Legal Question Regarding Damages

[Rachel Kokosenski]

I have a question about who pays for damages discovered after a sale. I purchased a condo to use as a STR and the day after the sale was finalized we were advised that the dishwasher has been leaking for days, there is mold behind it, and there is water damage in other parts of the condo. When I called my insurance company they said they won't cover it because it started prior to my owning the property and the previous owner's insurance would be covering the property at the time.

So, we didn't have a property inspection prior to purchase. Who is at fault here? Are we just stuck with this because we bought the property with the standard "as is" clause in the contract?

I don't get the sense that the previous owner actually knew about this as he was a very "hands off" owner of the property and was informed by the house cleaner about the puddle on the floor. I don't want to drop lots of money to litigate something that may only cost a few thousand to repair, but on the other hand, if it's reasonable to request the previous owner to pay for this, I would like to do so. Advice? Thanks!