the only thing that would be covered by insurance would be the stove. to which the rep replied: "not my problem at all." it is nice to know a service that would immediately bill me but never give me any service necessary. this is the last time i ever do business with homeguard. read more

I spoke to a customer service representative named Hailey who was VERY rude and unprofessional. I am a first time home buyer so naturally I had a many questions. During me asking all my questions, she was very short, VERY rude, and it was clear she was annoyed by my questions. In result, I did not use HomeGuard and I will let everyone else know. I have NO idea why you'd have someone like Hailey representing your company. Very poor choice. read more

This company is a rip off. They asked for payment in advance and refused to go under the house because we did not have plastic down and they claimed its wet. A termite inspectors job is to go under the house and they should take their own tarps. Now they want another $400 to place the plastic and finish the report. We checked and the ground is dry. So they are counting on people not willing to check. Do not pay them in advance as you will not get what you paid for. read more

Susan D. and her group do it again. I'm telling you, it's like clock work.....she never ever disappoints! She came through again and made sure it was right. read more

I've used HomeGuard twice now. First as a buyer when I bought my home last year and now that I'm a realtor I used them for my first deal. Both times they've been extremely helpful and courteous. The inspector who came out (Frank C.) was very knowledgeable and explained everything thoroughly. From my experience I would recommend HomeGuard... read more

When you do work with a company through home warranties they receive parts and services for discount and then they mark up the prices 20-30% to meet their warranty quotes. So I spoke to numerous people at Homeguard and had some issues in my home and decided to use my home warranty. First that told me the max cash value for the fixtures and provided an opportunity to fix with a company (AJ BONO PLUMBING) they were contracted with, but would not release the model or work that would be done to replace the items in my home. I will not allow a company to come in my home and not tell me what they are going to do. " oh its basic repairs no upgrades just repairs and basic replacement" Then after I requested a cash value they (decided not to give me the cash value anymore) didn't provide the max amount as they quoted earlier, but what they wanted to give me what they were going to pay their contractors not what is listed in the warranty. It was like I need to hurry up and take partially what they are offering. I was not happy with the partial cash out, BUT OK... because at least I know what was going to be done the right way with a company that provides A++ service. the contractor they use have horrible reviews...on YELP... the last home issues i had a couple of months ago was smooth, it was a male, that no longer works there any more...They should have kept him. He was the only reason i renewed my policy because he went far and beyond. Now I have to wait and hope I dont need any repairs in my home. read more

Home Guard is what the name implies. They guard a buyer against any present or future problems with a home. I should know! I am the seller. They went over the outside and inside of my home and produced pictures as each one presented their findings. There were things to fix. They explained the problem or code violation in easy to understand terms. I received a complete inspection report in writing with pictures. It was a breeze to fix the problems. The ones I couldn't fix they did. All the team members are top of the line professionals. Somebody knew what they were doing putting this crew together. To bad the Denver Broncos didn't have them on the field facing Seattle. The score would have been the other way around! The clincher is the follow up program. They are extremely interested in what you think of them. Great logo, impressive equipment, great uniforms, 5 star follow up, and team centered all the way. read more

Our realtor recommended this company and we went with his recommendation partly because we did not have time to lose once we went into escrow to set up another inspector. While it was easy to set-up an appointment with them and they do the value package termite, home, and roof all in one, they did a quickie job of inspecting our property. Basically, they were done within an hour's time and it was difficult to ask them questions throughout the process. They took pictures and compiled a report, however, once we moved in, we noticed things that they apparently overlooked. For instance, our furnace went out a couple of weeks after we moved in; they said it had a few more years left, but to "contact a furnace specialist." They should of known that it was on the brink of failure. In addition, they told us that we had over $6000 of dry rot repair, however, when we hired them to come out and do the repair work, they were done real fast within a couple of days, and missed a lot of areas that they said needed fixing; basically a half-done job. Be careful hiring this company. While they are very professional and come on time, quickie work seems to be their middle name. Make sure that they look at every nook and cranny, literally and do a thorough job. read more

Great Service. The inspectors were all professional. Would refer Homeguards to my all my clients when they need a inspection to either sell or buy the home. Thanks again for the great service that was provided to me. read more

