Water in basement less than 24 hours after closing

[Mike R]

What is the name of your state? New Jersey

On disclosure statement, sellers answers no to questions regarding knowledge of past or present water or water damage in basement.

I had a home inspection done, but this summer was extremely dry and we had little to no rain.

Last evening, I went into the basement to empty the dehumidifier and noticed that a corner of the carpet was slightly up. I went to secure it back down and noticed that it was slightly damp.

I pulled the corner back and found the pad underneath to be wet. I pulled the pad back.

The linoleum tile under the pad was wet so I partially pulled one tile. The floor under the tile was wet. It appeared to be a brick floor.

The carpet strips that hold the carpet to the edge of the room were rotted and pulled up and apart easily. This was not the first time they had been wet for them to fall apart as easily as they did. The bottom of the bookshelf against the wall was warped, but seemed dry. It had obviously been wet enough in the past to warp the wood.

I looked up at the ceiling above where the floor was wet and noticed that the wood on the ceiling seemed to have been wet at on point before because of it's condition, but can not guess where the water came from.

What I noticed that disturbed me more was that it appeared there was baking soda (or what appeared to be baking soda or Carpet Fresh) over the tiles and on the floor under the carpet pad. Apparently to cover up an odor and possibly absorb moisture?

I contacted the inspector and am having the area reinspected.

Do I have any resourse should it turn out to be baking soda or Carpet Fresh between the carpet mat and the tile?

The sellers were the only residents in the house for the last 14 years.

Thanks in advance.

[HomeGuru]

Originally Posted by Mike R

What is the name of your state? New Jersey

On disclosure statement, sellers answers no to questions regarding knowledge of past or present water or water damage in basement.

I had a home inspection done, but this summer was extremely dry and we had little to no rain.

Last evening, I went into the basement to empty the dehumidifier and noticed that a corner of the carpet was slightly up. I went to secure it back down and noticed that it was slightly damp.

I pulled the corner back and found the pad underneath to be wet. I pulled the pad back.

The linoleum tile under the pad was wet so I partially pulled one tile. The floor under the tile was wet. It appeared to be a brick floor.

The carpet strips that hold the carpet to the edge of the room were rotted and pulled up and apart easily. This was not the first time they had been wet for them to fall apart as easily as they did. The bottom of the bookshelf against the wall was warped, but seemed dry. It had obviously been wet enough in the past to warp the wood.

I looked up at the ceiling above where the floor was wet and noticed that the wood on the ceiling seemed to have been wet at on point before because of it's condition, but can not guess where the water came from.

What I noticed that disturbed me more was that it appeared there was baking soda (or what appeared to be baking soda or Carpet Fresh) over the tiles and on the floor under the carpet pad. Apparently to cover up an odor and possibly absorb moisture?

I contacted the inspector and am having the area reinspected.

Do I have any resourse should it turn out to be baking soda or Carpet Fresh between the carpet mat and the tile?

The sellers were the only residents in the house for the last 14 years.

Thanks in advance.

**A: post back after the inspector takes a second look.