G
Greg B
Guest
My wife and I bought a 100 year-old, painted brick townhouse in
Washington, DC a little over a year ago. We paid for an inspection before
settlement and our inspector didn't notice any problems with the
masonry--said it looked good (although he didn't check the side of our
house since to do so one must go through neighbor's houses and yards).
After a few months I noticed accumulations of mortar dust in areas of our
basement that were not covered by drywall(and in the basement
fireplace). Then, in September, I was in my neighbor's yard and noticed
areas of mortar that were completely gone or just falling out like dust. I
know that the previous owner must have known about this (especially
since there was no dust when we had the inspection). While on the roof to
make a repair, I noticed other areas along the roof-line where the mortar
was crumbling out. Shouldn't the inspector have picked up on this?? Is it
likely we would have any recourse? Even though it's one year after the
purchase shouldn't the seller be held accountable for trying to hide it?
Certainly, such deterioration would not develop in 12 months.
Washington, DC a little over a year ago. We paid for an inspection before
settlement and our inspector didn't notice any problems with the
masonry--said it looked good (although he didn't check the side of our
house since to do so one must go through neighbor's houses and yards).
After a few months I noticed accumulations of mortar dust in areas of our
basement that were not covered by drywall(and in the basement
fireplace). Then, in September, I was in my neighbor's yard and noticed
areas of mortar that were completely gone or just falling out like dust. I
know that the previous owner must have known about this (especially
since there was no dust when we had the inspection). While on the roof to
make a repair, I noticed other areas along the roof-line where the mortar
was crumbling out. Shouldn't the inspector have picked up on this?? Is it
likely we would have any recourse? Even though it's one year after the
purchase shouldn't the seller be held accountable for trying to hide it?
Certainly, such deterioration would not develop in 12 months.