My wife and I moved into our current home 6 months ago. The inspection we had done uncovered no major issues. As I was moving some stuff around in my wife's closet yesterday, the carpet was soaked and mold was on the baseboard. The shower which is adjacent to her closet has been leaking. Plumber came out and said that this has been going on for some time, and it should have been found by the inspector. The shower needs to be fixed to the tune of $3,500. Needless to say, I thought that this is what the inspection is supposed to protect me from. Is there some way to hold them responsible or some way I can help pay for this?

Would the inspector have had to pull carpet or remove drywall to discover the problem?

If the carpet was wet where the previous homeowners had belongings it would have been hard to find.

The entire closet would have to have been wet.

[This message has been edited by Dubi (edited 12/15/2013 8:19p).]

I would also get a second opinion on the shower price. $3,500 sounds awfully high without knowing all of the details.

Most inspectors will refund your money if they missed something but that's about it.

Like beer said, unless you have some high finishes $3500 sounds way high.

I live in a 60's neighborhood and my neighbor's shower was leaking back into her closed. It had caused quite a bit of damage before the leak was apparent in the closet.

Get it fixed; send inspector the bill.

I am sure this is frustrating, but if it's been 6 months+ since inspection, then the leak could have been there a while but still not have been there during the inspection. And as others have said, if the closet was full the inspector cannot move everything to look at every inch of space. It's likely that in the inspection agreement the inspector had you sign, it limits their liability to essentially the cost of the inspection. You can call them back and have them come look at it, at best you might get your inspection fee refunded, but how do you prove the leak was there 6+ months ago?

[This message has been edited by East Dallas Ag (edited 12/16/2013 10:50a).]

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Get it fixed; send inspector the bill.

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good luck with that.

Like others have said, most inspectors have pretty limited liability on that sort of thing. He could easily argue it wasn't possible to detect given the constraints of the inspection.

I know it sucks, but if an inspector was held liable for every little (and big) thing that popped up later, they would be out of business. It's just not possible for them to find absolutely every hidden issue given the scope of the testing.

[This message has been edited by Diggity (edited 12/16/2013 12:27p).]

I don't think the OP realizes that home inspections arent the same as insurance.

you are paying a fee to someone YOU pick to check out the house. Im sure you signed something saying they aren't liable for issues not found.

This is why it pays to find an aggressive inspector...but even those guys cant find everything.


Previous owner may even have hid the leak intentionally.

Inspector we had for my house would have seen the ant cross over from my neighbors yard into ours the instant it happened. And he would have the paper work done and the buyers agent on the phone before the first antenna made it across the line.

He wrote that the backup battery in the AC control unit looked old. Working perfectly, but looked old.

Thank goodness the buyers agent was a good guy, and talked them off of the ledge.

House was only 8 years old and in pretty much perfect condition. Guy was a total A-Hole!!!!!!!

[This message has been edited by oldschool87 (edited 12/16/2013 5:24p).]

Did sellers disclose the leak?

Why did it take you 6 months to find it?

My neighbors's master shower was slowly leaking in the wall next to master closet. By the time they noticed the "squish" in the closet is was painfully obvious it had been leaking unnoticed for a really long time.

Based on my personal observation, I can see how an inspector would miss this; there truly was nothing to see since the damage was in the wall.

sounds like a bad break..definitely worth looking into further.

Jeez, this is what is wrong with the world!

Did you buy a new house? Nope

Is the inspector able to find every single minute item without taking apart your used house? Nope

There was no such thing as a home inspector 30 years ago, people didn't sue each other over a leaking faucet, but we sure do today. So we go out and hire inspectors to " protect" us. Then we use the inspectors!

If you buy a used car or house expect a few bumps and unplanned repairs. If you didn't notice it, the previous homeowner didn't notice it, a professional inspector disinterest notice it, two real estate agents didn't notice it, you just have to say crap missed it and fix it! Ok off my soapbox!

found that a nail had been driven through the roof shingle in the house we bought in oct 12. Inspector missed it and we finally found out about it when the roof eventually rotted to a point when we got a heavy rain and water started to leak into the mud room. Luckily it was contained but having to rip sheetrock off the ceiling and emptying buckets at midnight wasnt exactly pleasent. it seems like the inspector should have noticed it but at the same time they arent going to get everything.

it seems like when you were moving in it should have been something you would have noticed but then again maybe not.

Ive only owned my house for a little over a year but the things ive learned to look for whenever we move and purchse a new house is invaluable. Have to do research and some of the pitfalls of the age of the house you are buying and what kind of construction.

I now know what termite evidence looks like, looking for slope and water drainage, water damage, proper roofing, updated electrical, plumbing, basic foundation etc. #1 thing i have learned in houston is if you can visit the property while its raining or right after a heavy rain it can give you an idea of where the low spots are on the property and if it drains properly which can help you determine if there could be potential foundation issues currently or there will be in the future.

Was there any kind of warranty purchased by the seller (or yourself) when you purchased the home? It covers stuff like this...

Go back and check your HUD statement.

I recently sold and the $450 was well worth the peace of mind for myself and the buyer (an elderly widowed woman).

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Jeez, this is what is wrong with the world!

Did you buy a new house? Nope

Is the inspector able to find every single minute item without taking apart your used house? Nope

There was no such thing as a home inspector 30 years ago, people didn't sue each other over a leaking faucet, but we sure do today. So we go out and hire inspectors to " protect" us. Then we use the inspectors!

If you buy a used car or house expect a few bumps and unplanned repairs. If you didn't notice it, the previous homeowner didn't notice it, a professional inspector disinterest notice it, two real estate agents didn't notice it, you just have to say crap missed it and fix it! Ok off my soapbox!

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100% agree. This whole inspection process is chicken**** business to me.

quote:

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quote:Jeez, this is what is wrong with the world!

Did you buy a new house? Nope

Is the inspector able to find every single minute item without taking apart your used house? Nope

There was no such thing as a home inspector 30 years ago, people didn't sue each other over a leaking faucet, but we sure do today. So we go out and hire inspectors to " protect" us. Then we use the inspectors!

If you buy a used car or house expect a few bumps and unplanned repairs. If you didn't notice it, the previous homeowner didn't notice it, a professional inspector disinterest notice it, two real estate agents didn't notice it, you just have to say crap missed it and fix it! Ok off my soapbox!



100% agree. This whole inspection process is chicken**** business to me.

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I agree with this as well; However, if an inspector is hired, they better do a good job or they SHOULD be held accountable.

-however, home inspectors don't charge enough either.

What about homeowners that don't disclose everything and the inspector doesn't catch it?

It's ends up costing thousands of dollars. What then?

[This message has been edited by Bbdp (edited 12/29/2013 11:29p).]

It took you SIX MONTHS to discover the problem... not surprising that an inspector who spent maybe a couple of hours in the house didn't see it.

This is why you hire someone like Kevin at Absolute.
Not piling on but this is why a good inspector is so important!

"When the government fears the people, you have liberty; when the people fear the government, you have tyranny." Thomas Jefferson
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke

Were you onsite during the inspection? Were you satisfied with the report (it should have contained pages and pages of defects with photos). If so, he likely did a thorough job.

The inspector can give you a general peace of mind about the property you are buying, but it is a human process, and in 2-3 hours impossible to detect all issues. It is doubtful he is liable for the hidden leak that has now been discovered months later. A home warranty likely won't cover a hidden defect either, but look over the fine print if you received a warranty with the purchase. Sometimes there is nobody to blame... just part of owning a home. Good luck!

Absolute.