You may have hired professionals to build or remodel your property to ensure it meets the enforced building codes and safety standards. But even so, it is in your best interest to review their work and routinely inspect your property for any possibly hazardous conditions. The last thing you may want is for a defect to arise on your property, and even worse, for this defect to seriously injure an innocent party. With all that being said, please continue reading to learn what can potentially happen if a construction defect resides in your home and how an experienced New York City real estate attorney at Zimmet Law Group, P.C., can help you rectify this situation before it is too late.
What can possibly happen if there is a construction defect in my home?
First of all, a construction defect is considered a flaw in your property’s design, materials, or workmanship. Such flaws may cause damage to your property. For example, say that your enlisted contractor and their team of construction workers built a staircase that was not structurally sound. Well then, the weight of the staircase can cause stress on the foundation and adjacent walls, creating cracks. With this, not only may you have to replace the staircase, but you may have to fill the cracks and other cosmetic blemishes on your flooring and walls.
Using the same staircase example, say that your contractor crafted a blueprint that made the steps too far apart. Or, the construction workers failed to fasten a necessary handrail securely to a wall or post. In a worst-case scenario, a welcomed visitor on your property may slip, trip, and fall on your staircase and sustain serious bodily injuries. In response, they may pursue a premises liability claim against you. Even though you did not construct the staircase, they may argue that you knew or should have reasonably known about the defect and rectified it promptly.
What should I do to rectify a construction defect in my home?
Given the examples provided above, as a property owner, it is in your best interest to routinely inspect your premises for potential construction defects. And then, to fix them before you welcome anyone else onto your property, or worse, before anyone in your household gets accidentally injured. Firstly, you should make it a point to take photos of the spotted defect and send them to your original contractor or construction company, allowing them a chance to fix the issue they caused.
However, they may fail to respond to your report or flat-out refuse to repair it without quoting you for an additional service. In this case, you may exercise your right to pursue a legal claim against them. Here, you may either cite a breach of contract or negligence in performing subpar work. Whatever your legal argument may be, you must ensure that you are able to back it up with sufficient, concrete evidence.
If you need help preparing for this upcoming legal process, turn to a skilled New York City real estate attorney. We at Zimmet Law Group, P.C., have gone through this countless times before, and we are ready to go through it again to support you.
