By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,We recently purchased a home and had it checked by our agent's home inspector. The inspector noticed some loose floor tiles in the kitchen and said they could be repaired for about $200. The sellers agreed to credit us $200, so we closed escrow on that basis. Since then, two contractors have told us the problem is more serious and requires relaying the entire kitchen floor, at a cost of nearly $2,500. How could our inspector have given such an inaccurate repair estimate, and why was his estimate verbal, rather than part of the inspection report? Is he liable for the excess costs? --Susan
Dear Susan,
Your home inspector should not have estimated the repair costs for your floor unless costs estimates were included in his written report. Since he did not provide written estimates, his recommendation should have simply been "further evaluation by a qualified flooring contractor prior to close of transaction." If that had been done, contractors could have submitted the $2,500 estimates, and negotiations with the sellers for the actual cost of repairs could have taken place.
Your inspector's undocumented "guess-timate" was unprofessional and ill-advised. Whether you can base a claim of liability on a verbal statement is doubtful, but the matter could be easily tested in small claims court. At the very least, the inspector should be notified of your displeasure.
. Questions of a Do It Yourself nature should be submitted to our "