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Basement flooded from city sewer after move-in

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shgubgub

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Illinois

I moved into my 30-year-old house and after one week the sewer backed up into the basement. The previous owners had left a note recommending RidEx down the toilets twice a year, but still say they had no previous problems with the drains. RotoRooter came out, and broke the snake blade when they tried to clean it out. They said it was more than tree roots that were responsible, it could be a crushed pipe. Who is liable for this flood? Is it the Realtor or previous owners for neglecting to inform about possible floods, or is it the inspector for missing the pipe damage? Please advise... :(
 


PghREA

Senior Member
shgubgub said:
What is the name of your state? Illinois

I moved into my 30-year-old house and after one week the sewer backed up into the basement. The previous owners had left a note recommending RidEx down the toilets twice a year, but still say they had no previous problems with the drains. RotoRooter came out, and broke the snake blade when they tried to clean it out. They said it was more than tree roots that were responsible, it could be a crushed pipe. Who is liable for this flood? Is it the Realtor or previous owners for neglecting to inform about possible floods, or is it the inspector for missing the pipe damage? Please advise... :(
The home inspector has no way way to assess the condition of the sewer pipes and if you read your inspection report, you will find that there is no mention of the sewers. The Realtor, not having lived in the property, only knows what the Seller tells her/him. The Seller may have never had a problem with sewer backup. There is always a "first time" for a problem and this could possibly be the first time this problem happened. The Seller's agent would be the person to call - so she can get some information from the Seller.
 

Samm1970

Member
You may the one liable depending on where the breakdown has occurred. If it's the line from house to street, then unfortunately it's most likely your's to deal with.
 

HomeGuru

Senior Member
shgubgub said:
What is the name of your state? Illinois

I moved into my 30-year-old house and after one week the sewer backed up into the basement. The previous owners had left a note recommending RidEx down the toilets twice a year, but still say they had no previous problems with the drains. RotoRooter came out, and broke the snake blade when they tried to clean it out. They said it was more than tree roots that were responsible, it could be a crushed pipe. Who is liable for this flood? Is it the Realtor or previous owners for neglecting to inform about possible floods, or is it the inspector for missing the pipe damage? Please advise... :(

**A: what did your Reatlor tell you and what was on †he seller disclosure statement?
 

PSU333

Junior Member
Are you covered through Homeowner's Insurance? I live in Virginia Beach and when I got homeowner's, they told me that since I lived in a Beach town any flooding could cause backups into the house. Its 40 dollars a year for 10,000 dollars of coverage.
 

HomeGuru

Senior Member
PSU333 said:
Are you covered through Homeowner's Insurance? I live in Virginia Beach and when I got homeowner's, they told me that since I lived in a Beach town any flooding could cause backups into the house. Its 40 dollars a year for 10,000 dollars of coverage.

**A: no way that the $40 per year is to cover flood damage. You'd better check again.
 

PSU333

Junior Member
Not flood insurance, you know you are really a pain in the ass, all you do is bust my balls when I post, if you paid attention, I said it was 40 a year in the event the sewer lines backed up into the house as a result of flooding, there is a difference
 

PghREA

Senior Member
PSU333 said:
Not flood insurance, you know you are really a pain in the ass, all you do is bust my balls when I post, if you paid attention, I said it was 40 a year in the event the sewer lines backed up into the house as a result of flooding, there is a difference



This sentence better explains what you were trying to say in the first post.
 

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