What to do if your new home has unregulated plumbing work

Buying a new home can be a complicated process. Property is also one of the most expensive purchases you are ever likely to make. For both of these reasons it’s important to make sure that you fully investigate a property before you sign a contract. One of the things you should look out for is any unregulated plumbing work that has been carried out.

So, what happens if you buy a property and then discover that there appears to be some unregulated plumbing? This is an important issue because there is a good chance you will have issues with unregulated plumbing down the line.

How to avoid finding unregulated plumbing in your new home

Before we take a look at what you should do about unregulated plumbing let’s see how you can avoid any nasty surprises in the first place. We have already mentioned the fact that property is an expensive purchase so you want to make sure that you get the best value for your money. This is why it’s important to carry out your own checks on a property before you complete the sale.  

You should speak to a plumber in Sydney about checking the plumbing in a property you are looking to purchase to make sure that there is no unregulated plumbing which needs to be addressed. If there are any issues then these can be discussed with the person who is selling the property. If you do not identify any issues at this point then it’s likely to be too late to seek a resolution from the seller after you have signed on the dotted line.

What happens if there is a problem after you purchase a property?

The number of instances of unregulated or substandard plumbing is less than it used to be as many items of plumbing are subject to WaterMark certification. If you do find that there is an issue with the plumbing in a property you have just purchased it’s a good idea to make sure you have all the facts.

The best way to do this is to speak to a plumbing professional about the condition of the plumbing and a timeframe as to when any issues might have begun. This is important if you are trying to prove that the seller would have known about the problems prior to the sale taking place. If it appears that the seller should have known about the plumbing problems you can then speak to your solicitor who dealt with the house purchase and ask them to get in touch with the solicitors of the seller.

It’s important to note that even if you have this proof it’s very rare for you to be able to get any sort of compensation from the seller. This is why it’s so important to have checks completed before you purchase, so that you do not have all the expense of having major sections of your new home’s plumbing system replaced