The Termite Inspector Missed Termite Damage

Watch the Video Below: When the termite inspector missed termites and termite damage in a new house, our lawyers for missed termite damage can help.  Negligent termite inspections are a huge problem in Maryland, resulting in new homeowners often finding expensive, hidden termite damage after closing and moving in.  Termite damage repairs are usually thousands of dollars, and can get even worse as the full extend of termite damage is exposed once work begins.

Whitney, LLP’s termite damage lawyers help homeowners in Maryland who find termite damage after moving into a new house.  Compensation can include the cost of termite damage repairs as well as emotional distress.

Click Here to read about Whitney, LLP’s past termite damage settlements.

Click Here to read our blogs about hidden termite damage and negligent termite inspection cases, including settlements and lawsuits we filed.

We offer Legal Consultations to Home Owners. Call Whitney, LLP at 410 583 8000, or use our Quick Contact Form, to discuss your potential case.  Here is our YouTube Channel  for more videos on termite damage and termite legal issues.

Termite Inspector Missed Termites Before I Bought My House

Hi, this is Dan Whitney with the Whitney Law Firm in Towson, Maryland. Today, we’re going to talk about the issue of the termite inspector did not find termites before I bought my house. So I’ve been a lawyer for about 10 years, and part of my practice is termite damage and termite infestation claims.

Negligent Termite Inspection Before Closing

Missed termite damage and termite infestation claims claims usually arise in connection with somebody purchasing a house, and a termite or WDI, wood destroying insect, inspection is performed, and no termite or termite damage is found.

In other words, no termites and no termite damage is found and the new owners move in. What happens when the termite inspector misses termite damage and then the new owner moves in and they find the damage? Very often, the owner feels stuck because termite damage can be extremely widespread and termite damage repairs can be very expensive.

Fortunately, compensation can be recovered from a negligent termite inspection company to cover the cost of repairs.

Expensive Repairs for Hidden Termite Damage

It’s extremely hard to figure out the extent of the missed termite damage in a home without ripping out floors, ripping off drywall, removing kitchen cabinets and all sorts of invasive maneuvers to determine the extent of the damage.

If the termite inspector did not find damage that they should have found, the homeowner has legal rights, and the cause of action that we often allege against a negligent termite inspection company is that there was negligence in the inspection.

Termites damage in a client’s house that was painted over to hide it before the sale.

Signs of Termite Damage During an Inspection

A Negligent Inspection simply means the termite inspector did not find damage that a reasonable inspection would have detected. So the question becomes, if they were negligent, what is it that they should have seen that you’re saying they missed?

So typically, there’s a number of signs of termite infestation. One, termite damage looks a certain way and should be able to be seen with the naked eye and or using a flashlight, that should be detected. Sometimes, termite inspectors are just simply lazy. They will not go into a crawlspace. Maybe they don’t go into an attic. Maybe they don’t peer into the corners in the recesses of a particular room because it’s hard to get to. And they don’t see something that they absolutely should have.

Termite Damage Behind Bubbling Paint

Other signs of termite infestation that termite inspectors should usually see is it’ll look like bubbling paint. Well, that happens because the termites will eat right up to the level of the paint and it will look bubbled. What you do when you see that, an inspector would take a screwdriver or perhaps a finger, push it in, and the paint of course is so thin, it will break, and then you would immediately see termite damaged wood underneath.

Dead Termite Swarmers

Other signs of infestation that we’ve had cases where inspectors have missed this is literally termite swarmers that are usually, at the time of inspection, perhaps dead on a window sill or dead on the floor and the inspector simply does not have the knowledge to figure out, oh my gosh, these are termites.

There’s obviously termite damage if there’s termite swarmers and raise that and bring it to the attention of the homeowner.

So the common theme in these cases is that the inspector missed something that they should not have missed. Of course, that’s what we call negligence.

Daniel Whitney, Jr. of Whitney, LLP during a termite inspection in Annapolis, MD

If you’ve bought a house in Maryland and you’ve now detected termite damage that you feel should have been discovered in the termite inspection, call us.  We represent homeowners in missed termite damage claims across Maryland.

We offer Legal Consultations to Home Owners. Call Whitney, LLP at 410 583 8000, or use our Quick Contact Form, to discuss your potential case.