What to Do When Home Inspection Goes Wrong

When you later find out that the house you bought has a lot of defects difficult and costly to repair, you would surely blame your home inspector. Why did he fail to see those flaws?

Liability of Home Inspectors

Good home inspectors can make mistakes, but they should be able to see obvious clues that indicate poor workmanship in a house. Extensive wood rot, for example, happens over time. Structural flaws can result to cracks on the walls or on the edges of windows and doors that could have been recently patched. A skilled inspector should be able to see them. Termite infection, on the other hand, can happen over time or can start a few days after the home inspection.

Hiring a Lawyer

If you are certain that the defects in your house have been existing before your home inspection, you could start finding a lawyer that specializes in consumer rights and residential litigation. This type of lawyer works with specialists who can ascertain the defects in your home and how long they have been there.

Ask around for references. Ask the attorney for documents showing he has successfully pursued litigation similar to yours. To avoid too much financial pressure, find a lawyer who agrees to be paid fully only after the case has been settled.

Insurance Company Attorneys

In case the home inspector has liability insurance, be prepared to face a lot of pressure from the insurance company attorneys. These attorneys are usually salaried employees and their work is to find ways to keep the company from paying out insurance money. If they see that you have a good case, they will use all sorts of tactics to force you to settle for the lowest amount.

Slow Pace of Litigation

Be prepared for a drawn out litigation. The insurance company attorneys do not care how slowly the case proceeds. They are getting their salaries every month anyway. Usually, it takes months to work out a settlement. If your case goes to trial, you could be looking at more than a year of tussles and hassles and pressures on your time and finances; and only because your home inspector failed to do his job.