By: Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
The home I'm selling has an asphalt driveway with thousands of cracks, some as wide as 2 inches. How should I deal with this as a seller? Should I disclose it as a safety problem? Do I have to repair the cracks? Can repairs be made without repaving the driveway? You better send me a good answer! - Avery
Dear Avery,
All property defects, including driveway cracks, should be disclosed to buyers. Whether such disclosure should be framed in the context of safety depends upon whether the cracks constitute potential trip hazards. If the cracks in your driveway are as wide as 2 inches, they certainly qualify in this regard. Consider, for example, a high-heeled pedestrian planting a spike in a deep crack and spraining an ankle.
Regarding crack repairs versus total repaving, that question demands a visual inspection, rather than a determination on the basis of a written question. However, if the cracks in your driveway truly number in the thousands, a new layer of asphalt is probably the most practical approach.
That, my friend, is the answer. You can decide whether it's a good one.
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