Did We Buy a Lemon Apartment?

[Suzy_Strawberry]

My Partner and I just bought a ground floor / below ground level apartment. It had been newly renovated and looked brand new.

Problem 1: Not long after we moved we realised that the plumbing in the shower had been installed incorrectly and was leaking into the slab. So we moved all our furniture upstairs, ripped up the floor boards and turned the heating on 24/7 so it could dry out enough for the floor to be replaced.

Problem 2: The leak caused the house to grow dangerous mould.

Problem 3: After we fixed the shower / floor.. another pipe burst. This time, it was the pipes in another wall that had been installed incorrectly, so we had to rip open the wall and found that the pipe had burst all over the electrical work. So we needed to have all that replaced. Plus a new wall.

This has cost us immensely, from all the money spent ripping out walls, and fixing piping, and electricity to dry the room out, days spent off work waiting for plumbers, and floor companies.

Has the previous owner broken any laws? Do we have any grounds under property law for legal action?

 

[winston wolf]

Did you get a building inspection prior to purchase?

 

[Suzy_Strawberry]

We did, but there was no access to the below ground level piping / manholes, it was all behind the dry wall.

 

[Rod]

If the work was done recently by licensed contractors it should be covered by their insurances. If the plumbing was done by a unlicensed person like the previous owner then you may have a case against the previous owner for repairs. Sounds messy, both literally and legally.