Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Pennsylvania

We bought the house in October 2013. The owners before us bought the house in 2011, but didn't live in the house for over a year before selling it. The owners before that bought the house in 2003. We believe that the owners who bought the house in 2003 did a lot of remodeling to add value to the home. In this process, they remodeled the attic adding a bathroom (toilet, sink, shower stall), and master bedroom. The owners before us did not use the attic space at all. Now we have been using it, and we are noticing that the shower is leaking rather badly. Could we place responsibility of the problem on the owners who did the remodel?


Asked on 8/27/14, 7:18 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
ANDREA G. TILLIS Law Offices of Andrea G. Tillis

You would have recourse only with the party with whom you contracted. That is called "Privity of contract". Since you have no privity of contract with the owners who did the remodeling, you cannot sue them. Besides, even if you could sue them, the Statute of Limitations would have expired on any action you could have taken against them.

Although the owners who sold you the house did not use the area in question, they are charged with having knowledge of all conditions present in the house they sold you, whether they were aware of them or not. Therefore, your recourse would have to be against the parties who sold you the house.

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Answered on 8/27/14, 7:39 am


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