Real Estate Law, Seller Responsable For What?

Question

I live in Maryland and I just bought a house, closing was on July 31st. We recently have had a problem with the sewer line backing up (Not Septic) and found out that the sewer pipe is "totally busted up and broken" according to the plumber. Is the seller responsible for anything? They were suppose to disclose problems they knew about and this was not mentioned.

Thanks a Million!

Answer 1

Yes, the seller must disclose non-obvious defects that he knows about. As the above post stated, proving that (1) the sewer problem existed before July 31, and (2) that the seller knew about it, will be difficult.

Try contacting some local plumbers. You just might find one who says, "Oh, yeah, I remember that house. The owners called for an estimate in January..." Also, check with some neighbors.

Answer 2

did u do a "walk through?"

presuming you did, did you operate the toilets,
sinks, etc.

if they back up, it will be noticable in minutes.

also, home owners can buy insurance re the
condition of the home.

However, you are correct, something as obvious as that must be disclosed but
how soon did you notice it?

This is October, not July.

Also, did you use a real estate agent?
he was responsible to check all things
out too; you might have recourse against him/her too.

Answer 3

You really should contact a real estate attorney for guidance, these issues are extremely complex. However you need to know what the Maryland law says regarding the required disclosures and to that end here is a link
Required real estate disclosure
http://www.gcaar.com/legalcorner/docs/Maryland_Disclosure_Disclaimer.pdf
Pay attention to the last page with the paragraph in all caps.

Answer 4

If you just discovered this it's highly unlikely that the seller had any knowledge of it. Even if they did, proving what they knew and when they knew it would be extremely difficult.