I bought a house in July and it is now december.
I was told that there was a little bit of water that came into the basement because an icycle but never happened again...well 3 weeks after lord and behold water came in and it wasnt even winter hmmm...and in three different places plus the day I moved in when I was excited to entire my so-called dream home and swung open the door to have a stroooong mildew moldy smell almost knock me down.It has happened a few times but I never planned to keep this house forever maybe just five years, now when I resell this house, I am not a liar like the old owners and I cannot scamm prospect buyers...therefore I must fix the problem and I dont know if its the sump pump or cracks in foundation, but I will have to pay for a specialist now and Ive been told a sump pump can cost 30 000 to replace...if someone knows about this stuff legally what are my rights please contact me at my email kate.reick@sympatico.ca I am about to send a registered letter to the old owners which I hate to put stress on them but they have on me...what should I do??????? Helpppppppppp pweaseeeeee?

Katie

I'm assuming from your email address that you're in Canada. It all depends on whether your jurisdiction has disclosure laws, and if so, what they say. If disclosure has to be in writing (as it should) then you probably have a cause of action. If not, I'm sure the sellers will claim they told you about the water, and they'll deny the tall tale about the icicle. I think you ought to seek legal counsel where you live, and no, sump pumps do NOT cost $30,000...more like 10% of that.

And be careful of what "specialist" you consult...there are a bunch of witch doctor "specialists" out there selling snake oil. IF your foundation has cracks, there is only one sure way to fix it, and a cruise through the threads in this forum will steer you in the right direction.

I'll give you a clue: you want to waterPROOF, not water "manage". Good luck.

Kate: A good source of info is the NAWSRC.org website[National Assoc. of Waterproofing and Structural Repair Contracters]They can Give You the names of contractors in your area that might be able to help You.If all You need is a sump pump replaced, it should be a very inexpensive fix, however a qualified contractor should be able to evaluate and recommend a solution to fit your individual home and your personal needs. Respectfully, Frank O'Pinion