Sentry Home Inspections Timothy Bills, Seller's Disclosure Form Washington , District of Columbia
Considering how important it is to have a honest home inspector, I thought it would be important for the readers of this blog to know my interactions with Tim Bills, the owner of Sentry Home Inspections.
I recently bought a condo from Tim Bills in early January 2013. Tim Bill in December 2012 wrote on the seller's disclosure form that there was a "leak in the outer wall that was repaired by Asso. no additional leakage after the repair." Tim left a stack of e-mails in my condo that documented that there was a leak in 2009 and that the Association did repair it. However, Tim Bills did not mention that the wall leaked again in November 2012.
In January 2013, I was accidently forwarded open service request in which Tim Bills, owner of Sentry Home Inspections, wrote "The wall on the short alley that has had issues with water leakage in the past (and has been repaired several times) has again leaked after the recent storm. I began to smell an odor several days ago. I placed a moisture meter and an infrared camera on the wall to detect where the wall may be wet. I've in fact located an area at the base of the wall that is wet and is more than likely the source of the odor." The service request was dated November 4, 2012.
After I moved in, I also discovered that the issue has not been resolved and that the managment has not repaired the leak.
I wrongfully assumed that Tim Bills, a home inpector and owner of Sentry Home Inspections, would have been truthfully and disclosed the current state of the condition of the condo. I let you be the judge on whether you want someone like Tim Bills to inspect your home.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Tim
Washington,District of Columbia,
United States of America
The Facts
#2REBUTTAL Individual responds
Sun, February 24, 2013
Sentry Home Inspections, LLC and our home inspectors take pride in our work and are proud to serve DC and the DC metro area. With thousands of home inspections completed and many satisfied clients including first time home buyers, seasoned home buyers, military, government employees, doctors, lawyers, judges and members of Congress to name a few, our company will continue to serve the DC Metro real estate community as a top of the line inspection company. We enjoy a 9.86 average (out of 10) rating in customer satisfaction as calculated by our reporting software company.
This report/rating is unrelated to Sentry Home Inspections, LLC or its inspectors or the work they do. Marisa Stark has never been a client of this company and has no knowledge of the experience of our inspectors or the scope of work involved in a thorough home inspection.
In a real estate transaction in DC, a seller is required to disclose an issue in property being sold. Unrelated to Sentry Home Inspections, LLC, and through a private sale, Marisa Stark purchased a property I had for sale. I, in fact, did disclose to Marisa Stark, during the contract phase of the purchase in December 2012, on a sellers disclosure form as required by law and advised by my real estate agent, a moisture issue within a condo that was being sold. The issue was reported to the condo association as required through their reporting system when it occurred. Marisa Stark knew of the issue as indicated by her signature on the disclosure. The disclosure specifically states that it is not a substitute for any inspection or warranties the buyer may wish to obtain. To my knowledge and belief, the association repaired the problem as no additional problems were experienced after their investigation. Even after Marisa Stark's own home inspection, as explained below, no moisture issues were brought to my attention or my agent's attention as the result of her inspection.
As with most condo associations, this particular condo association is responsible for leakage from the exterior of the building, not the owner. Each owner reports suspected leakage to the condo association for association action. The association investigates leakage reports by hiring professional moisture abatement specialists, which they in fact did in the unit being sold. This information is readily available from the association and could have been obtained by Marisa Stark prior to closing if she was concerned, as apposed to obtaining information accidentally two and a half months after the closing. If the association failed to fulfill their obligation to complete condominium repairs, as reported by Marisa Stark, it is out of a unit owners control.
Subsequent to the moisture disclosure, Marisa Stark opted to include a home inspection contingency in her counter offer so she could employ her own home inspector to conduct a home inspection on the property. The home inspection was completed buy Marisa Starks home inspector and no evidence of moisture what so ever was reported as a result of her inspection. There were no communications from Marisa Stark or her agent directed to me, my agent, or the association about leakage, moisture, moisture evidence or odors before, during or after her home inspection or before closing. If Marisa Stark was concerned about any moisture, and her home inspector was made aware of that concern by her, he should have recommended and she should have engaged the services of a licensed moisture abatement specialist to relieve those fears prior during her inspection contingency. She did not.