Dangerous wiring in house I just bought.

[mckennal]

Hi all,
I just bought a 30 year old house in Perth. When I moved in, the first time I went to use the shower I got a small shock from the shower taps - after calling the power company, numerous electricians etc, turned out to be a bad neutral connection that has ended up costing me around $500 to fix. The power company told me it was dangerous the way it was and needed to be fixed etc.

My question is, does the previous owner have any liability for these costs incurred? Settlement was about 3 weeks ago, and it was something I couldnt tell by "inspection" but they obviously knew about it. Who should I contact to find out? It could have been quite dangerous in the condition they left the house to me, and it has ended up costing me a bit of money - and a lot of mucking around/lost work hours etc.

Thanks all,
Luke

 

[duncan_m]

Originally posted by mckennal
, does the previous owner have any liability for these costs incurred?
Luke

Luke,

It's all state based legislation.

In South Australia, and I would be very surprised if its different in other states, that just tough luck. The owner has no liability at all.. they are under no obligation to disclose faults or to provide you with an sort of warranty or guarantee.

I always budget for around $2K of repairs to a house after I buy it in order to make it safe and tenantable..

 

[Aceyducey]

mckennal,

Did you get a building inspection before buying?

If not, consider this in future - you won't pick up ALL the problems (this one was a doozy) but you can cut down on the risk & gain some negotiating space.

Cheers,

Aceyducey

 

[mckennal]

ace,
Yeah, I did get a building inspection (~$300) but it specifically didnt include wiring. Maybe I should have got a leccy, plumber, retic expert....... you can't cover everything can you

Luke

 

[Jean]

Electrical Inspection is Probably Necessary

We get wiring checked.

Three usual sources of problem: electricians are self-certifying in Qld; sections of old wiring; and, home handyman interference.

New Houses
In a new expensive house we had a number of major electrical faults. Examples were: exposed backs on power points where hands could reach - one near a ceiling hatch and one in an inspection box for a spa pump located in a B/R cupboard; and another power point likewise had no rear cover and bare wires were a few millimetres from aluminium wall sarking.

Older Houses
In older houses it is common to find that earth wires have been removed by later work or by accident. Possum damage is not unusual.

Unless I am mistaken, in all of the above cases the owner may be found liable if the tenant is zapped, even if the tenant is doing a bit of installation work on his own initiative. Refer to Section 103 (2) & (3) of RTA 1994 Qld.

I’m not a lawyer, this is my own opinion etc etc.

 

[phm]

Hi there.

A building inspection covers building, a pest inspection covers pests but an electrical inspection covers the electrical part.

The company we used (QBM), arranged all of these for us, using independent people. We were very happy with the results.

 

[Jean]

Hi PHM
How much lead time to have all done?
Cost?

 

[phm]

Hi Jean

What do you mean by "How much lead time to have all done?"

I had the three inspections done at the same time, so that I could be there. They were very happy to answer any questions and show me different points of interest.

It cost me $652.00 for the three inspections. This was in Yeppoon 4703.

 

[mckennal]

Update: called my settlement agent to see if anything could be done, she said that it is possible i might be able to get something (due to the "all electrical, plumbing and gas be in working order...." clause) - but I would _have_ to use a lawyer, so its too expensive already.

I hate a system where I cant attempt to get what I might be entitled to because i need a lawyer - who's fees would be more than what I might be owed... damn it. oh well. thats life.

Luke