Hi everyone ... I had a very nice surprise last Friday from my PM in Brisbane and not sure how to move forward hence reason for post. First some background ... Settled on new IP from VillaWorld in Brisbane in July this year. Carried out a pre-settlement inspection with Roger F from Navrainvest's QLD office. This went well. I documented all the outstanding items and gave to solicitor to take up with Villaworld. On Friday my PM rang me at 5:30pm and told me that the tenant was complaining about water leaking through the roof ! She asked me what I wanted to do. I asked her to call Villaworld however it was too late. Villaworld went out on Monday to take a look and found 2 cracked tiles on the roof and immediately replaced them. The damage inside however is substantial. Paint on walls and ceiling all bubbling in 2 rooms. So ... I immediately started thinking what could have caused this. Either 1) Aircon installation which was away from where the cracked tiles were found or Villaworld had left them like this during construction of the home. There has not been much rain in Brisbane in the last few months from my understanding so either of the 2 reasons above are valid. The excess is $500 to make a claim with insurance company. Just curious what others would do in this situation ? Would you follow up with Aircon people ? Villaworld claims it was not their fault. Or just bite the bullet and pay the $500 ? The HUGE lesson learnt here is that a home inspection by a professional is a MUST even on new homes. I am sure they would have gone on the roof !
Is the building still under warranty? I would think so, given that most builders are required by law to give 7 yrs (at least that's the case here in NSW). I would be finding this out first and asking the Villaworld builder to cover the cost, even if this means that they fork out for your insurance excess. They may well say that it isn't their fault, but surely this type of damage falls within the warranty period? It may also pay to ask your insurance company re: responsibility, as I'm sure they would have come across this situation before. Let us know how you go and good luck!!
Jacque, yes the house is still under warranty and I agree that Villaworld should pick up the costs. After a few phone calls from Roger F to his contacts at Villaworld they have agreed to take care of all necessary repairs. ( Thanks Roger ) All verbal at this stage. I'll keep everyone posted on progress.
