have home warranty /electrical bad

[shellyshere]

What is the name of your state? Ca.
We purchased our home in June of this year. In Aug the electric went out in our garage. We bought our home warranty for all the mishapps that could happen from BHWC. When they came out the didnt know what he was doing I tried to tell him it wasnt the shop light in our garage there was something wrong with the silver junction boxes. Him thinking I am a woman i don't know what I am talking about. Just fixed a light switch and said it was fixed and when i went in to the house, he quikly got in his truck and left. I called insurance company and they told me he found the shop light to be the cause and he had fixed it. well i then told them it had not. they asked if i wanted a second openion i said yes. they sent out another guy and he said all the electrical in house was not up to code and it wasnt wired right. the insurance company then says to us that they wont fix because it is not up to code. but in our contract it says as long as it is working opperable order and without our prior knowing that it is covered. well we didnt know and it was in working order til that day we have lived in house for 4 yrs before we bought it. they say that they wont fix and our claim is deneyed. what can i do.

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

they asked if i wanted a second openion i said yes. they sent out another guy and he said, "okay, you're ugly."

IAAL

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state? Ca.
We purchased our home in June of this year. In Aug the electric went out in our garage. We bought our home warranty for all the mishapps that could happen from BHWC. When they came out the didnt know what he was doing I tried to tell him it wasnt the shop light in our garage there was something wrong with the silver junction boxes. Him thinking I am a woman i don't know what I am talking about. Just fixed a light switch and said it was fixed and when i went in to the house, he quikly got in his truck and left. I called insurance company and they told me he found the shop light to be the cause and he had fixed it. well i then told them it had not. they asked if i wanted a second openion i said yes. they sent out another guy and he said all the electrical in house was not up to code and it wasnt wired right. the insurance company then says to us that they wont fix because it is not up to code. but in our contract it says as long as it is working opperable order and without our prior knowing that it is covered. well we didnt know and it was in working order til that day we have lived in house for 4 yrs before we bought it. they say that they wont fix and our claim is deneyed. what can i do.

**A: is your home new and what type of warranty did you purchase" If your home was not new then you purchased a home warranty plan such as one offered by American Home Shield. Such a warranty company would not cover the electrical that was not up to code. Why did you not get a home inspection before your purchase?

 

[shellyshere]

The house was built in 1963. The warranty is by buyers home warrenty center. We had lived in the house for 4 yrs and never had problem. They said the circuit breaker box was not up to code and when the electric company came out they never said anything to us about it. we thought when they came and did the termite inspection that they were doing a whole house inspected since that is what the owner had said. In the contract it states :
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: BHWC will repair or replace the following parts of the home electrical system, provided the item was in place, functionally operable, and permanently installed within the perimeter of the house or garage on the effective date of this contract: ELECTRICAL PANELS; SWITCHES; PLUGS; REPAIRS ONLY TO WIRING AND LOW VOLTAGE LIGHTING SYSTEMS.
Not Covered: Light fixtures; remote controls; stretched plugs; replacement of low voltage lighting systems, smoke detectors.

 

[HomeGuru]

The house was built in 1963. The warranty is by buyers home warrenty center. We had lived in the house for 4 yrs and never had problem. They said the circuit breaker box was not up to code and when the electric company came out they never said anything to us about it. we thought when they came and did the termite inspection that they were doing a whole house inspected since that is what the owner had said. In the contract it states :
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: BHWC will repair or replace the following parts of the home electrical system, provided the item was in place, functionally operable, and permanently installed within the perimeter of the house or garage on the effective date of this contract: ELECTRICAL PANELS; SWITCHES; PLUGS; REPAIRS ONLY TO WIRING AND LOW VOLTAGE LIGHTING SYSTEMS.
Not Covered: Light fixtures; remote controls; stretched plugs; replacement of low voltage lighting systems, smoke detectors.

**A: there is a lot missing here. Where is your real estate? Why did you not order a home inspection? If you though that someone was doing a home inspection to include electrical, why did you not request a copy of the inspection report and read it?

 

[shellyshere]

we bought it from the owner and he procrastinated and then told us if it goes pass the closeing date he would pull the house and make us pay full price for house. he was a crabby old man and we didnt want to loose the house we had lived in for 4 yrs. we were also told by the him that we had a home warranty contract that covered everything. I read the contract and it seem to cover everthing. so we thought we would be safe. If u can go to www.bhwc.com and under home warrantys single family dwelling is the same exact contract. could u please read and tell me that i am reading it wrong .

 

[hexeliebe]

Until HG comes back I'm going to go through this with you.

Although those items you mentioned, including the electrical system in the house seem to be covered under the warranty, the following quote from the contract is what is causing you problems.

Only those systems and appliances specifically mentioned are covered, and only if they are properly and permanently installed and located within the perimeter of the main foundation of the home and/or detached garage, and were functioning in a safe and proper manner on the effective date of this contract, see LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY,

If you notice the wording "...and only if they are properly and permanently installed..." is the kicker. If the wiring is not up to code then it is not properly installed.

Your only option now, since you did not get a home inspection before closing, is to contact the city and get code enforcement to do an inspection. If it's up to code then you have a valid argument. If not, you have a lot of expense ahead of you.

 

[gobonas99]

Also of import is #8 in the "Other" section at the bottom of the page (particularly the last sentence):

"BUILDING CODE OR GOVERNMENT REGULATION: If local building codes or government regulations prevent BHWC from repairing or replacing a system or appliance with like capacity, or design, BHWC’s liability is limited to the amount that it would have cost to repair or replace the system or appliance in the absence of such code or regulation. BHWC will upgrade a malfunctioning system or appliance if the contract holder has agreed to pay the additional costs, for which BHWC may request payment in advance. The contract holder is responsible for obtaining all permits and for correcting any existing code violations and for any changes relating to upgrades required by law or hazardous material removal."

-Christina

 

[HomeGuru]

we bought it from the owner and he procrastinated and then told us if it goes pass the closeing date he would pull the house and make us pay full price for house. he was a crabby old man and we didnt want to loose the house we had lived in for 4 yrs. we were also told by the him that we had a home warranty contract that covered everything. I read the contract and it seem to cover everthing. so we thought we would be safe. If u can go to www.bhwc.com and under home warrantys single family dwelling is the same exact contract. could u please read and tell me that i am reading it wrong .

**A: why are you asking me to help you when you just refuse to address my questions to you?