Hello my name is Zach I purchased my home in July of 2020 in Holbrook NY. Prior to buying my inspector pointed out that there was aluminum wiring through out the house and recommended pigtailing the aluminum wiring at the outlets with copper. I made sure my lawyer made this request in the contract with provided proof ( a receipt from an electrician) that the work has been done. The selling party agreed brought it an electrician and provided the receipt at closing saying the work has been done so I signed the contract and moved in. I did not check the electrical wiring during the walk through and now it is 6 months later and I have had an outlet completely melt on the inside and come to find out the work they said was done hadn't been done at all I've opened 5 outlets so far and they are all aluminum with no copper pigtail. I called the electrician on the receipt and he told me that the seller told him to not do that work because they will be bringing another electrician in to do it. The electrician on the receipt also claims the seller must have forged part of the receipt and he will provide the original if needed. How do I go about handling this situation? Is there anything I can do since I did not catch it on the walk through? And who do I pursue legal action with the selling agent (who also flipped the house prior to me moving in with her company MONTAUK DUNES LLC) or the electrical company please respond all advice is needed. Thank you

@Zach Geer that is a terrible story that unfortunately happens way too many times. It is unfortunate that we have so many unethical sellers (and wholesalers for that matter). In my opinion it may end up being more expensive to hire a lawyer and file a suit against the seller than just hiring a licensed electrician to do the repairs. Not to mention a lawsuit would take time which would cost you even more money, time, and stress. 

In all deals that go wrong there is always a lesson learned. In this case we learn that it is very important to have work performed on a property verified by a 3rd party (your property manager, inspector, yourself, etc). Don't worry, all of us have real estate horror stories and lessons we had to learn the hard way. Think of it as an investment in education :-)

Hang in there!

@Dan Travieso thank you I appreciate it

Hey Zach, I actually grew up in Holbrook! I am a Sachem grad!

Congrats on the new house!

I sell property mostly on the East End now. I did ask my real estate attorney what the best course of action would be and she said your first call should be to your real estate attorney and investigate the electrical receipt. If you can prove it was forged then they can be held liable. 

Good luck with it! If you need any local attorney / litigation representation let me know

Tommy 

@Tommy Panebianco thank you