Inspection went wrong

Good morning Everyone, done last week an inspection of a condo and opened the sink faucet of a bathroom which was dripping like one drop in one minute than i inspected under sink and there was a unattached drain pipe to the P-trap and forget to close fully faucet . Next day got an email from the seller’s agent that i left opened the faucet and downstair condo ceiling started leaking. The owner of the down stair condo is asking inspector,s insurance. i told them let me handle this job and i send someone to fix this but the owner of the condo is insisting for the insurance. This is only a $100 job which i can fix by myself but he needs insurance, i don’t know what to say him or what to do.

I fully understand the owner wanting a professional job. This one is on you. Next time finding a bucket or a plastic container, and taking a photo, can get you out of the liability chain.

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If you don’t want to pony up insurance info and let things get ridiculously out of control (expensive), try to make contact with the downstairs owner. Try to reason with them and offer to repair/paint the ceiling and maybe do a little something else in their favor (paint something else?). Most people are reasonable and will negotiate, especially when they might come out a little better in the end.

I’ve put out a bunch of fires of this nature over the years with everyone walking away happy. Everyone here loves to act as though they’ve never made a mistake and to call you insurance company every time someone asks for $50. If I did that I’d have been canceled 20 years ago. I’ve fixed damaged drywall around electric panels and attic access hatches and done a lot of other minor/easy repairs to get everyone to calm down… even things we didn’t cause. Again, most people are reasonable if you just deal with things quickly and without putting up a fight.

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Something tells me you don’t have insurance. That’s not a $100 job. You may have learned a very expensive lesson.

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You should have said NOTHING!!! and reached out for advice.
Question. How do you know you caused the problem?
Note: If the drain line was incomplete the sellers should have closed the supply side. They knew an inspection was about to take place. Was the defect in the sellers disclosure?
Never ever take on unneeded liability!

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I agree. But, if you have insurance it is good to report to them the issue, in case it gets out of hand…e.g. “Hey, there is mold here, too.”…crapola.

Good luck to you Kashif

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I would not go through my insurance company for the repair either. However, I would pay out of pocket to have a professional fix it.

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I’m confused, so you left a condo, knowingly, with a “missing/detached” p-trap/drainage piping and a dripping faucet WITHOUT making sure the seller’s agent signs off on it in writing (email/SMS)!?!?! :confused: :man_shrugging: It sounds like you screwed up. The shutoff valves should have been used to shut the faucet off by the owner/seller’s agent until the drainage and the faucet was fixed. Sounds like you did not shift the responsibility before you left.

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ceiling

If it were just the water stains, stain killer and paint would work. The problem is that you have tape separation at the corner which will need to be repaired but you’ll never match the popcorn texture. It’s gonna look like a patch and the owner won’t accept that.

You’ll probably have to replace the entire ceiling including paint on the ceiling and the walls. The photo doesn’t show how many SF but I’d say you’re looking at a few thousand $.

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If you want to get your insurance involved (which you probably should), it is your responsibility to notify them and start the process. The condo owner cannot “file a claim” with your insurance. Your policy does not cover them, it covers you.

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Dear homeowner,

I inspected the unit above you which had defective piping. I recommend you contact the owner of that unit for any concerns you may have.

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Thanks, All guys, I appreciate your advice. It’s helpful. I do have insurance and in New Jersey, you can’t have a license without insurance. 2nd thing is I am negotiating with the owner of the downstairs apartment and the apartment which I inspected, they are not involved as they are selling their apartment, and they don’t care. Only the downstairs owner is giving me a hard time. Thing is that this is my first year in the business and this is my 19th inspection and I don’t want in the very first year someone to claim my insurance and next year it will go super high. I heard that the first 20 inspections always go horrible and I was happy nothing happened. The last 18 were super smooth including one commercial inspection of 19000 sq ft but finally hit 19th.LOL.

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Thanks jeff that’s what i am trying to do but the owner want only to go after my insurance.

Thanks Ryan i really appreciate, he said he already told his insurance and his insurance company gonna call me so i think they will ask my insurance no?

yeah you right thanks Bryce. i really appreciate.

That is their right. They don’t need to allow you to do any other thing.
Would you rather they reported you to the entity that governs HI’s in your state??

Yes i think.

Who is that answer for?

yeah you right thanks Simon. i really appreciate.

yeah you right thanks Matt. i really appreciate.