My 22 year old son recently purchased a home. He and is fiance took possession of it on February 8, 2003. Last evening, we noticed water seeping into the basement. Today, there is at least 2 inches of standing water in the basement and it is not going anywhere. Fortunately, my husband and I have never had to deal with this issue and therefore are at a loss on how to advise him. The first question that comes to mind is: Does he have any legal recourse? I seem to remember that it is the seller's obligation to disclose any issues of this nature. The house is in Ohio. Please answer quickly before this becomes an expensive issue for my son. If indeed he does have legal recourse, what steps does he take? Thank you.

Yes, if the seller knew of this, he is obligated to inform the buy of any problems.

This should have been in the discloser statement. He can take legal action if the sell knew of this and did not disclose it but your son would have to prove it.

Not being able to inspect this situation personally makes it hard for me to advise. Did the basement look like it was freshly painted. Are there any water marks on the furnance or hot water heater.

Did this house stand emty for a while?

I would get advice from a contractor then take that information to a lawyer.

I am getting some water in my basement from the rain we just had here in the Cleveland Area. This is caused by the dry summer.

How you say. As the ground around the house dries, it srinks and pulls away from the foundation. This opens a large crack that water can easily run down and through small cracks in the foundation.

Water would normally be wicked away from the foundation if I had kept the area around the house wet through the dry spell.

I am in the Cleveland area. If you son's house in near me, I would be glad to take a peek. I must tell you that I am not an certified inspector but have many years under my belt.

Hope this helps. Please check for my e-mail by checking my profile.

Hi

Thanks for the info. Right now this is how it stands. The county came and dug up his front lawn to find the cleanout. Now he is waiting for the city to come to clean it out. Hopefully, this will work. If not, his next step is to call a plumber. The city said they had nothing on record regarding a flooding problem at this address. The house is 50 years old, and seemingly, never had this problem. I hope the situation is remedied by the city coming and doing the clean-out. The water has not risen nor subsided since it happened on Saturday. We'll see. Thanks again. dcamp