When a seller hides termite activity or termite damage, it is one of the worst surprises that people can discover after they bought their home. There are numerous protections in the process that should prevent this, but the seller lying can circumvent these. When a seller hides termite damage, you can hire a real estate lawyer to bring a lawsuit against the seller and hold them responsible for discovered damage.
Whitney, LLP’s real estate lawyers help home buyers bring claims and file lawsuits against dishonest and negligent home sellers, house flippers, real estate agents and termite inspection companies across Maryland. Our attorneys recover compensation for buyers to repair hidden damage and defects, and for emotional distress. We offer Legal Consultations.
If you need a real estate lawyer near me to help with hidden damage, failure to disclose defects, negligence or fraud in the purchase of a house, Call Us at 410 583 8000 or use our Online Quick Contact Form.
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When Sellers Hide Termite Damage
The home seller can hide termite damage in a number of ways. They actively lie about it or just fail to tell you about it on the seller disclosure form. Some sellers will try to cover up a known issue with drywall in order to push the deal through. This problem is often worse when you are dealing with home flippers who are trying to make a quick buck.
Sometimes, sellers will indicate that there is no termite damage in the home even though there is a known history. Non-disclosure of termite damage can be handled the same as any other failure to give you the information to which you are entitled. You have some available legal options when that happens.
Grounds for Termite Damage Lawsuits
Of course, you will want to contact a real estate lawyer to explore what you can legally do to the seller if they hid termites or termite damage from you.
Your attorney will work with you to learn more about the facts. When you file a lawsuit against the seller for nondisclosure of termite damage, you will need to show that they knew or should have known of the WDI damage. In other words, you are looking to prove that they were either negligent or that they outright lied to you.
Depending on how bad the termite damage is, you could try to rescind the deal or recover money to pay for damages and emotional distress. You can do this even after the deal closes when you already own the house.
Most Termite Lawsuits Recover Repair Costs
Usually, you would file a lawsuit against the seller for monetary damages. If you are successful, they would need to pay you for the amount of money it would cost to repair the damage. There could be other damages in the suit, especially if the seller was found to have committed fraud. You may also be entitled to the difference in price of what you paid for the home and the amount that it is worth with the termite damage.
The first thing that you need to do is have a real estate attorney review all the documents associated with the sale of your home and the reports of the termite damage. Your real estate lawyer will share their opinion on whether you have a possible lawsuit against the seller for misleading you about or hiding termite damage.
Real Estate Lawyer for Filing Termite Damage Lawsuits
Whitney, LLP’s attorneys have experience recovering compensation in termite damage lawsuits.
If you were the victim of a dishonest seller, real estate agent or WDI/termite inspection company in Maryland, contact Whitney, LLP’s real estate lawyers at 410 583 8000, or use our Online Quick Contact Form, for your Legal Consultation.
We represent homebuyers throughout Maryland, including Baltimore, Germantown, Silver Spring, Waldorf, Frederick, Glen Burnie, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Bethesda, Towson, Bowie, Aspen Hill and Wheaton.