Liability for hidden defects after home purchase

Questioner

We recently bought a house that needed a lot of work. We started on the day of the transfer. After a week, together with the contractor, we discovered that there was an extreme flea infestation (words of the exterminator). We knew that the previous residents (who lived there for 20 years) had cats, but we were never told anything about fleas. We have now had a specialist company come by, who have indicated that it is so extreme that several sessions will probably be needed to remedy this and that being completely flea-free could take weeks. We presented this to the sellers, but they indicated that they have never had any problems with fleas and that they don't have any at the location where they are now, and they dismiss it as such. In addition to the costs of cleaning, the contractor now also indicates that he cannot continue under these circumstances and that the problem must first be resolved, which will again cause delays in the renovation process. Does something like this fall under hidden defects? Can I hold the sellers liable for this?

Lawyer

The fact remains, whether the 'sellers', at the time, were aware of this. It must also be determined what the cause is, of the flea plague and how long it has been present. If this information can be linked to the sellers of the house, then there is a science of knowledge present, and you can hold the sellers partly liable. For further information, please contact me directly.