Do "roots in the sewer in the past" require disclosure?

DerbyDad03 · 2013-04-04T17:07:36+00:00

Imagine a house with a cast iron sewer pipe connected to the town's PVC pipe at the property line. Imagine - in the past - roots finding their way into the junction of the 2 pipes and causing a partial blockage every couple of years. The evidence was a gurgling basement toilet when an upper floor toilet was flushed. A power snake would solve the problem for a couple of years. Now imagine that for the last five years the owner has been using RootX on an annual basis and he hasn't had any problem with blockages or gurgling toilets. Obviously he doesn't know if the RootX is keeping the roots at bay or if they just stopped entering the pipe for some reason. The only way he would know for sure is if he stopped using the RootX and waited a couple of years to see if they came back. That's not something he's willing to test. The minor inconvenience of using RootX once a year gives him peace of mind. Finally, fast forward into the future and imagine the owner putting the house on the market 5, 10, maybe 15 years from now. Does he have to disclose that 10, 15, or even 20 years ago (depending on when he puts the house on the market) he used to get roots in the pipe? Does he have to disclose that he uses RootX once a year as a "peace of mind" exercise?

Apr 04, 2013 63 Replies

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krw 13 years ago

Certainly. It may have different meanings depending on custom and law.

It depends on where you are. How about discussing it with a realtor?

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clare 13 years ago

Sell it "as is - bulldozer not included" - you are basically selling a lot. No disclosure required - period. If they want to salveage the building, that is THEIR concern - not yours.

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trader4 13 years ago

Unless you've read the disclosure laws for the state involved, the above is just nonsense. How do you know what the law says or doesn't say? And any place where the neighborhood is DECLINING, isn't generally one where the lot is worth more without a house than it is with a house on it. Like someone is gonna buy it to build a new house on it? His idea of it being a possible fixer upper into a two family, etc. makes more sense.

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