Non-Disclosure Of A Water Problem
I live in California and this morning we were having the carpeting replaced in my bedroom. When we pulled up the carpet, there was a damp spot on the wood. It didn’t look too bad, but, the word “Wet” was written on the plywood. I went underneath the house and it looks like there has been some water damage coming out around a bathroom drain. The bathroom is right next to my bedroom.
I bought the house about 5 years ago from a guy who bought it from the previous owner and did a quick remodel and turned it around to sell it. I am betting that he knew about this problem since the word “Wet” was written on the wood floor and since he put in new carpeting when he sold the house. What advice can you give me? Has the statute of limitations run out for going after him to fix this problem? At this point, I am going to go to home depot to get a mold testing kit.
Re: non-disclosure water problem
Usually the statute of limitations begins to run when you first discover the problem, but it would be debatable whether or not you actually knew about it before this time. You could contact him and tell him that you just discovered it and ask what did he do, if anything, about it, and why did he or someone write "wet" on the floor and what were his obversations at that time, to get a feel for his intentions. Maybe he did some kind of "band-aid" repair, and it just didn't last. If it's a situation like this, you won't get very far because he'll say he thought he fixed it. You need to check the condition of the wood, and as water seeps can flow anywhere, see if the water went beyond the immediate area.
Re: non-disclosure water problem
What, exactly, is the problem? Where is the water coming from - a leaky faucet, or a loose pipe fitting? Something else?
Re: Non-Disclosure Of A Water Problem
It looks like the water damage was coming from a pipe that went into the bathroom. When I turn the water on, I don't see it dripping from underneath the house. But, observing the wood from under the house and around the pipes, there is obvious water damage.