View Full Version : Home disclosure statement
MissTate
Jan 29, 2007, 10:13 AM
I bought a home 7 years & I have now found out that the owner at that time did not disclose that he had foundation work done on the home, I now have 5000.00 worth of foundation work to be done possibly due to the previous owner not doning a complete job when he had ram jack out to do some repair work. Is there a statue of limations on full discloser statement?
Sherry
RubyPitbull
Jan 29, 2007, 11:07 AM
I am by no means a legal expert but did the previous owner do this work himself? On your disclosure statement, does it specifically ask the seller "Do you know of any foundation issues or did you correct any foundation issues?" Are you positive that the previous owner made this correction or was it perhaps an owner before him? All of this would help to establish responsibility.
My initial thought is that the previous owner probably did not do the work himself and did not know that the work was not completed correctly. Unless he did this type of work for a living, he hired someone who led him to believe that it was done correctly and that contractor was paid for his work.
Are you positive that the contractor you have now isn't scamming you into expensive work that may not be necessary?
The first thing I would advise you to do is to find another contractor and get a second opinion.
Then, check your paperwork. Usually, 7 years is a long time and you possibly do not have any recourse against the previous owner. You know that old saying, "Caveat Emptor" -- "Buyer Beware"? This is something that our law is based upon when it comes to buying and selling items.
Did you pay for an inspector to inspect the house at the time of purchase? What did his report say? He should have picked up on a problem if there was one.
Please let us know all the info. Then we can possibly give you advice on how to proceed.