Advice needed please re shonky building report

Discussion in 'The Buying & Selling Process' started by Kazza0907, 13th May, 2022.

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  1. Kazza0907

    Kazza0907 Member

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    Please help with advice. My son and his fiancé purchased a property in Brisbane at auction and moved in a few days ago. Pest and building report did not identify and major issues. It is raining quite heavily in Brisbane atm and the downstairs area has flooded.water is coming through the wall and it is pooling and spreading throughout the bottom floor very badly. Hey his is a huge blow for a first home buyer and the previous owners would have known about it for sure. The pest and building report didn’t pick up anything at all and it is a major issue for my son and his fiancé. And will be very very costly to rectify. Any advice on what to do please? Thanks
     
    Kazza0907, 13th May, 2022
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  2. The Y-man

    The Y-man Moderator Staff Member

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    Without knowing more details (eg evidence/signs of previous water ingress) it may not be something a B&P might pick up unfortunately.

    Also, a good reno will hide all evidence of previous ingress, so B&P reports will often say "we can't check for things we can't see".

    Is it flood or overland flow ingress?

    The Y-man
     
    The Y-man, 13th May, 2022
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  3. Kazza0907

    Kazza0907 Member

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    Hey I’m not sure - I’ll post a video if that’s possible?
     
    Kazza0907, 13th May, 2022
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  4. Kazza0907

    Kazza0907 Member

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    I’ll post some photos of where it is coming in and see what you think?
     
    Kazza0907, 13th May, 2022
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  5. The Y-man

    The Y-man Moderator Staff Member

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    Basically, did the water "appear out of nowhere" so to speak, or was there a great big lake on the other side of the wall?

    Is the house on a slope?



    The Y-man
     
    The Y-man, 13th May, 2022
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  6. Firefly99

    Firefly99 Well-Known Member

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    All I can say really is welcome to home ownership… :(

    A building report wouldn’t pick up on this if previous water damage was fixed, painted over etc. Also it may not have happened before (seems a bit sus though) so can’t point finger at the previous owner.

    Do they have insurance?
     
    Firefly99, 13th May, 2022
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  7. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Is the downstairs area built in, plasterboard, timber floors or carpet?

    We built under 24 years ago and my husband has been improving the drainage for years. We are dug into a hill and have a whole hill full of water to deal with, only a problem in a big "event".

    In that 24 years, we've had water get in twice when it simply could not get away fast enough, and backed up behind our back wall. First time, carpet dried out with fans. My husband kept improving the drainage behind the wall, directing it to both sides and out to the street.

    During the second big "rain event" our carpet was ruined and our "flood" insurer told us we were not covered as the water came from above, not from below. They increased our premium by $700 a few weeks later. We moved to an insurer without flood cover because we won't flood and clearly the damage from further up the hill was not covered.

    We ripped out the mouldy carpet, tiled the whole downstairs and that cost us around $10k over ten years ago.

    I guess my point is that it must be devastating to have this happen when they've just started on the home ownership journey. But also, it could be something that genuinely hasn't happened before to that house.

    Depending on how their house sits on the block, built into the hill behind, or whatever reason the water made its way into the lower level, it may simply be that they need to improve the drainage to prevent it happening again.

    There are houses in our street that have not had water issues, that have had water through in the big "events" of the past few years. The weather really is doing strange things.
     
    wylie, 13th May, 2022
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  8. Kazza0907

    Kazza0907 Member

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    C8E344DD-3AF9-46CE-AB94-659B2BE734E4.jpeg
     

    Attached Files:

    Kazza0907, 14th May, 2022
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  9. Kazza0907

    Kazza0907 Member

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    I think the photo above points towards previous water getting in - wouldn’t it be obvious to a building inspector that there may be some type of issue? It should have been mentioned in report that there may be a possibility of a water issue don’t you think
     
    Kazza0907, 14th May, 2022
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  10. Kazza0907

    Kazza0907 Member

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    Yes they do have insurance and have lodged a claim. I have posted a photo below of the bottom floor. I think this should have indicated an issue and something should have been mentioned in the report
     
    Kazza0907, 14th May, 2022
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  11. Kazza0907

    Kazza0907 Member

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    Yes they have tiles downstairs - than god! And yes it is devestating for them after saving for so long. The previous owners should feel like complete low life people - I’m sure karma will catch up with them though!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: 14th May, 2022
    Kazza0907, 14th May, 2022
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  12. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    Unfortunately buyers must rely on their own investigation.

