Alleged hidden defects in chalet

Questioner

We sold our chalet of over 40 years without a real estate agent for 85,000 euros We have never noticed any leakage or rot. Just before the sale, the buyer had a chalet builder check the chalet for defects. He found that the roof was bad and that this would cost 20,000 euros (off the cuff). He admitted to the floors and they were fine. We then lowered the price by 15,000 euros (the asking price was 100,000). After a month and a half, the new owner fell through the floor in a corner of the bathroom with a stepladder. When they started demolishing, it turned out that the wooden uprights behind the tiles were rotten and the floor in the corners as well. Costs 13300 euros, we would have to pay 8000 euros of that according to the buyer. The gutters are also in poor condition according to the buyer and he asked us to pay another 2000 euros for that. So in total 10,000 euros. Also, no quotes or anything like that were submitted. Are we responsible for this and should we just cough up 10,000 euros?

Lawyer

No, not without further ado. After all, the buyer has been warned about the roof construction and associated costs. He has also knowingly and deliberately bought an old chalet. You do not have to expect that it does not show any defects at all. The question of whether the defects in the floor are hidden defects depends on the question of how long the chalet could still last and how serious the defect is (can one simply stay there or is it dangerous to health or constitution). Was land purchased with it?