LIMITATION ON LIABILITY AND DAMAGES. We assume no liability for the cost of repair or replacement of unreported defects, either current or arising in the future. In all cases, our liability is limited to liquidated damages in an amount not greater than 1.5 times the fee you paid us.
Hi David hate to hear that. We need more details, what kind of aluminum wiring, etc? Photos would be helpful too.
How old is the condo?
Do you report what type of branch wire, such as Copper, AL?
Did you take pictures of the inside of the panel?
Ouch, but it’s right there. If you didn’t report it, you have no real defense.
If they had known, (they’ll say) they would have asked for the remediation from the seller or a credit.
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So, are we talking about single strand wiring?
(c) The home inspector shall report the presence of any readily accessible single strand
aluminum branch circuit wiring
I guess you will not let your insurance laps again!
What is the $3k per, for?
Repairing connection points, or …
OK thanks.
I see the single strand in your picture.
If you have an electrician friend, now would be a good time to call him, tell him you’re in a bind and ask for a favor, then offer whoever is suing you to get it fixed to their satisfaction.
Hard lesson learned for sure, unfortunately an expensive one.
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How confident are you in your abilities to argue the weight of the PIA against the buyer’s lawyer? If no, are you going to be money ahead after hiring a lawyer with the hope that the case will be dismissed? Even with a lawyer, you are not guaranteed to win.
For starters you can’t discalim neglegence and that is pretty much what you are facing. At this point about all you can do is lawyer up or take care of your mistake. Yes, it will be painful but it is a lesson learned. If you go ahead and take care of it (which I think is your best option), I would get my own electrican to do the work and it might save you some dollars.
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You can’t really dictate that the client use your preferred vendor.
Also, I think it should 100% arms length, let them choose their own vendor and you can’t be drawn into any disputes with repairs or property damage or whatever. “Here’s the release and your check.”
What do you have for pictures & narratives in your report about the panel?
I see what appears to be 5 aluminum EGC’s (photo is blurry) which is likely 5 branch circuits or almost the entire condo. Is $3000 a fair price to fix this?
True, but you take control of the issue and tell the person that you will have a licensed electrician take care of it. If they object that is fine, just do not pay for more than you would have with your electrician. Problem solved. The goal is to make it go away.
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As long as you are comfortable arguing contracts & responsibility against their lawyer, go for it.
If it was me, I would pay it out. As of right now they are only asking for the expense of the repairs. If you take it to court and lose, you are probably going to be paying the buyer’s lawyer fees.
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Jmo,
Just based on that pic of that panel, I wouldn’t have checked it off as ok, but would have recommended for further evaluation. I prefer to stay on the safer side when dealing with older panels. So far, no complaints from clients.
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Highly Doubtful
I would ask to see the written quote from the electrician. I would also try to get at least one more quote, if not two.
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Which part did they not do?
How many days after discovery did they let you know? And they would not let you go back to the home?
I haven’t asked, I dont know when they found it.