Can I go after the seller??

[Maya Torres]

Hello BP Family!

My intro sounds cheery but it’s not at all cherry. My husband closed on our house in March. A fixer upper that needed cosmetic updates (or so we thought). We’ve ripped up the carpet in the living room and noticed water seeping in from under the step and into the living room when it rains. So fast forward..we call in contractors to figure out what’s going on. Turns out the previous owners have had and known about ongoing water damage that was never disclosed to us. They never fixed the issue, but they tried to contain it. There’s a lot of evidence that proves they knew about the issue...the carpet in only the living room was changed out...concrete sealant on the patio (the other side of the living room wall) as well as some studs that were replaced from the water damage. But there was never a permanent fix. The seller also noted that any repairs needed to any correct any issues on the moisture report would not be paid for by them. I didn’t think anything of it at the time besides the fact that it was a little weird..but now we know what they were trying to hide. The report actually came back good because the water damage was hidden by new wooden planks that they put up in the living room. Is there anything that can be done here? Can they be held liable for anything?

[JD Martin]

The time, money and effort you waste in trying to obtain a retroactive judgement would be better spent in fixing what is probably not a very difficult problem based on your description. My prediction if you go that route is that you end up with nothing except a legal bill. Move on.