Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Washington

Home Inspection

We purchased a house a little under 2 years ago. Now we had the patio doors replaced and the contractors found extensive damage to the subfloor done by moisture and ants. According to the contractor the damage was more than 2 years old and there were lots of signs that someone had attempted to patch it up. There are also several posts put up in the crawlspace that are not up to code and were used to patch up other repairs on the subfloor. We had an inspection done on the home and the inspector told us that this was a solid house. His report does not mention any of the issues above. According to the contractor he should have seen these items. What can I do without having to hire an attorney which I cannot afford.


Asked on 3/02/06, 3:43 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Lee Brettin Brettin Law Office

Re: Home Inspection

What can I do without having to hire an attorney which I cannot afford? Not much other than to fix it yourself. I trust the Form 17 did not disclose the damage or repair. You may still have some time on the statue of limitations on your purchase agreement to bring suit, depending on the closing date. Check the small print on your inspectors form for limitations and waivers of liability; also check the scope of work. Generally inspectors limit their liability to the cost you paid for the inspection. You may have a consumer protection claim against the inspector (assuming they're still in business) if they missed something within their paid scope of service. Consumer protection claims include the cost of attorney fees so you may be able to get some legal help that you cannot otherwise afford if you bring a CPA claim. Good luck.

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Answered on 3/02/06, 5:34 pm


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