How to Sue a Termite Pest Control Company in Maryland
Pest control companies are responsible for exterminating pests from homes and for inspecting homes to check for pests. Termites are an especially invasive form of household pest that, if your pest control company fails to do their job, could cause severe structural damage to your house. Unlike if pest control companies fail to eliminate roaches, silverfish, or other more benign pests, if they fail to exterminate termites, you might even lose the use of your house.
The experienced termite inspection and pest control attorneys at Whitney, LLP help victims of negligent pest control companies get compensation for the damage caused by failed exterminations and failed pest inspections. If your Maryland home has been ravaged by termites or other pests that a pest control company should have caught earlier, call our attorneys today. We have experience holding negligent pest control companies responsible for injuries and damage they cause.
Termite damage consultations are free.
Holding Pest Control Companies Liable for their Failures
The lawyers at Whitney, LLP work to hold pest control and termite extermination companies liable for their errors. When pest control workers fail to use the proper amount of care and diligence in protecting your home, they can leave it vulnerable to termite damage.
A pest control contractor who is hired for a termite inspection is required to perform a thorough inspection of the home or property for termite damage. We have found that many times the pest control company will fail to perform any inspection and fail to detect obvious signs of a termite infestation. It is an obvious problem that if they do not find the termite infestation, they cannot treat it, and the termite damage to the home will worsen. When inspectors perform poor investigations – or worse, fake the investigation altogether – your home will not get the help it needs.
If inspectors do actually find termites, but then fail to take the proper care in exterminating them, you could be left with a problem you thought was fixed. Simply spraying or setting insect traps may not be enough to protect a home from a termite infestation that has already begun.
When exterminators claim to have solved your problem, killed the termites, and ended the infestation, they may not be telling you the whole truth. Sometimes, pest control and repair teams merely mask the damage with cosmetic changes, or exterminate pests on the surface of your home. This leaves the deeper infestation in the walls and other wooden elements of your home unresolved. Termites are capable of breeding and eating wood so quickly that, in the following months, all of the work that exterminators performed may be completely reversed. Still, because the pest control teams told you they fixed the problem, you, as a homeowner, may be lulled into a false sense of safety and allow the infestation to grow even worse.
What Kinds of Compensation are Available for Termite Damage Claims?
Typically, when you are harmed by another party’s negligence, such as that of a pest control company, you might be entitled to financial compensation. The relationship that you form with a pest control company ensures that they have a duty to take the proper care in inspecting your home and fighting pests. If they fail to take the proper care, you might be entitled to compensation for any of the financial harms you suffer.
This means that the cost of the contract itself should be immediately refunded. If you paid a pest control company to do a job, and they did nothing or made the situation worse, you deserve your money back. Any other damages that result from their failures should also be paid back. This means the cost of hiring further exterminators, contractors, and other repairs to your home should be reimbursed. The cost of repair to the home can be hundreds of thousands of dollars in the worst scenarios.
Unfortunately, the process for recovering these damages is not simple. The contracts that exterminators use with clients often have clauses that attempts to limit their liability or control how you can seek recovery. For instance, arbitration clauses work to prevent you from taking your case to court, and instead require you to seek compensation through a mediation program. No matter what the contract provision include, the attorneys at Whitney, LLP may still be able to recover compensation for your for termite damage.
When faced with damage to your home caused by negligent and substandard pest control services, it is important not to talk to pest control companies, or their insurance adjusters, without a lawyer. They will likely try to push you into accepting a settlement that provides far less compensation than you might be able to recover when represented by experienced pest control attorneys such as those at Whitney, LLP. Large companies such as Terminix or Orkin who have been sued multiple times for termite damage by homeowners are experienced in dealing with inexperienced and unrepresented homeowners and will settlement termite damage claims for as little as possible if they are able to.
Maryland Termite Damage Lawyers
If your house has been damaged by a termite infestation, you might have a case against the negligent pest control company that failed to detect the infestation and allowed the infestation to spread. If they were negligent in the inspection process or the extermination treatments, you are entitled to seek to recover damages. Talk to the experienced termite damage lawyers at Whitney, LLP today for a legal consultation on your pest control lawsuit.
Our number is (410) 583-8000, or use our Quick Contact form. Our attorneys handle termite damage claims throughout Maryland, including Baltimore City, Columbia, Germantown, Silver Spring, Upper Marlboro, Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Ellicott City and Frederick.
Termite damage consultations are free.
