gcvmom
Here we go again!
We live in a "paired" home. Essentially, it's a duplex and we share one common wall.
Well, the unit attached to ours has had various renters for the past 15 years. The owners have usually found nice, responsible families to rent who agree to maintain the yard and minor repairs in exchange for very reasonable rent. However, the owners have neglected to really do much of anything else to maintain the property (trees are overgrown, wood fence is falling down, patio cover dilapidated, needs exterior paint, etc.)
When we painted the exterior in November (it had been 8 years since it was previously painted, and 13 years prior to that) they refused to paint their side, even though we'd given them about 3 months notice that we wanted to do this.
At the time we painted, I had our side inspected for termites, since it's a problem we have from time to time and there's no point in painting if the wood needs to be treated and/or repaired. I usually have an inspection every couple of years because I believe that if you stay on top of the problem you can just spot treat, whereas waiting can result in extensive damage and the need to fumigate the entire structure.
In the past, I'd always let them know when we had found termites so they could look after their own side. They NEVER HAVE. Two years ago we found activity in the front where the two properties meet. My pest control company treated the area and repaired the damaged wood, actually having to replace some boards on the garage roof. I let the owners know about the problem and told them about the visible damage on their side. Again, they chose to do NOTHING.
So in November, when I had our side checked before painting, there was no activity found in the recently repaired area. But by February, I could see a new hole eaten through the wood in the same spot that was fixed before. Of course, I'm livid beause I feel like the termites just came back over from the neighbor's side.
Okay, so now this place is being sold and I'm anxious about what the home inspector is going to say about their termite problem. I'm anticipating that they're going to say they need to fumigate. Well if any of you have been through that (and I haven't but I've heard enough about it -- plus we just went through a series of evacuations in November/December) you know what a major PITA it is to bag everything up and move out of your house for a couple days. Not to mention the expense.
I'm of the mind that I will either 1) not agree to fumigation or 2) agree to it but the seller will have to pay all of our costs since I have little to no termite activity on my side because I've stayed on top of the problem.
Does this sound unreasonable?
Well, the unit attached to ours has had various renters for the past 15 years. The owners have usually found nice, responsible families to rent who agree to maintain the yard and minor repairs in exchange for very reasonable rent. However, the owners have neglected to really do much of anything else to maintain the property (trees are overgrown, wood fence is falling down, patio cover dilapidated, needs exterior paint, etc.)
When we painted the exterior in November (it had been 8 years since it was previously painted, and 13 years prior to that) they refused to paint their side, even though we'd given them about 3 months notice that we wanted to do this.
At the time we painted, I had our side inspected for termites, since it's a problem we have from time to time and there's no point in painting if the wood needs to be treated and/or repaired. I usually have an inspection every couple of years because I believe that if you stay on top of the problem you can just spot treat, whereas waiting can result in extensive damage and the need to fumigate the entire structure.
In the past, I'd always let them know when we had found termites so they could look after their own side. They NEVER HAVE. Two years ago we found activity in the front where the two properties meet. My pest control company treated the area and repaired the damaged wood, actually having to replace some boards on the garage roof. I let the owners know about the problem and told them about the visible damage on their side. Again, they chose to do NOTHING.
So in November, when I had our side checked before painting, there was no activity found in the recently repaired area. But by February, I could see a new hole eaten through the wood in the same spot that was fixed before. Of course, I'm livid beause I feel like the termites just came back over from the neighbor's side.
Okay, so now this place is being sold and I'm anxious about what the home inspector is going to say about their termite problem. I'm anticipating that they're going to say they need to fumigate. Well if any of you have been through that (and I haven't but I've heard enough about it -- plus we just went through a series of evacuations in November/December) you know what a major PITA it is to bag everything up and move out of your house for a couple days. Not to mention the expense.
I'm of the mind that I will either 1) not agree to fumigation or 2) agree to it but the seller will have to pay all of our costs since I have little to no termite activity on my side because I've stayed on top of the problem.
Does this sound unreasonable?