Liability when purchasing a home - Legal Advice Centre

Questioner

How does it actually work if the deed states that you are buying a house of a certain year of construction and that you may therefore have unforeseen conveniences, can you still hold the seller liable even if he was not aware of this defect that has now come to light?

Lawyer

In your purchase agreement there is a so-called 'old age clause', I understand, by this you accept that the property may have defects as a result of its age. This does not alter the fact that the seller is obliged to report defects known to him, the buyer in turn has a duty to investigate defects, with an older home this duty to investigate is heavier than with recent properties. The seller cannot be held liable for a defect that was not known to him, this is for the account of the buyer.