Liability for hidden defects in a home

Questioner

Dear Sir/Madam, We bought a house on May 8, 2017. The house was sold 'with underfloor heating'. After moving, it turned out that the underfloor heating was not working properly. We had the boiler inspected by our trusted installation engineer and immediately asked about the underfloor heating. Now it appears that the underfloor heating is not connected properly. Only the return flow of the radiators runs through the ground. In other words: The floor only gets warm when the boiler starts up for the radiators, moreover the temperature cannot be regulated for the underfloor heating, this is dependent on the temperature of the radiators. There are still a few things wrong with the underfloor heating. If we want this to work properly, a fair amount of money will have to be thrown at it. What is the best thing we can do to possibly recover this from the previous residents? Thanks in advance for your answer. Kind regards

Lawyer

It is not possible to say in advance whether the previous occupant or the seller can be held liable for the hidden defect. This depends on, among other things, the condition and price of the home as well as the investigation that you have had carried out yourself. The fact is that the seller is in principle liable for defects that prevent normal use of the home. In my opinion, the underfloor heating falls under this, so that the previous occupant can be held liable taking into account the age and your duty to investigate. I advise you to put the seller in default in writing.