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Water Leak- what to do?
Background: we closed on the 19th and we are pretty much moved in now. We have a split with an addition built in 2009. The house was built in 2005.
We found a water leak in the addition of the house. It was pouring outside today. The leak is in the lower level and we suspect it is some how coming through the door on the upper level addition (which is straight above the leak). FI removed the trim on the ceiling and found the planks are a bit black (a sign of water). We put 2 bowls underneath it and in about 4 hours it gathered a total of 1/4-1/3 cup of water.
We called our neighbor who inspected it for us and he says he knows for sure the leak is NOT new and the sellers had to know about this beacuse it was in their child's bedroom. The leak is very difficult to miss.
What do we do now? It was not disclosed and we aren't sure what to do at this point. We know we need to get it fixed though- but is there anything else we can do?
Re: Water Leak- what to do?
That sucks - here are my thoughts about possible recourse:
Did it show up on your home inspection? If not, I would call the inspection company and let them know. There should have been evidence of a leak like that. They probably won't do much, but maybe they can help you get a discounted price to fix it?
I would also call your real estate agent. It's very hard to prove that the sellers knew about the leak, but the sooner you act the better. They can probably give you some options.
Do you have the contact information for the builder of the extension? Sometimes they have warranties that might cover you in this case.
In any case, you definitely want it fixed asap. Water issues can get very ugly.
Good luck.
Did your neighbor perform the actual inspection? If so, why didn't he tell you about it then? If it was someone else, I think they should have caught it if it truly is as noticeable as you say.
I think contacting your agent is the first thing to do. Maybe they can give you some advice on how to proceed.
A different person did the inspection, not our neighbor. I will contact the inspector- he's a friend of the family so maybe he can come back and take a closer look. We aren't sure of the extent of the damage yet- it seems minimial, but of course we cannot see what's inside the walls/ceiling. We can see if the inspector can estimate the cost to fix it.
The sellers were the ones who built the addition as well as the entire house. They've been very difficult to work with and I have a feeling that they're not going to do anything but ignore us.
Been trying to reach our agent with no luck. Will keep on trying.
I think we will have an idea of what to do if we hear back from our agent. If the damage is extenstive- is it a good idea to have FI's brother who is a lawyer to write a certifed letter and send it to the sellers and both agents explaining the damage and the cost and how they should at least fix it or reimburse us??
If this is not a new leak and was very difficult to miss, then it should have been noted in your inspection report. What does it say in the report? If it was listed in the report, then it should have been discussed with the sellers and repair should have been requested. If it was not in the inspection report, then I would contact the inspection company and find out why.
If this is not a new leak and was very difficult to miss, then it should have been noted in your inspection report. What does it say in the report? If it was listed in the report, then it should have been discussed with the sellers and repair should have been requested. If it was not in the inspection report, then I would contact the inspection company and find out why.
Edited by moderator.