    I'm still trying to work out what's in the photo - a black wall, concrete floor, caulking and a timber frame?

    Was it covered with carpet when inspected?

    Is that on the ground floor.

    Is that wall below ground level or is it an external wall?
     
    Scott No Mates, 14th May, 2022
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  13. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    I guess part of my post was to point out that the vendors may not have had issues. Of course, they might have and I guess your son can approach the building inspector and ask why he didn't question things if there were obvious signs of previous water damage.

    I'd assume most building inspectors cover their backsides fairly well and you may get nowhere, but your son has nothing to lose by raising it.

    I can't work out what the photo shows though.

    When we buy a house with a problem, we just work out how to fix it and move forwards.
     
    wylie, 14th May, 2022
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  14. thatbum

    thatbum Well-Known Member

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    Even if you're right, how does that help you now?
     
    thatbum, 14th May, 2022
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  15. Kazza0907

    Kazza0907 Member

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    im not sure an d that’s why I am here - sue the BP??
     
    Kazza0907, 15th May, 2022
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  16. The Y-man

    The Y-man Moderator Staff Member

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    You haven't answered the questions above from me and @Scott No Mates above so can't really make a comment without knowing more....

    The Y-man
     
    The Y-man, 15th May, 2022
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  17. Marg4000

    Marg4000 Well-Known Member

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    More information is needed.

    What has the insurance company said?

    When was the property inspection done ? (Date?).

    Where is the water coming from? Overland flow? Broken pipe? Blocked stormwater pipes?

    Is the house “cut in” to a slope? Is the ground level higher than the affected room(s)?

    Brisbane has had an unusually wet summer, with substantial flooding in February and recent heavy falls.

    Sadly, I doubt if you would succeed in a claim against the BP as reports usually include so many disclaimers. You would have to PROVE that there was evidence there on the day the report was done, and that the inspector missed it. Whether the previous owners knew or not is irrelevant.
     
    Marg4000, 15th May, 2022
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  18. willair

    willair Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    If possible can you post a wider version of the damaged area..
    Plus take photographs of the storm water and downpipe flow rates --Look at the positive side they have insurance and a pest and building would not show up this as the water and weather conditions in Brisbane as I live on hill that faces the cbd has 25mm flowing throughout a downstairs sections..
     
    willair, 15th May, 2022
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  19. thatbum

    thatbum Well-Known Member

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    For what? They didn't cause the damage. It's not as easy as just claiming the damage they missed as your losses.

    And that's just if you get past the difficult hurdle of proving they somehow were negligent or breached their contract obligations to you.
     
    thatbum, 15th May, 2022
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  20. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    Is the inspector suitably qualified to identify the type of fault? In NSW, there's no requirement for qualifications or experience.

    I can only assume (wild guess really), the picture shows a basement concrete block wall which has been painted with bitumen. Possibly a non-habitable room which has been converted. It's likely that there's hydrostatic pressure behind the wall. Blackjack is effective if it is applied to the wet side of the wall, not the exposed side.

    Waterproofing done on the wrong side is ineffective as it's holding the water back into the wall rather than keeping it away from the wall..

    Mastic or silicone at the base of the wall is trying to keep the water back as well rather than having a hob or step in the slab

    Without destructive testing or excavation on the other side of the wall, the inspector couldn't comment.
     
    Scott No Mates, 15th May, 2022
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