am i responsible for unknown damages when i sell my house
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
am i responsible for unknown damages when i sell my house
I sold my house and the buyer found water damage on the wall behind the
fridge, am i responsible for it?
Asked on May 24, 2017 under Real Estate Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
If you did not know and reasonably would not have been expected to have known of it (i.e. you can't use "willful blindness" to knowable problems as grounds to escape liability), you would not be liable. The issue is, would the reasonable (or average, or typical) homeowner in your position have been aware of the problem? If so, then you could be held liable for having failed to disclose it; but if not--if the average reasonable homeowner would not have known--then you would not be liable, since both legally and logically, you are not expected or required to disclose conditions of which you are unaware.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.