{"id":6624,"date":"2024-12-02T16:05:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T14:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/property-bought-with-hidden-defect-what-now\/"},"modified":"2024-12-02T16:05:27","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T14:05:27","slug":"property-bought-with-hidden-defect-what-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/property-bought-with-hidden-defect-what-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Property bought with hidden defect: What now?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>You bought a home and moved in, but now discover a hidden defect. What are your options? <\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Contents<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>What is a hidden defect?<\/li>\n<li>What is the standard liability rule?<\/li>\n<li>When is the seller liable?<\/li>\n<li>What are your legal options?<\/li>\n<li>General tips for buyer and seller<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>1. What is a hidden defect?<\/h2>\n<p>The definition of a hidden defect is not defined by law. Usually, a defect is considered hidden if the buyer thoroughly inspected the home like a normal, foresighted person and did not notice the problem. Examples: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Moisture problems<\/li>\n<li>Construction Problems<\/li>\n<li>Technical defects: faulty heating system, poor electrical system, etc.<\/li>\n<li>&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>2. What is the standard liability rule?<\/h2>\n<h3>2.1. Professionele verkoop <\/h3>\n<p>If you buy a home from a professional seller such as a building developer, the <strong>seller<\/strong> is always responsible for hidden defects. Here, the seller has the burden of proof to prove that &#8211; despite their professional knowledge &#8211; they were unaware of the defect.<\/p>\n<h3>2.2. Particuliere verkoop <\/h3>\n<p>With a standard sales contract, all<strong> visible<\/strong> defects are the buyer&#8217;s responsibility:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is assumed that the buyer was able to observe everything at the time of viewing.<\/li>\n<li>All visible defects are therefore the responsibility of the buyer.<\/li>\n<li>All other defects (i.e., not visible at the time of sale) are the seller&#8217;s responsibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As<strong> buyer<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>should report hidden defects as soon as possible after discovery.<\/li>\n<li>you can only hold the seller liable at 4 conditions (see next point).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>3. When is the seller liable?<\/h2>\n<p>In private sales, the <strong>seller<\/strong> is liable when these conditions are met: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The defect is hidden.<\/li>\n<li>The defect is serious and significant. It interferes with your normal use of your home. <\/li>\n<li>As the buyer, you must prove that the defect was already present at the time of the sale.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Check your private sale agreement carefully. The seller may have included a clause that the buyer bears the risk of hidden defects. In that case, the seller is not liable for visible and non-visible defects. This is also called an &#8220;exoneration clause.&#8221; With or without the clause, the <strong>buyer<\/strong> has the burden of proof to prove that the seller was aware of the defect at the time of sale. And that he therefore deliberately concealed and\/or concealed this defect.   <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4701\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4701\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4701\" src=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Vochtvlek-aan-deur-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Hidden defect_Moisture stain on door\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Vochtvlek-aan-deur-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Vochtvlek-aan-deur-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Vochtvlek-aan-deur-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Vochtvlek-aan-deur-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Vochtvlek-aan-deur.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4701\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Picture: Moisture stain on door<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>4. What are your legal options?<\/h2>\n<p>With serious hidden defects, you have overpaid compared to the value of the home. In that case, you can file a claim in court: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Rescission of the purchase contract:<\/strong> You return the home and get a full refund of the price and additional expenses. If the seller was in bad faith, you may also get back damages. <\/li>\n<li><strong>Price reduction:<\/strong> You keep the home but get a portion of the price back, depending on the impact of the defect.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>5. General tips for buyer and seller<\/h2>\n<p>For the buyer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Check the sales agreement carefully.<\/li>\n<li>Put everything in writing to avoid discussions.<\/li>\n<li>Ask explicitly about the property&#8217;s maintenance history during the viewing.<\/li>\n<li>Act quickly. Prevent the judge from thinking you ignored the defect for a while. <\/li>\n<li>Inspect the property carefully during the viewing as well as your move. Keep your eyes and ears open. <\/li>\n<li>Do not attempt to fix the hidden defect until it has been properly proven and determined who is liable for the defect.<\/li>\n<li>Have the home inspected by a construction professional or an architect. This will cost a bit, but may save you a lot of expense and headaches in the long run. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For the seller:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>List all of your home&#8217;s defects in the private sale agreement. This way you cover yourself and avoid discussions about defects that may or may not have been &#8220;hidden.&#8221; <\/li>\n<li>Be honest about the property&#8217;s maintenance history.<\/li>\n<li>Photograph and document the property in detail.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure you clearly state clauses in the sales agreement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4700\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4700\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Contract-en-pen-in-handen-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Hidden defect_Contract and pen in hands\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Contract-en-pen-in-handen-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Contract-en-pen-in-handen-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Contract-en-pen-in-handen-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Contract-en-pen-in-handen-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Verborgen-gebrek_Contract-en-pen-in-handen.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4700\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: Contract and pen in hands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dewaele.com\/nl\/advies\/vochtproblemen-na-aankoop-van-de-woning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dewaele<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notaris.be\/nieuws-pers\/detail\/verborgen-gebreken-bij-het-kopen-van-een-huis-wat-nu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Notary<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use: <\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>Stiasteny, L. (2024, Dec. 2). Property bought with hidden defect: What now? Apartment.com. Consulted on (date XX\/XX\/202X), from https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/woning-gekocht-met-verborgen-gebrek\/   <\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/checklist-voor-bezichtiging-huis-of-appartement\/\">Checklist for viewing a house or apartment<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/meest-voorkomende-verborgen-gebreken\/\">Most common hidden defects purchase house or apartment<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You bought a home and moved in, but now discover a hidden defect. What are your options? Contents What is a hidden defect? What is the standard liability rule? When is the seller liable? What are your legal options? General tips for buyer and seller &nbsp; 1. What is a hidden defect? The definition of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1120],"tags":[1357,1358],"class_list":["post-6624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buy","tag-hidden-defect","tag-house-with-hidden-defect"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.appartement.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}