Flooded Basement - Not Disclosed at Sale

[Sarah Hov]

I recently closed on a home in the end of July. We've had heavy rains the last month and I've had standing water in one part of my basement. Its older, with stone sides. Unfortunately it's the side with the furnace and water heater. There is a sump pump in the new poured concrete side, but the water must be 5-6" high to spill over the concrete dividing the two rooms. This would mean the furnace would have water up about 3" on the bottom. Both the furnace and water heater are set upon cinder blocks which seemed strange at first, but now I believe the sellers did that due to water in that room. There are hard water line stains on the cinder blocks indicating flooding has been an issue before. Nothing was disclosed by the sellers about the basement but I feel they knew there was a problem. I paid for an inspection but was out of state so I was unable to be present for the inspection. The home was previously a rental and the seller was the realtor. It was bought at asking price, no "as-is" clause, and does have a warranty provided by the seller but I don't think that covers water damage. I'm wondering what my course of action should be in regards to fixing the basement. Does it fall to the seller or buyer? I'm not crazy with the idea of a lawsuit but I can't have my furnace sitting in water, especially with winter right around the corner. Thank you.