June 26 -- inspection performed (agreement signed June 24). Inspection noted no significant issues with the house (barring what I would term normal wear and tear for a small 1200 square-foot, 60-year-old house. The inspection report indicated no water damage in the house or sub-floor damage due to moisture.
July 29 -- Closing on house.
July 30 -- into house and started cleaning. Upon opening the area under the kitchen sink, we noted it sloped toward the right rear of the cabinet. My wife turned on the water and I noticed a small leak. I went under the house via the crawlspace and pointed my flashlight at the area under the kitchen sink. I found a huge hole in the floor under the kitchen cabinet and severely water-damaged sub-floor. Additionally, I put my fingers through the beam supporting the sub-floor. This indicated a substantial water-leak that had been in place for a significant amount of time.
Note I saw this within 30 seconds of walking into the crawlspace. Here's what we found:
- There was a substantial leak in the water line such that water sprayed heavily into a pool onto the crawlspace black plastic (directly from the large leak when the water is turned on).
- The load-bearing beam running approximately 12 feet from rear of the house to the main load-bearing beam was 100% rotted such that an entire 1 foot area under the kitchen sink was virtually supporting no weight
- Underneath the crawlspace, you could push your fingers completely through the rotted beam underneath the kitchen sink.
- The 2 X 4’s supporting the kitchen / dining room wall (on top of the rotted beam) were also completely rotted
- The sheetrock behind the kitchen sink wall was completely rotted and pulled away with texture like that of toilet paper
- The base kitchen cabinet under the sink was rotted and destroyed
- The subfloor supporting the kitchen cabinet was completely rotted (with open access to the basement crawlspace) in a 6’ X 4’ area
I immediately called the Southern Home Inspection Services office and was put in touch with the Quality Control Director. I explained what we saw and the ease of which this significant damange had been found. It appeared no inspection of the subfloor was done (even on 1200 square feet with only two faucets in the entire house). Over the course of several days no one from Southern Home Inspection Services came to inspect this development. Phone conversations with the Quality Control Director revealed to me Southern Home Inspection Services was only liable for the cost I paid for their services.
Here are the pictures of the damages that were easy to spot by simply pointing a flashlight 10 feet from the crawlspace door:
In short, we spent over $9,000 to repair the sub-floor, cabinets, supporting beam, sheet rock and other items around this damage. After non-response from Southern Home Inspection Services and based upon my assertion that this was gross negligence, I took Southern Home Inspection Services to Magistrate court in Pickens County, Georgia (case #08-14844CS).
The only response I received from Southern Home Inspection Services after statement of claim in Magistrates court was a form letter from Ken Compton, President, stating:
1) I had no recourse under state law in Georgia other than to have my service reimbursed ($348)
2) If I continued my "frivolous" suit, Southern Home Inspection Services would seek to come after me for all legal fees with full gusto
It's nice to be a customer of theirs.
In Magistrate court, Ken Compton stated even if the service was poorly performed by his company, this is a "contract law" issue and they are not liable beyond the amount of the service paid by the customer. Mr. Ken Compton referenced several Georgia appellate cases supporting his argument. Unfortunately, this story does not have a happy ending -- I lost my case due to the agreement by the Magistrate judge that this is a contract issue and Southern Home Inspection Services was not liable for damages -- regardless of how shoddy the service performed.
For those seeking a home-inspection company in the Atlanta metro area -- BUYER BEWARE with Ken Compton and Southern Home Inspection Services.
