J77
May 18, 2012, 03:32 PM
On March 29, 2012 , I about a 30 years old ranch in a condominium in PA .
I employed a home inspector. After inspecting the crawl space and structure of the building he said verbally that everything is fine and well done.
Based on his professional comment I bought the house.
After finalizing the deal I found out that there are several important construction engineering neglections which are not acceptable by engineering and applicable construction codes.
I referred to the home inspector’s report and found out he has stated “The structure of the property is reported to be maintained by the association and was not inspected.” .
In reply to my reaction and asking about source of his information that convinced him to remain silent on building’s structure affairs ,he e-mailed me following comment:
Because it is a condominium, you will need to discuss these items with your condo association.
The building, as stated in your report is beyond the scope of the home inspection.
I asked the condominium’s manager to take care of existing engineering neglections which was general contractor’s fault at the time of construction.
I received following reply by e-mail:
The foundation and all the components of the foundation above the concrete slab of the crawl space, including the beams, joists and the sub floor are the responsibility of the owner.
It would be necessary to make costly repairs and improvement in order to meet the sound engineering and building codes .
You appreciate the home inspector’s responsibility is detect and report building code violations and inspect interior and exterior home features including the foundation, roofing, plumbing and electrical, heating and cooling systems.
But my appointed Home Inspector did not report the existing structural problems and building codes violations. And miss lead me for paying attention to existing problem and at the result put me in risk of spending some extra amount.
The question is what are legal responsibility of appointed home inspector, and what could be my legal rights in order to cover the applicable expenses?
And what should I do at this stage?
I employed a home inspector. After inspecting the crawl space and structure of the building he said verbally that everything is fine and well done.
Based on his professional comment I bought the house.
After finalizing the deal I found out that there are several important construction engineering neglections which are not acceptable by engineering and applicable construction codes.
I referred to the home inspector’s report and found out he has stated “The structure of the property is reported to be maintained by the association and was not inspected.” .
In reply to my reaction and asking about source of his information that convinced him to remain silent on building’s structure affairs ,he e-mailed me following comment:
Because it is a condominium, you will need to discuss these items with your condo association.
The building, as stated in your report is beyond the scope of the home inspection.
I asked the condominium’s manager to take care of existing engineering neglections which was general contractor’s fault at the time of construction.
I received following reply by e-mail:
The foundation and all the components of the foundation above the concrete slab of the crawl space, including the beams, joists and the sub floor are the responsibility of the owner.
It would be necessary to make costly repairs and improvement in order to meet the sound engineering and building codes .
You appreciate the home inspector’s responsibility is detect and report building code violations and inspect interior and exterior home features including the foundation, roofing, plumbing and electrical, heating and cooling systems.
But my appointed Home Inspector did not report the existing structural problems and building codes violations. And miss lead me for paying attention to existing problem and at the result put me in risk of spending some extra amount.
The question is what are legal responsibility of appointed home inspector, and what could be my legal rights in order to cover the applicable expenses?
And what should I do at this stage?