RESNET has recently been made aware that a large volume RESNET-accredited Rating Quality Assurance Provider has unexpectedly immediately ceased operations. This closure has affected a number of homes that have already been inspected and/or tested but have not yet been uploaded to the RESNET Registry. There are many cases where the homes will soon be closed, and families will move in. As a result, homes with completed fieldwork may be in limbo due to the inability to access the original Provider’s infrastructure or submit finalized ratings to the Registry. Clearly, it is imperative that RESNET soon adopt a policy on the transfer of the HERS Rater of Record. On July 11, 2025, RESNET adopted an interim policy to temporarily guide the transfer of the original HERS Rater of Record to another in cases where the rating company/Provider goes out of business or the Rater of Record is incapacitated. The interim policy can be downloaded at RESNET Interim Policy on Transfer of HERS Rater of Record. The interim policy goes into effect immediately and will remain in effect through December 31, 2025, or until a permanent RESNET policy is adopted, whichever occurs first. Chapter One of the RESNET Standards has recently been amended to address situations involving the transfer of the Rater of Record. The key provision states: “The original Certified HERS Rater’s Rating Quality Assurance Provider, with access to the original Certified HERS Rater’s work, or a different Rating Quality Assurance Provider or another Certified HERS Rater (who is not the original Certified HERS Rater) that somehow obtains the original Certified HERS Rater’s work may not use any of that original Certified HERS Rater’s work to reverse engineer and generate a new Rating on the same address where the construction has progressed past the point where verification of specific minimum rated features would not be possible in accordance with the RESNET standards except in scenarios outlined and approved in the RESNET Policy on Transferring Rater of Record.” This provision recognizes and allows for the development of a formal RESNET policy to guide the transfer of the Rater of Record under specific scenarios, including those where original raters or their Providers are no longer available. This standard amendment went into effect voluntarily on July 1, 2025. It has always been the intent that the RESNET Board would adopt a long-term policy to define the RESNET Policy on Transferring Rater of Record, but it would take time for the RESNET Board to adopt it. Recognizing the urgency of this situation, an interim policy was adopted.
