Tertius is an online services platform that connects residential and commercial property owners and managers with access to certified and approved inspectors. Tertius was created to conveniently present more options for customers and to potentially shorten the timeline to complete inspections.

Tertius also creates opportunity for local inspectors to be introduced to more customers.

DOB protects the safety of residents, businesses, and visitors and advances development of the built environment through permitting, inspections, and code enforcement. To support this mission, DOB is responsible for regulating construction activity in the District of Columbia. All inspectors included in Tertius are certified by DOB and are licensed in the District of Columbia.

“Booking” refers to when a customer selects an inspection agency to conduct an inspection, or a series of inspections, and contracts for their services. “Scheduling” refers to when the inspection agency, in consultation with the customer, sets the date and time that a contracted inspection, or series of inspections, will occur.

Taxes

Stripe does not have a W-9 to provide, as W-9 forms are typically used when payments are made to a vendor in response to an invoice. Because businesses using Stripe don’t actively send payments to Stripe directly, a W-9 form isn’t generally needed.

Additional Information

Stripe makes outbound payments to businesses in the form of payouts, so Stripe will issue a 1099-K form if the appropriate reporting threshold is met. This article is neither legal advice nor tax advice. We recommend that you speak to your lawyer or accounting firm with any questions or concerns around tax reporting. https://support.stripe.com/questions/request-a-w-9-form-from-stripe

After you create a profile on Tertius, you can either request DOB to handle your inspections at no additional cost, or you can search through our database of certified third-party agencies. After you select your inspector; when you use a third-party agency, you can request a proposal; or review details, and designate a time range to book the inspection.

Tertius allows you to choose either a DOB inspector or a third-party inspection agency, both of whom will be able to provide the scope of inspections required for your project. You will be able to contract for, book, and schedule multiple inspections all at the same time.

Integrated with DOB’s permitting systems, Tertius identifies the inspections that you will need to complete your project for you. Enter your project location, and a list of open permits will populate including the inspections you need to complete the project.

If you accept a proposal from a third-party agency to complete your inspection, you will be prompted to add a payment method and confirm the project. You will not be charged at this time, but you will receive project confirmation. Once your inspection is complete and the inspector uploads the report to Tertius, the inspector will request final payment. At that point, you will receive a notification in Tertius prompting you to review and approve the final payment. You can review your transaction history for all booked and completed inspections by going to the Projects tab and viewing the report for a given inspection.

If customers choose to use a TPIA to complete their inspections, customers should be prepared to pay the base fees charged by the TPIA for services rendered, in addition to a reduced platform services fee of 5%. This represents a decrease from the 10% transaction fee that was previously charged. For credit card payments, an additional 2.9% of the total amount, and $0.30 per transaction will be incurred. For customers paying online using a checking account, Automated Clearing House (ACH) fees are 0.8% or a maximum of $5.00, whichever is lowest.

In response to the project details or permit number you enter, a list of required inspections will populate on Tertius.  From this list, you can select an inspection and the system will identify inspectors that are certified to complete them. Each inspection agency has a profile that identifies the types of inspections that they are certified to complete. DOB approves all inspection agencies that participate in Tertius.

Yes, you can start multiple projects, enter details, and book multiple inspections on Tertius.

Yes, a virtual inspection may be obtained if an inspection agency offers virtual inspections and is certified to complete the inspections you need for your project. Complete all steps as you normally would on Tertius to book your virtual inspection.

All DOB and third-party agency inspectors that are available for selection on Tertius are certified and approved by DOB. Additionally, all third-party agencies obtain and maintain Errors and Omissions Coverage for each occurrence in the minimum amount of $1,000,000.

As a customer, you can choose to use a credit/debit card or enter banking information to transfer funds directly from their checking account. Standard credit/debit card processing fees apply. The checking account option is ideal for larger projects and payments because there is a low 0.8% processing fee with a maximum fee of $5.00. Please note that it can take up to one week for checking account payments to process. Both methods are secure and can be easily added in Tertius.

Yes, each inspection agency is approved by DOB when they request to join Tertius and all inspectors must be certified.

When you create your agency profile, you can provide pricing details regarding hourly vs. flat fees, and can include specific prices for certain services as desired. Tertius also allows you to respond directly to customer inquiries with custom pricing based on project details and your conditions for accepting proposed work.

When you create your agency profile, you will be prompted to add a staff roster of your inspectors and their certifications. If one of your existing inspectors gets a new certification, navigate to the Staff tab of your agency’s profile, click Update under the Inspector and upload a PDF of the new certification. If you are an individual inspector, please provide the new certification to your agency’s Professional in Charge for updating.

If the assigned inspector is unable to complete the scheduled inspection, go to the Projects section of the inspector page and locate the project. Re-assign the inspector on the project. A notification will be sent to the customer.

Once an inspection is complete, return to your agency’s Projects in Tertius to complete a report. Fill out all required fields and upload a PDF of the official inspection report.

Once an inspection is complete, return to your agency’s Projects in Tertius to complete a report. In the first section of the report, use the dropdown to select a status for the inspection: Approved, Partially Approved, Cancelled, Rescheduled, or Failed. If the inspection status is Approved, you can complete the report and request payment from the customer. If the inspection is any other status, you must still complete and submit a report. Tertius will notify the customer and provide them with instructions for re-inspection.

There are four suggested profiles in Tertius, Administrator, Accounting, Inspector and Custom. Each agency is able to invite users and give them permissions as suited to their specific roles and needs. The inspector profile is responsible for performing inspections and populating the inspection report, while PIC/MCPs are directly responsible for quality assurance. The custom profile allows each Agency to create an individualized profile that fits the processes of that Agency. Each profile is accessible via Access DC, our central single sign-on program.

When an inspection has been completed, the inspector assigned to the inspection event must complete Tertius' standardized inspection report, including providing clearly-indicated time in and time out for the inspection. After the inspector finishes the report, the assigned professional in charge (PIC)/master code professional (MCP) of your agency is responsible for quality assurance of each inspection report before final submission to the Department of Buildings. Once the quality assurance review is complete your agency can bill the customer through Tertius for the services rendered.