I am the seller of the house. He was the inspector for the buyer.
On March 4th, 2011, I left the house to allow him to inspect the property.
During the course of the inspection, he broke 3 major things on the property and has refused to compensate me in any way for them.
1. Kitchen Faucet – This is the first item he broke; he called my realtor via phone while still on the property to let her know that he broke it and would pay for it. He now claims that it was not his fault and refuses to pay for the repair even though he originally told the realtor that he would. See attached picture below. He actually broke the handle off the faucet, which requires a lot of force.
2. Glass globe on ceiling fan light fixture–I found a missing/broken globe and shattered glass in my trash can. He claims that the globe fell down and broke as he walked into the office. What are the chances of this happening? Especially since the office is in constant use and nothing like this has ever happened before.
3. Garage door lock–He somehow managed to break the garage door lock after opening the door and inspecting it. He must have broken it while closing the garage door. He did not find any problems with the lock while opening and inspecting the garage, yet, after breaking the lock, he claims the garage door must be faulty as well.
As you can see, he is shirking responsibility for 3 items that he broke while inspecting my property. The total cost to repair these items came to $349.08. This does not include the inconvenience of having no access to the garage and no usage of the kitchen sink while repairs had to be scheduled.
Despite repeated requests for reimbursement, he has refused and stated that he does not care if I pursue any legal action.
The behavior of Michael Israel and Sterling Home Inspection, Inc shows a lack of professionalism and is a detriment to the community. Save yourself a headache and don't hire this man or company.
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