I'm in TN.
I bought a house in 2024 from a gentleman who bought it the year before and could not convince his wife to leave Europe to move here. The original owners inhabited the house from 1986, when the house was built, until that point.
Because of a sudden leak that triggered a plumbing/restoration process last night, we discovered that there had already been damage in that same area before. At some point, the pad had been removed from beneath the carpet and replaced with towels, which were moldy. We removed the wood panel from the wall to discover a 3'x3' patch of mold. Cutting away the drywall behind the panel uncovered moldy insulation and wood, and there was so much resulting corrosion on the outside of a copper pipe that it looks like touching it might cause it to crumble. What began as a 2'x3' portion of ceiling being cut away and a six-inch length of pipe replaced with PEX has now become a whole-room demolition.
It is clear, judging by the towels under the carpet, that SOMEONE was aware of this problem at some point. Is this something we can pursue in court, or are we without recourse because it has now been nearly two years since we bought the house? The contractor and I both took pictures and video of the existing damage, which looks to be several years old. I have no problem proving it was here, and I also have no problem proving that the damage was not disclosed to us. We're also hosed if we tried to sell this, because now WE know there's a problem.
Bought a mess. Am I screwed?
byu/average_canyon inRealEstate
Posted by average_canyon
3 Comments
No- it’s yours now. Leaks happen. Fix it and get on with your life.
Did you do an inspection? It seems the inspection agent would have inspected it?,,never buy anything without a inspection,,even a trailer,,a house,condo,,because your stuck,,also with mold,it needs to be professionally removed and cleaned,just putting in new dry wall its not going to fix it,,it will just regrow,,it needs to be processed with professional chemicals,and all the areas adjacent to it,because if spores are left they can get into the duct system,a/ c and heating,and then you will have black mold which kills kids,pets,and old people,,,so call a professional company and get it done right the first time.
Sorry, IMO you have no case. You can’t say if he did this or the prior owner, and you’d have to prove that.
Also in many areas the statute of limitations for defects discovered after closing is short, in my area it’s 2 years.