Found Termite Damage After Closing In Florida
Maintenance and repairs are an inherent part of homeownership.
Found termite damage after closing in florida. That can lead to structural damage you won t want to deal with. The termite inspector came and noted a few things which were fixed by the seller. Generally sellers can face liability if they fail to disclose a material defect with the home that they knew about at the time of sale. A month after closing when the new buyer was working on the house she found termites and termite damages.
Now they want 2 000 00 from me to repair damage. Most damage when found can be treated and fixed. The small pinholes and the sawdust is indicative of obvious termite damage. According to a termite guy that i had look at it recently the damage is pretty obvious.
And even after the sale your home probably continued its normal process of aging and decaying leaving you to deal with the consequences without any grounds to run back to the seller to complain. A defect on the list of potential defects is not disclosed. Can the damage be eradicated. The buyer can prove the seller knew or should have known about the defect.
He did not catch the termite damage in the hardwood in the middle of one of the rooms. If the inspector missed problems that an expert a professional peer should have noticed the inspector may face some liability under a theory of negligence or. If so there may be no need to take action on your own. A large termite colony feasting on the wood in a home can consume a pound of cellulose a day but it s usually much less.
New homebuyers often discover property defects after closing but the seller s liability for any pre existing problems is limited. I had no idea that my house had termites problems and i never noticed any damage in any of the wood structures in the house. Usually home inspectors provide a full evaluation of the home s condition prior to closing. In theory the inspector should have spotted problems that the seller perhaps never knew.
Am i liable i was totally unaware of this damage as it was not visible it was inside behind walls. The presence of termites doesn t necessarily mean a home is unsound though especially if the infestation is relatively recent. She is demanding a refund of 13k for damages and she accusing me of not disclosing the termite problems. Before closing buyers appraiser requested that house be treated again which i did paid for 500 00.
For how to work with your insurance company. However when the inspector is found liable they might only be on the hook for the cost of the home inspection report as opposed to the cost of the. The key however is that the seller must have known about. The seller may be found liable for the cost of the defect if.
Will your insurance company cover the damage. Rather a material defect is something like an extensive termite problem or a collapsing roof.