Katherine Black and Kathy Backeroff are just the best! They helped me with a repair job I had forgotten to request on a Friday. Texting, emailing, doc-u-signing over the weekend we had it all taken care of by 8:30 Monday morning! Done. Those of the type of results we get with Homeguard. Always have our back, always ready to move schedules around, always there for us. Can't say it enough. The team at HomeGuard in Livermore are the best! read more

Homeguard was recommended to us by our neighbor and friend who uses "Tony" all the time for pest inspections. We were very happy with "Tony" as he was prompt, dilligent, and detailed with the inspection. He reviewed all the findings with us before he left. We received the report the following day. All the folks that we talked to at Homeguard were very friendly and helpful, no complaints here! read more

Had to get rid of termites and have some minor repairs done around the exterior of the house. Homeguard was quick to respond, professional, and flexible around my schedule. read more

Don't use these idiots. They don't really inspect, they just cash your check. They were hired to inspect a home that I wanted to purchase, but didn't bother to observe an infestation of bats in the eaves of the house. Bat crap was all over the patio, you couldn't miss it. Don't be a fool. Don't use these guys. read more

I recently had a re-inspection with Homeguard on a SATURDAY! Michael Galleta was the inspector. He went above and beyond his duty to get this property in order and cleared for my seller. read more

That is a great company, was using it for years. Always trying to accommodation and very good service.

I was purchasing a house in Fremont as rental property on February 2015 and asked this company to do Roof Inspection. Based on the following FINDINGS, we bought this property and only fixed gutter system. 1. There were no readily apparent defects at the time of this inspection. 2. The gutter system appears to be leaking at the seams. Interested parties are advised to contact a gutter specialist to make repairs required to correct this condition. However, after the recent rain, this property got leaking problems. The same person came and inspected to give the following FINDINGS. FINDINGS: 1. Leakage was reported at the dining room ceiling and wall area. RECOMMENDATION: Remove gravel over area as necessary to track point of water entry and seal as needed. 2. Leakage was reported at the rear wall adjacent to the drain. RECOMMENDATION: Remove gravel over area as necessary to track point of water entry and seal as needed. 3. Leakage was reported at the corner bedroom area below a vent flashing. RECOMMENDATION: Remove gravel around area of vent flashing bass track point of water entry and seal as needed. 4. The pipe insulation and seal has severely deteriorated at the air-conditioning piping that goes through the roof jack. This area appears to be allowing water entry into the structure. Interested parties are advised to contact the appropriate trades to correct this condition. 5. Gravel conceals the exact point of water entry at the above mentioned repairs. Gravel removal is required to track point of entry. Gravel will be redistributed after repairs. SUMMARY: The cost to service item(s) 1-3 is $550.00. Suddenly, so many areas are leaking in 1 year. Should this company take some responsibilities for not giving us the proper inspection last year? read more

These guys are awful - don't use them! They make up reasons to deny your claim. In my case, they initially denied my $800 plumbing claim by saying that they don't cover plumbing leaks related to ice maker lines. When I pointed out that this is not what the contract says, they said they don't cover plumbing leaks that are "outside" the house (ie, under the house). When I pointed out that this is not what the contract says, they said they don't cover corrosion. That's not in the contract either....so next they said, they don't cover improperly installed plumbing. Since I used HomeGuard to do the initial home inspection when we bought the house, I suggested they could refund my home inspection fee instead, since they obvious missed the "improperly installed" plumbing issues during their inspection. Predictably, they said, no, our home inspectors aren't licensed, so they can't detect improper plumbing installations. Useless! Whatever you do, avoid Homeguard read more

Do not make the same mistake I did and use this company for home inspection repairs. They do the home, termite and roof inspections for homes that are being sold and then quote for the defects they find. That in itself is self-serving and an inherent conflict of interest. Against my better judgment I decided to use them for the termite work, replacing a water heater and roof repairs because they can "clear" the defects that they had identified - hmmmm. They were expensive and really did lousy work. They had a subcontractor replace the water heater. He was okay, but HomeGuard had him purchase a cheap water heater from Home Depot. He spent all day putting in the water heater, only to find out it was defective. Of Course, the water heater company says contact them instead of returning the water heater. OK, I help, only to find out that they can send out a part and technician in three business days, which meant 5 days without a water heater. Like cold showers? Need to clear a defect to close the home sale? In any event, I refused and forced HomeGuard to replace the water heater and had it installed, only to discover leaks in the copper pipe, creating a bigger mess than the one they noted on the home inspection. Next? The termite work. On this one, HomeGurad sends their employees. The results are even worse. They drill holes all around the house to inject the chemicals into the soil. Pretty standard stuff. On Friday, with a walk through scheduled with the buyers on Tuesday after Labor Day. The problem? When refilling the holes on the porch and all around the house with a wrong color mortar, they neglect to actually fill the holes all the way and do not clean up. Now we have 2 foot square stains all around the house that cannot be washed off. When I call to say I need it cleaned, they tell me no can do - it's the weekend. I had to pay another company to come in do an acid wash, and refill the holes with the proper color mortar. Finally? I get the invoice, overcharging me $575 for the roof repairs. When I call and ask? Oh, we just made a mistake and charged you twice for the same work. HomeGuard Inc is TERRIBLE. read more

