Call City Hall.

There is something wrong here. Why does the city not inspect this house under their "Minimum Maintenace Bylaw" that the city has, then issue a report or Order under the Bylaw. Looks like the City is not doing their job and not enforcing the Bylaw. If they are not enforcing it here, then how can they enforce the Bylaw to anyone else.

Why are my comments being moderated?? or rather, held, for what is promised momentarily, but then never posted.

Minimum maintenance is really only enforced when someone who works for Sask power or something like that sees unsafe conditions. If the house was purchased WITH a cracked foundation, SUE the seller if it is cracked as a result of trees in the time of ownership, the onus is on the home owner, and if the foundation was cracked as a result of work, again, get a lawyer. the city inspects houses pursuant to building permits.

Mr. H . The home presented as a home that had no renovations done to it for the past twenty years. The foundation to the original structure of the home presented with peeling paint. The two cracks noted to the north east corner of the home did not have one paint drop or signs of recent repair or painting. The cracks to the front south foundation wall of the home discovered after walls were removed at the time of discovering the water seepage, had been caulked sealed and painted over not making same visible or known . The teleposts that were added to the basement were added to give support to the imploding foundation wall The new telepost that was added next to the imploding foun dation wall was covered with wood to match the dated panelling. The original telepost to the home was visible with no water stains and the original wooden beam was tracked to ensure no structural issues. A tele post has been discovered that has been hidden from view by the construction of a wall around same. The new wooden supports that were added to the south foundation wall have been scribed to prevent one from noting the imploding foundation wall, then panelling was replaced to match the original dated panelling to keep the dated decor . The cement sub floor that was refinished before the laying of new sleepers to raise the original subfloor has/had been removed and dirt dug out for water to collect and run into. Documentation has been secured to confirm that all of this constreuction was completed without building permits. Your welcome to come over and take a tour of my home Mr. H.. I hope you are not afraid of dogs I have a very protective German Shepherd.

Just a couple simple questions, what is the age of the home? Do you know approximately what year the perimeter walls were finished/covered by framing? When did you purchase the home and did you request a structural inspection "only really applys if the home is old". If you can prove the perimeter walls of foundation were covered by the previous home owner to cover a structural problem you should have a strong court case. If the home is old and you cannot prove the previous owners finished the basement you might be in for a fight. If the home is older than 50 or so years I would not be to alarmed by a certain amount of cracking in foundation. If every home in Prince Albert with cracks in the foundation was condemmed I'm sure at least 70% of the homes built prior to 1960 would fall into this category.

sounds like you should go after the previous owners or the realtor or the people who did the work on the house. why didn't you get the home inspected before you bought it? Most real estate agencies have their own inspectors... or did you buy it privately...
Anyway, good luck but i'm not sure its going to be as easy as you think.
Lots of private inspecters out there for you to choose from. I suggest you call a few to get thier opinions on the matter.

It's kinda like buying a lemon for a vehicle. Once you sign on the dotted line, there's not much you can do after the fact! It can become a nightmare! It is always buyer beware when you buy homes that have been recently repaired! It is only then that you should always be prepared to protect yourself before you buy or include an inspection in your offer to purchase. As a former CHMC inspector and building contractor, we see all kinds of cosmetic repairs in homes, paint does wonderful things. Most inspectors will onluy focus on the structural portion of the home, also encroachment issues, electrical and plumbing. They don't care much about cosmetic repairs, so buyers, look at the whole sale! Some homeowners will intentionally hide their concrete basement walls, especially if they are older homes. They will frame them in and drywall them or panel them. It is very hard to detect until the rains come. You have to find any and all documentation on the home prior to signing an acceptance. Homeowners selling older homes are sneaky sellers, same as the realtor. All they care about is getting the sale done, not about after the fact! It will cost you a lot of money to correct the problem you have and unfortunately you will have a hard time getting an inspector to sign for you now after the fact!

Mr. D 1955

I had a home inspection, came back to the home went over everything written in the home inspector's report brought a carpenter with me. I lived up to my end of the contract to purchase.I do not understand how the seller could not disclose the known structural defects. The present non disclosure laws that exist in this province should be abolished. The present laws provide a false sense of security in believing the seller can be held legally responsible in not disclosing known defects . The monies involved in holding a seller of a home who has not disclosed is financially impossible especially when the buyer has walked off with a substantial profit. A profit that can be used to pay a lawyer while the purchaser struggles with the financial impact of fixing the problems. The seller can afford to spend $30,000.00 to $50,000.00 on a civil law suit starving out the buyer in pursing a non disclosure law suit and still wins in unloading a hundred thousand dollar defecit in unloading the home to another .

I agree that your only option left is a lawsuit against the former owner/s and the realtor. You need to hire a lawyer and by what you say, your case is valid and most likely you would win in the end. Good luck, a hard lesson learned that you can't trust everyone, especially sales.