Had this happen to me today.
Did not make for a pleasant phone call early in the morning.
A REA that i used to sell a piece of land for me over 18 months ago calls me up saying " i think you should contact the new owner as apparently they have discover a existing sewer line going into their property ( now flooding into their foundations they are digging".
Turns out both the water corp and the council had plans that showed the existing property that i own which i subdivided the land off had been connected to the main sewer (in a major city). Turns out they were all wrong. The previous owner had run a sewer pipe out to the connection and had never connected and somehow it got signed off. Somehow it got through.
The land division should never of occurred if the original property was not connected to the mains. The next phone call from the health and safety people. " are you aware of this blah blah" "yes well i am now".
The building company building the home had advised the new owner of the land. (without actually inquiring to who owned the house where this leakage was coming from) that they should hook up a temporary connection to their sewer point. ( at the cost of $2000).
To be quite honest i was lucky this agent called me. Because they had already laid 6 meters of sewer pipe ( out of 40 m ) to their ip.
A few frantic phone calls to a plumbing company had them out there within the hour met them at the house.
Told the guy that was digging the trench that his pipe is now a waste of time as a i had the plumber shut the water off on my side of the land.
I then had to put my Tennant out of the house. (gave them two free weeks of rent) to leave the house for 3 days whilst the plumbing company are coming to hook up a new connection ( which should have been done by the previous owners).
$4200 later. it was a pretty average morning.
The guy building the home is considering legal action. I had spoken to him during the day whilst this was being sorted. If he wants to go down that path hes in for a lot of fun as the foundations they dug damaged the fence.
I guess the topic.
Things you think went smoothly and then come back to bite you. Which are completely not your fault
Word your lawyer up on the situation. Perhaps you are liable, perhaps you are not.
Jacqui Middleton | Middleton Buyers Advocates
http://www.middletonbuyersadvocates.com.au
Email Me | Phone MeVIC Buyers' Agents for investors, home buyers & SMSFs.
It does happen when you are dealing with expensive investments and the risk associated with them. Development especially so.
Trying to put things in a different perspective might help, if it's only money then that's bad but it wasn't something like an injury or worse while someone was working on site etc.
Good luck resolving the issue and the experience will be worth the price I hope
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