Do I have any recourse against a home inspection who failed to uncover a wiring problem with my electrical panel?
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Do I have any recourse against a home inspection who failed to uncover a wiring problem with my electrical panel?
I purchased a home less than 30 days ago. I had a 2 home inspections – 1 to do a full inspection and 1 to follow up on items listed that needed to be repaired. My concern is that yesterday my electrical panel caught fire and I was told by the electrician that my panel has a 100 W wire and a 150 going out. Thus the fire occurred because of the overload. This happened on late yesterday afternoon. I have left 2 messages with the inspector. I feel this is something that inspector should have noted. Do I have any recourse to get the inspector to pay for the repairs?
Asked on July 9, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Virginia
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
It really all depends. Did you have an inspector that is licensed and insured? It is my understanding that there are inspectors in Virginia who are insured. If in fact you used one of these inspectors then I would have your attorney contact them and let them know that they failed to alert you to the problem with the wiring. I am assuming that you have read both of the inspection reports and that neither of them said anything about the electrical panel or alerted you to the potential problem with the wiring, correct? See what they say after that and then you will know if you have to sue them. Good luck.
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