can i sue the guy who inspected my house?

[natalieinde]

I live in Delaware. Can I sue the guy who inspected my house before I bought it in 03 for not telling me the heating system is not up to code, and hasn't been for over 10 years? All he said was that it would need updating "eventualy." He didn't tell me that if I had a County Inspector come to look at the system when I went to put an addition on my house that I would be in violation of so many codes I'd probly spin in to the ground! Not to mention that he said the basement showed no obvious sign of water leakage - um hey did you notice the paneling in the basement on the wall is warped and moldy/rotting? I now have almost constant leaks in my basement when it rains and the most insufficent heating system around (50+ yrs old)- it was last serviced/inspected in the 60s!!

Help - Hot/Cold/Wet in Delaware!

[PghREA]

Originally Posted by natalieinde

I live in Delaware. Can I sue the guy who inspected my house before I bought it in 03 for not telling me the heating system is not up to code, and hasn't been for over 10 years? All he said was that it would need updating "eventualy." He didn't tell me that if I had a County Inspector come to look at the system when I went to put an addition on my house that I would be in violation of so many codes I'd probly spin in to the ground! Not to mention that he said the basement showed no obvious sign of water leakage - um hey did you notice the paneling in the basement on the wall is warped and moldy/rotting? I now have almost constant leaks in my basement when it rains and the most insufficent heating system around (50+ yrs old)- it was last serviced/inspected in the 60s!!

Help - Hot/Cold/Wet in Delaware!

Building codes change frequently. If an item was "up to code" when it was originally installed and is still working properly, it is considered to be okay. However, when the item needs to be replaced, the new item must be "up to code". The same holds true for the addition you are putting on your home.
If you are tying into existing systems, those systems must be up to code and able to handle the additional square footage. That is one reason why a building permit and building inspections are required.

If you were concerned about the existing heating system and the date it was last inspected, you should have had a current HVAC inspection before you closed on the home.

Can you sue the guy - sure, you can sue anyone for anything.
But, before you do, get out the inspection report and read everything CAREFULLY, even the disclaimers.