Legal Question in Construction Law in Illinois

Home Purchased has Major Plumbing Problems

We moved into a home at the end of Oct. 2006. We got it at a good price because it was on market awhile. Home is beautiful in a high end neighborhood on small lake. We passed on a full inspection because of price. Home inspector would have been unable to detect this problem anyway as all plumbing seemed in working order. Around Christmas, we began to smell an odor. To make a long story short, we have had two plumbers, County and State inspectors out. After ripping out ceiling sections in lower level it was discovered all waste lines and venting were done wrong. Our bid for repairs will be $9,000-$12,000. It is the opinion of the plumbers and County inspector that no licensed plumber did the work and that the sellers had to have had this problem. They failed to disclose this. The man that built the house cannot remember who the plumber was. The house is 15 years old. The original owner told us he lived here about 2 years and we were told our sellers were here 9 years. We suspect the original owner did the plumbing. Is there any recourse for us?


Asked on 2/23/07, 6:59 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Zedrick Braden III Ainsworth & Associates PC

Re: Home Purchased has Major Plumbing Problems

Hello. The fact that you passed on a full inspection does not let the seller off the hook, in my opinion. I think you should consider demanding that the seller reimburse you. This is an extraordinary problem that you could not have anticipated and it certainly affects the value of your home presently and potentially affects your occupancy, until the repairs are made. I think you can argue that the seller knew or should have known about this problem and had a duty to inform you of this unusual defect. This is a serious problem and you should act quickly. Your damages could be more than you think. Will be happy to discuss this further and in more detail.

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Answered on 2/25/07, 10:13 am


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