All home defects can be problematic. As a homeowner, you hired builders because you believed they would do an excellent job. You paid an incredible amount of money or even took out a loan to pay for this, and it’s going to financially define your future. You certainly do not want there to be any defects or issues with that home.
However, there is one type of defect, called a latent defect, that can be especially problematic. Why is this?
A hidden issue
Essentially, there are two different types of defects. There are patent defects, which are those that you can see right away. If the builders installed the wrong countertops, that’s a patent defect. If you walk through the house for the first time and half of the lights don’t work, it’s clear that the electricians have made a mistake at some level.
Latent defects, by contrast, are those that are hidden. The house looks fine from the outside. The full ramifications of the defect may not even be clear for years.
An example of this could be a pipe that is slowly leaking in the attic. It can cause an incredible amount of water damage, rot, mold and other types of decay, but you may not know that it’s happening. Another example could be faulty wiring that leads to a house fire. You may not know that there’s an issue with the wiring until that event occurs.
Latent defects can be a bit more difficult to identify, naturally, and more difficult to expose. If you feel that you have these types of defects in your home, it’s crucial that you understand all of your legal options.