I AM QUOTED IN THIS ARTICLE WHICH WAS RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN THE DAILY NEWS.
Getting ready to purchase a home? Ready to re-model or add on to your existing home? If you live in the City of Los Angeles and answered, "yes" to any of these questions then this may come as a big surprise for you!
The Los Angeles City Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering has adopted policy requiring the homeowner to pay for and provide a video inspection of the main lateral sewer line when an application for a building permit is made on any structure built prior to 1965. The lateral is the portion of the property's main sewer line that connects the property to the city sewer pipe. The homeowner must provide video documentation of the sewer line for the city inspector to review so the city inspector can determine the condition of the sewer pipes and whether or not he will require the sewer line to be rehabilitated or replaced. The cost of the inspection and any required repairs are completely at the homeowner's expense.
The logic that the homeowner must foot the bill comes from the opinion of the L.A. City Attorney, which has assigned the responsibility for the construction, maintenance, and repair of house connection sewer lines to the individual property owner.
The cost of a video inspection is not terribly expensive, typically under $300. However the cost to rehabilitate a sewer line can run from $6,000 to $8,000 depending on its depth. And if the line is in such poor condition that it needs to be totally replaced, a typical associated cost could be $12,000 or higher. Surprise! Was this in your budget?
Chris Griffin, president of Sewerline Check Professionals (a private sewer-line inspection agency based in the San Fernando Valley) states, "Home buyers are commonly having the sewer lines video inspected so they can be aware of hidden costs. One homebuyer had the video inspection done during escrow to find that there was very little cost involved to repair some minor issues. Another buyer's video inspection discovered that the entire underground sewer line was in need of total replacement all the way to the city sewer under the street. In that case the seller adjusted the sales price so the home could be sold."
As disturbing as this is, there is little the homeowner or homebuyer can do except to be aware of the potential costs of repairs by having a sewer line video examination performed prior to buying a home or starting a project on any home constructed prior to 1965.
A professional sewer line video inspection company can help buyers and owners to not get caught with unforeseen expenses. For more information about this issue you can contact Chris Griffin at 818/951-7660 or chrisg@sewerlinecheck.com.
By John A. LaRocca Special to Real Estate. John is a Certified California Real Estate Inspector and a licensed General Contractor. Contact him 818/266-2477 or john.larocca@laroccainspections.com
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