Our Fort Worth and Dallas area home inspection clients sometimes ask us to go back and re-inspect for repairs. While it is rather rare, there are times when it’s a good idea. A Dallas home inspection client recently asked us to go back and re-inspect a property. The Seller had agreed to lots of repairs — expensive repairs. The roof had been replaced, the heating and air conditioning systems had been replaced. Total repairs might have added up to $15K or $20K.
There were a couple of pretty serious leaks we found under the house at the original inspection. The photo to the left was of a leak under the kitchen drain. As you can see, it was not a small leak, and much of the water going into the sink above was flowing out into the crawlspace below. There was also a leak under the newly tiled shower, where the old cast iron drain hub was still installed and rusted through.
As inspectors, we don’t like to see water in the crawlspace. Mold and other bad things can develop. So it was natural that the Buyer would want us to go back and check on all the repairs, but especially the leak repairs.
Imagine everyone’s surprise when the re-inspection showed that no one had touched the drain leaks in the crawlspace.
Water was still pouring out of the PVC pipe under the kitchen, still pooling on the ground in the crawlspace. The old rusted drain was still in place and leaking under the shower. We called the Buyer to inform him and his agent of the issue, and the sparks began to fly. I got a phone call from the plumber asking for “clarification” of the problem. I asked, “Has anyone in your company been under the house while the water was running above?” He said, “Well I guess we should do that, but I just wanted to ask.”
We were contacted about a week later and asked to do ANOTHER re-inspection. This time the repairs had been completed in both areas. There was even a new tile floor in the shower and new drain plumbing underneath. Re-inspections are not the norm for us, but there are times when our clients are glad they asked.
We are always ready to serve your Fort Worth or Dallas area home inspection needs at House Exam. We want to be your home information professionals for life. If you have questions or concerns of any kind, whether we inspected your house or someone else did, give us a call at 817-797-2461.
If you’re looking for confidence in your purchase decision, we are the company to call.
