Home inspection question...

Jody Treadway

Jody Treadway

I'm the big spoon
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Mar 20, 2005
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Hendersonville, NC
I'll keep this in a Cliff Notes version.

We recently (6 weeks ago) bought a new to us house. Home inspector said no significant issues found with any system or component.
But within the last 2 weeks, all 3 skylights started to leak, I found the roof rotten around skylights, and I just got an estimate for over $11k to replace roof and skylights. I could visually see the shingles were worn, but upon further inspection (by myself) they are very brittle.

What course of action can I take against the home inspector?
 
Jody Treadway said:
I'll keep this in a Cliff Notes version.

We recently (6 weeks ago) bought a new to us house. Home inspector said no significant issues found with any system or component.
But within the last 2 weeks, all 3 skylights started to leak, I found the roof rotten around skylights, and I just got an estimate for over $11k to replace roof and skylights. I could visually see the shingles were worn, but upon further inspection (by myself) they are very brittle.

What course of action can I take against the home inspector?
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Go drill holes in his roof?

In case you couldn't already tell, I have nothing useful to add.
 
They are supposed to look at that stuff. I dont know what recourse you have though. Maybe talk to your realtor and see what options you have?
 
He isn't going to get on the roof but will just look at it from the ground.
He won't know about a leaky skylight 6 weeks from then. If its not leaking or no signs of water damage, he has no reason to investigate further.
He needs reasonable access to all areas of the house. Attic needs easy access, etc. If its not available, he usually makes note of it and moves on and omits that area. If the rot isn't easily noticed from somewhere that he would access easily (read: where a lazy person would access), then he won't be able to see it. He does NDT, so if the rot is hidden in any way, he won't know it and can't report it.

If its obvious that he either ignored it or missed it, you may have a case. He has insurance for that reason. But, its difficult to prove and will likely be more of a PITA and costly to fight with a low probability of success
 
In his notes, he mentioned water stains around the skylights and the leaks had been repaired. He was in the attic and on the roof. I was there for the inspection and pointed out the water stains where the leaks are coming from now. Each one he stated was "old leaks that had been repaired".
His summary in no way states there was any current leak issues, just old ones.
 
If it wasn't leaking then and is now, that's not on him. The repair could have been shitty but he is true and correct on his observations. Unless he was there during a storm, he can't verify if it currently leaks, just make note of his observations.

If the water heater went out in 6 weeks, would that be on him as well??? Likely not as while everything is working great today, even with repairs, it could fail anytime in the future.

Rain and water are VERY weird. I've seen torrential downpours produce zero leaks while a light drizzle at the same place cause leaks. Its likely not going to leak every rain storm and unless he visits it during a rain storm, cannot verify if its actually leaking or not. If it looks to be repaired, he can just make that note. He should likely suggest someone follow up to verify or whatever, but he made note of it.

Where is the roof rot? Around the skylight? Is it covered up or difficult to see without doing destructive testing/inspections?

With inspectors, I always pry into their observations even further as they usually lead to fixes like you are describing. If not pried into, they will have some half assed observation on the report. While not false or incorrect, its not necessarily detailed enough to know what you really have. I guess its up to you to pry into the inspection results and dig deeper.

Sucks that this was overlooked.
 
Perhaps his walking around on the roof, inspecting the flashing around the skylights caused the leaks to come back? How bad is the roof rot? did you or he look at it in the attic? If the shingles are shot that should have been apparent to all and if the rot is'nt too bad some cold patch and maybe some flashing work ( in-expensive ) could stop the leaks and more damage for a while until you're ready to re-roof, and then make permanent repairs to the rotten wood and skylight leaks. Our so called home inspector missed many problems including 4 cracks in the foundation, one cleverly hidden behind a trashcan I imagine he placed there, as we messed up bad and trusted our realator ( so-called family friend ) to provide the home inspector :oops: . I wanted to bring legal action to her/him later but she was an old "friend" of my MIL and my wife was convinced they did'nt willfully botch the inspection though he made false statements to us and on paper about several things, I think he worked on commission also :mad: . We got the house for a pretty good price, but would have negotiated it down much more or just walked away if we had gotten a better inspection.
 
If the wood is rotten, I knw a guy who can et you a great price on some plywood for sheeting.
 
Hey buddy! Had the same thing happen to the house we bought. The home inspector said all was good except for a few minor items. Started pulling the old vinyl flooring up and it had such bad leaks that the subflooring was completely rotted away and I could see ground. Ended up replacing two walls, new sheetrock, and all new flooring to fix it correctly. Contacted the inspector, and he told me that all he was liable for was the total amount of the inspection, which was $375. Needless to say, that wouldn't even put a dent in the repair costs. I reviewed the inspectors contract with my realtor, and in the fine print it states that they are not liable for any damages found in excess of the inspection price. I was pissed, but I had signed it so I didn't even fight it and footed about $3000 total in repairs out of pocket.
 
Fuk a home inspector. Most of those guys are like 88jeepster. Your better off using your common sense & looking at what you're gonna buy with your own educated eye. However if you do not have one of these educated eyes, go sleep at a holiday inn express & return in the morning. The usually fixes it..
 
First problem is you bought a house w/ sky lights. For some reason you rarely see a skylight that doesn't leak.
I'd say the inspector has covered his a** in his contract so your probably SOL. Put a little caulk/flashing around it and you'll be alright.
 
Don't feel bad, our new to us house passed inspection with flying colors, turns out fridge was leaking and jacked up drywall downstairs. When I signed agreement for inspection, basically said they were not responsible for jack. I did mention to them on the report they did not even get on the roof(it has a high pitch) overall they found some stuff I didn't, so it was a a wash I guess. Kinda of like going to 2 different mechanics, u get 2 totally different estimates. So far I've had to fix water leak toilet and a/c within 45 days of purchase. Can't blame inspector though. With the exception of the fridge everything else was working when they were there.
Hate it for u bro.....call me if u need help, I'll be more than happy to give u a hand
 
In hindsight you can buy a home warranty for not much more than a home inspection. If I buy another house again I'll probably get one.
 
lockedup5 said:
First problem is you bought a house w/ sky lights. For some reason you rarely see a skylight that doesn't leak.
I'd say the inspector has covered his a** in his contract so your probably SOL. Put a little caulk/flashing around it and you'll be alright.
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I did add roofing sealant to 2 lights and repaired them. However, when I attempted to fasten the last one down, my drill went through the shingles and plywood underneath. That is the main issue, rot.
I could see the shingles were approaching their life expectancy, but I was not aware of the roof rot underneath the shingles. The inspector was on the roof and in the attic and even documented "prior leaks that have been repaired", but neglected to mention the rot.
 
frankenyoter said:
A home warranty is a hoax. I attempted to cash in on that with my furnace, and quickly found out it was bs.
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home warranties are about as good as 3rd party used car warranties

home warranties are about $350 and good for what, 3 years? My water heater went out in my first house years ago and the home warranty covered it. I still had to pay a $60 deductible. It was installed wrong and I had to end up fixing it myself but in the end, it was a wash.

home warranties are cheap enough for simple, large appliance or component repairs. Anything beyond the cost of the warranty and its like pulling teeth
 
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