Problems with house after buying

BlastedGlute

*posted in legal issues too, if mods want to remove one I understand*

So our family recently purchased a new home. I say new, it's around 10 years old and it was bought from the original tenants.

We've been living here for a month now. Although our engineer gave us a list of the things he found, very basic stuff no major issues to speak of, things have been going a bit downhill. This is mainly to do with plumbing which as some of you may know is an absolute nightmare to deal with given the embedded nature of pipes.

A large portion of an outbox(a corner partition, usually made of plasterboard that hides pipes running down corners of some rooms) has become wildly damp spotted at the bottom. It now has a large portion, around 2 ft high of dampness showing which wasn't there during our inspections or when we moved in, but showed up after about a week.

There is also an issue with 2 radiators upstairs. Not only that they are not getting any heat(both only have a hot strip along the bottom, the remaining 90% is cold), but there is also what sounds like a dripping sound coming from one of them when the heating is on. Among these the toilet makes a very odd sound when you're, erm, using it. Basically, if one was taking a poop, as soon as said, erm ,wastage, enters the bowl, there is a overflow dripping sound happening somewhere to the back of the toilet. It's hard to pin down, but it's a second after anything enters the toilet bowl.

Anyway, sorry about all that.

Our engineer came back and was horrified at the issues we pointed out, claiming that he didnt not happen across any such problems, and I understand that he would not have been able to find these issues with his inspection. However I do believe there has been some concealment of very obvious issues which the previous owners likely covered up during there sale. I was wondering, is there any legal footing to be had here, or do we have to shoulder the entire bill for what could be some very tricky work, and so soon into us moving in. It's obviously deeply distressing as we paid quite a bit and even have to pay a management company to just mow the lawns and all that silly business. Thanks in advance for any advice!

davo10

House purchases are not covered by consumer law legislation as you are given the opportunity arrange your own inspection by an expert prior to purchase. The previous owners did not cover up anything, your engineer was required to find issues prior to purchase so your gripe is with your engineer, not the previous owners.

When buying a property, provided the property meets planning regulations, it is a case of caveat emptor.

the_syco

BlastedGlute wrote: »

A large portion of an outbox(a corner partition, usually made of plasterboard that hides pipes running down corners of some rooms) has become wildly damp spotted at the bottom. It now has a large portion, around 2 ft high of dampness showing which wasn't there during our inspections or when we moved in, but showed up after about a week.

BlastedGlute wrote: »

Our engineer came back and was horrified at the issues we pointed out, claiming that he didnt not happen across any such problems, and I understand that he would not have been able to find these issues with his inspection.

I'd be horrified that the engineer didn't do their job properly.

BlastedGlute wrote: »

There is also an issue with 2 radiators upstairs. Not only that they are not getting any heat(both only have a hot strip along the bottom, the remaining 90% is cold)

Sounds like you need to bleed the air out of them.

April 73

It might be worth getting the radiators & heating system flushed & cleaned. After ten years there will be gunk in the rads.

Elottois

Have you contacted the auctioneer who was involved?
When we bought our house we were told that the central heating system was working, but the oil tank was empty so could not be demonstrated. Our engineer took it at face value. When we took ownership we bought a fill of oil. No heating. Got a plumber in who said the boiler was beyond repairable and needed to be replaced at a cost of approx €2500. Our engineer contacted the auctioneer and after a lot of toing and froing with the seller, they paid for the replacement boiler.
That might have just been our good fortune but it might be worth making a call.

beauf

The answer is no.

That said these don't seem like very minor problems vs the cost of the house. No house is problem free. You never stop fixing things in them.

April 73

beauf wrote: »

The answer is no.

That said these don't seem like very minor problems vs the cost of the house. No house is problem free. You never stop fixing things in them.

Agree with this. We bought a house this year. Only twenty years old but we have named it The Money Pit. We have found extra problems with everything we have tried to do.

Turtle_

the_syco wrote: »

I'd be horrified that the engineer didn't do their job properly

They're supposed to see what wasn't there? The OP has stated that the damp wasn't there during the inspection. A house inspection isn't usually an invasive process where all wiring and plumbing are exposed. The engineer can only go on what's there at the time of the inspection. As the OP said, it's clear the previous owners covered this up.

It's a tough one to prove that the owners fraudulently represented the condition of the house, but talk to your engineer and solicitor about it.

beauf

April 73 wrote: »

Agree with this. We bought a house this year. Only twenty years old but we have named it The Money Pit. We have found extra problems with everything we have tried to do.

... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLLQquBdU8M

April 73

Yep that's pretty much our house. Although not quite that size!
Not feeling any better after watching that clip! Lol.

None of these issues were things that you would expect to be visible on a standard walk through, non invasive, inspection. Some of the issues seem very minor eg bleed air from radiators.

The house is yours now, and yours to maintain. You will only waste money and energy trying to sue people.

shenanagans

I has a small leak issue in my house, first thing the plumber did was use an electrical gadget to check moisture level all over the ground floor to ensure the leak/damp wasn't elsewhere. Surely your engineer checked the moisture levels in the house? If not, why not?

It's easy for a seller to paint over an area of dampness to conceal it. That's why you pay an engineer, to find the problems you can't see.

riclad

Bleed the radiators,
go to hardware store buy radiator key,bleed the radiator,
google it, how to bleed radiator
takes a few minutes ,
this happens to everyone .
A Surveyor cant open up ,all surfaces to check all pipes ,
a tiny leak can cause a large amount of water to build up and cause mould ,
if its not fixed .
do not get the whole heating ,flushed and cleaned ,
this is pointless .
just bleed the radiators that have a problem.
i have done this 3 times in a house thats 5 years old .its normal.
its normal for a toilet to make noise ,
water has to flushed and replaced ,not a big deal.
about 3 gallons of water is used in a 20 seconds.
The mouldy plaster will have to be removed ,
and the leak found and replaced , not a very big job.
best to do it soon,before water seeps into the floor or the ceiling
http://www.woodiesdiy.tv/How-to-Bleed-a-Radiator.
You did not get ripped off by anyone,
maintenance is part of being a homeowner.
when the plumber is fixing the leak ,get him to check the wc ,toilet,
the chances are the leak was not there when the survey was carried out .
The ballcock in the wc moves up and down when the wc is flushed and
allows the water tank to be filled to a certain level.
this makes a noise.
maybe the ballcock is striking the top or side of the wc when it moves .
Once you buy a house you are responsible for minor repairs and basic
maintenance .
IF water freezes in a pipe it expands which can cause a leak,
maybe you went away for a few days in the winter,
house was empty,
heating was not being used .
MY friend lives in house for 11 years ,
i bled 2 rads there .
thats it.
boiler was serviced .
Otherwise no problem with the central heating there .
When all the plaster is removed leave the space open for a week,
eg until you are sure theres no water leaking from the pipes in that area .

before you put in new plaster.

scamalert

house is like any other commodity when you buy,you only notice things wrong after a while.Issues said could of been easily covered with paint etc,so no point in blaming,also a lot of stuff mentioned needs servicing after x amount of years and most people dont bother until it becomes a problem.

Anyway things you mentioned might sound bad and expensive,but if your willing to get your hands dirty it might cost little to none to do most work.

First as pointed radiators need drained,find flat head screwdriver if you dont have key and let air out until water starts running,and heat spreads evenly,needs to be done on all radiators since air can get trapped and travel across, and people forget that it needs to be done every season before starting up heating,as air builds up over summer months etc.

as for wall corners getting damp,you need to knock out that part and find a leak,could be a joint,condensation build up if pipes are exposed,many things,even water boiler usually one in the attic could be overflowing-happened in my house,since it didnt have overflow pipe,and floater would let some water out before locking it-anyway main point is to find where the leak originates from.

As for toilet-well that might be nasty job but there's access to waste pipe usually located in back garden,close to where it runs off-you might want to get proper gear and open it up to clean all the **** previous tenants might of thrown down the hatch over the years,thus getting rid of any blockage you can reach.Also some heavy duty industrial drain cleaner to pour down through.

All that said its your house now,surely knocking some walls down might be pain in the a** but it will give you opportunity to repaint some rooms,unless you fancy the style ,also ask friends around there's always someone who is friends/related with odd person who might be able to do some jobs with pipes,drains at less cost,or just to point you in the right direction.

amdublin

Bleed your radiators for a start. I just did one of mine today. Seems like I have to do minimum one every winter.

fear_factory84

Even when you rent an house you need to get your hands dirty if you like to live in a fancy and working place and the landlord/agency thinks only at maximise their profit.
And this makes me angry (and probably I'm not alone), because they will benefit from my work, while I pay them!

haveringchick

Don't waste your time and money trying to sue the previous owner.
Sometimes when new homeowners have a long history of renting they find it difficult to accept that the maintenance of this house is now completely down to them.
No land lord, no local authority.
Bleeding the rads is the most basic job to do every winter.
Shop around for a plumber and get those pipes looked at.