The house the kids bought is 50 years old it is a bungalow that was converted into a story and a half. Whoever did the renovations squared off the sides of the upstairs rooms and utilized the space between the new walls and the slope of the roof with built-in drawers. The walls and ceiling are drywalled. Not only are the windows draughty but cold air is coming through the ceiling. The realtor who sold the house was also the owner and said the house was insulated. There is no way they can check on the amount or condition of the insulation without ripping out the walls or ceiling. The exterior of the house has vinyl siding, it has a newer roof with 2 roof vents on each side. The realtor also said the house was inspected, she had her own inspector do it. The kids did not get a copy of his report. Should they have gotten one?
Answer:
I guess the first thing the kids should do is approach the local building authority (city hall) and ask them if a building permit was issued to do the modifications they're living with. This could bring out all kinds of interesting things and some of them will not be pleasant for whoever did the renovation because it not only stipulates what work was done but what materials were used to accomplish it and what the municipal inspectors (who saw it at various strategic stages) thought of the job. No matter who the inspector was, if the results were being used as a sales aid, the kids should have had a copy of the report. Their lawyer should now be looking at the "Statement of disclosures" that had to be provided with the purchase.
