Bought house, have found leak that has potentially been there since I moved in, where do I stand.

gsusx

Hi There

So I purchased a bungalow in November.  The house was completely re-renovated and an extension and loft conversion were completed.  I have noticed there appears to be a leak from the upstairs bathroom, there is some staining to the wall (which was newly fitted by the sellers) i thought it was just some silicon in the shower tray that was missing so added some more.  Fast forward till Monday, on Sunday evening i must have left the shower on ever so slightly, i am talking "drip drip drip" here, not full on left on.  I woke up next day to find water coming through the light fitting in the ceiling and realised this problem is slightly worse than i first feared.

Does anyone have any idea where i might stand from a legal point of view on this. This doesnt look like a simple fix, as the drainage and pipework is all under the floorboards and there are tiles laid on these.  

Can i contact the seller, the estate agent, my solicitor who dealt with the sale, or is this a case of i may need to look at claiming on my house insurance ?

Apologies for the waffling, would be great if anyone had any feedback on this.

Many thanks

C

Aylesbury_Duck

After five months this is your problem to solve, I'm afraid.  I recall there may be slightly different laws if you're in Scotland.

First thing I'd do is get a recommended plumber in to take a look.  Going to straight to insurance might not be the best idea because it could be a simple fix and you'll end up making a claim and paying an excess for a relatively small sum.  Are you sure there isn't some sort of access panel to the drainage pipework under the shower?

davidmcn

gsusx said:

Can i contact the seller, the estate agent, my solicitor who dealt with the sale, or is this a case of i may need to look at claiming on my house insurance ?

None of these really, it's almost certainly a repair you'll need to pay for yourself. If you had a survey then the surveyor might be liable if they ought to have spotted it at the time, but given how slowly it appears to have developed that doesn't seem likely.

gsusx

Hi Guys, ahhhhh nuts, thanks so much for the help, will try and get in touch with a plumber and see if they can pop in. Again, really appreciate the help.

macman

It was your problem from the day of exchange. The vendor does not have to reveal any known defects, they simply have to be truthful if asked questions.