Superior Court awarded me several thousand dollars in Oct. 2014 after comparing their home inspection with pictures in another inspection of serious problems Homeguard did not report, costing me a lot of money (besides making a bad decision purchasing a poorly maintained home). The judge kept asking why they didn't mention the badly corroded gas line under the house. Other contractors also finished some work I paid Homeguard for, recommended in their termite and roof inspections, but didn't fix the problems I paid them for since they were hidden on the roof and under the house. These were also discovered from the second home inspection about seven months after Homeguard. Curtis Reese, Vice-President, coordinated the inspection with my Realtor and an inspector who was not certified and left the Company shortly after my inspection. Reese actually told the Small Claims judge that a certification is not necessary, and said the judge could be a home inspector. He told the Superior Court judge that someone could be working at 7-11 one day and be a home inspector the next, because they didn't need any certifications. The pictures in the second home inspection told the true story of the falsifications made. I agree with another reviewer that their good reviews are from Realtors, like my lying Realtor. They cost a lot more than money and a bad decision of purchasing this home, along with years of stress tying to deal with them, going to Court twice (they appealed the Small Claims decision, but Superior Court awarded a higher amount) and dealing with a lot more contractors over problems they didn't report. read more

We bought our 2 month old home because Homeguard inspected this home and the previous owner fixed whatever they recommended. (Over $3000) Now we find that we have a leaky roof and water damage that they refused to keep under their warranty. How good is an inspection if the inspector claim there is no problem and you ended up buying the house with a huge problem. This guy Tom Waldron came out to our house, took less than 5 minutes, barely looked around and was about to leave when my husband greeted him. He didn't realized anyone was home and we are not even sure he even inspected our house properly. He said he can only look from the outside. We are still dealing with the problem right now. I just can't believe how unprofessional Tom Waldron was. He was belittling my husband and any proof we have. If Homeguard refuse to pay to fix their mistake we will get a lawyer. Also filing a report to the BBB. read more

My friend recommended this company to me. I have to say, this company is so efficient. I called the office and made an appoint on a Friday for all three inspections (home, termite, roof). With all three, they have a great discount program called, VIP package. I definitely saved a portion of money compare with quote from other companies. When I called for an appointment on Friday afternoon, I thought there is no way they could get inspector to go to the property on the following Monday. However, amazingly, Jessica was able to arrange the earliest appointment with three different inspection all together on the following Monday and promised to send me all reports by Tuesday. It is very efficient. I have to make a positive comment for Eric Syren (property inspector). He arrived at the property 30 minutes earlier and checked surrounding and exterior of the property very carefully. When I arrived, he was able to tell me about all his findings. I was very pleased. The termite inspector Moe is very detail orientated. I really enjoyed every little findings he pointed out and the suggestions he made. Overall, it was a very good experience. I did not have many things to fix. Most of them are minor. However, I learned a lot of home improvement and home maintenance tips from the inspectors. They are very professional and experienced. Thank you , Home Guard! read more

Left a mess on the patio, booties,hats, kleenex. Wet kleenex in the SHOWER. Said garbage disposal was not working due to a faulty plug. Said the outlet was not working We went there today and found that they had forced the breaker switch into the unit and after my friend pulled it back into place it then worked just fine in front of the realtor. Unnessary pulling threshold off shed door when in my opinion a shed is not part of the house inspection. Found so much wrong with a 58 year old house and the price outrageous for what needs to be done. Wish we could have used the first people I as the seller hired to do the first inspection. Homeguard found problems with installation of the heating and air conditioner and will contact company re their allegations of improper installation. Very unhappy! Oh, they also left the door to the patio unlocked which could invite someone to come in and break in. read more