Found bad inspection...what to do

[vlynne]

Recently some guests of mine had asked me if I would look at a leak in a house they bought 6 months ago that some college students are renting. Based on the info I had, I suspected a bad flashing in the roof since the only time water would drip through the bath vent was during heavy rain. I put my head in the attic and found a tremendous amount of moisture on the sheathing, as well as gray areas ("mildew" like appearance)and "black organic matter" in several places. They told me there had been no mention of any of these conditions in the report (I showed the owner the condition and had him take pictures).
I do not know who did the inspection, except that it was the buyers agent that referred the inspector. I discovered a few other things in the 30 minutes I was there that were not mentioned in the report. What recourse does the buyer have regarding this? Thanks for your input.

I don't want to burn an inspector, but I don't want a bad inspector to burn our industry's reputation.

[Russel Ray]

It can be difficult to determine roof drainage problems if it's not raining at the time of the inspection.

It might also depend on conditions at the time of the inspection. For example, a few months ago I had an attic that was so crammed full of things that I couldn't even poke my head inside, much less actually get up there. My Clients didn't take my recommendation to inspect the attic once the storage had been removed, and when the first rain came, they had a leak. The leak certainly explained the fresh paint on the dining room ceiling, which I had noted, and which they also neglected to ask the sellers about.

It might also depend on the home inspection agreement and special notes within the report.

It might also depend on how long it's been between the date of the inspection and now. Remember that the inspection is just a snapshot in time, not a warranty, and that problems can occur at any time--that's the nature of real estate and why we, as home inspectors, hate to see people pass around our reports willy nilly.

So there are still too many unknowns based on what you have provided at this point.

[Larry D. Kage]

Originally Posted by vlynne

...in a house they bought 6 months ago...

I agree with Russel...especially the "willy nilly part , and it's tough to say what it was like 6 months ago.

Originally Posted by rray

It might also depend on how long it's been between the date of the inspection and now. Remember that the inspection is just a snapshot in time, not a warranty, and that problems can occur at any time--that's the nature of real estate and why we, as home inspectors, hate to see people pass around our reports willy nilly.

[Matthew M. Berman]

Six months is a long time ,many things can happen to a roof.It only takes 24 to 48 hours for "mildew" to show up in a wet or moist area.Who knows ,maybe one or more students were out roof walking. Causing unknown damage.Like others say hard to tell. Matt Berman

[Russel Ray]

Actually, I did a very poor job of reading the very first sentence in the very first post:

Originally Posted by vlynne

Recently some guests of mine had asked me if I would look at a leak in a house they bought 6 months ago that some college students are renting.

There are two key phrases in there: "bought 6 months ago" and "that some college students are renting." Being a long-distance landlord for about 50 college students at the present time, I know what they can do during the first weekend, so after 6 months, all bets are off. And moisture damage and mold/mildew/rot can definitely take much less than 6 months to reveal themselves, sometimes in as little as 24 hours, so if I owned the property, I would chalk it up to the cost of owning rental income property. That's the nature of being a landlord.

[vlynne]

Thank you for your input. I do know an inspection is a moment in time, but I was not sure how long it took mildew/mold to grow.

[Andrew Cox]

Something else that might give an indication - what's the wood like, that the mold/mildew/yuck is growing on? If it looks solid, better chance it's new damage. If the sheathing and truss are eaten away, maybe it is old. It's not a sure indication, but a little more info...

[Jeff Merritt]

FYI Mildew does not grow inside a home, and if you are going to write it up get it tested to keep your but covered. 6-months is a long time, you did not mention other items you found. I would think they are SOL.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by jmerritt1

Mildew does not grow inside a home

Huh? It grows inside my home. Explain, please.

[jschulte]

Originally Posted by rray

Huh? It grows inside my home. Explain, please.

That's news to me too. Maybe we don't live inside of a home...

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by jschulte

That's news to me too. Maybe we don't live inside of a home...

One of our newer members thinks I live outside under a rock, but that's neither here nor there, really, since Ms Margarita and Dr Cuervo are out there with me.

[jschulte]

Well, mildew does grow under rocks. Oh, hold on. I don't know that for sure. Last I checked it grew inside homes.

[Russel Ray]

If it doesn't grow inside homes, then I'm going to quit buying all those mildew prevention chemicals for the bathrooms. Seems like I got pulled in hook, line, and sinker by some company's great marketing, huh?

[wforsyth]

Good reason to not be around mold/mildew...

http://webs.wichita.edu/mschneegurt/...cosis_face.gif
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/000095.htm

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by wforsyth

Good reason to not be around mold/mildew...

http://webs.wichita.edu/mschneegurt/...cosis_face.gif
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/000095.htm

Huh?