Lots and flooding

[mrbrown1602]

What is the name of your state? Louisiana

A few years back, my family bought a lot in a subdivision and built a house on it. We found out later on that the lot floods and that the person we bought it from knew that the lot would flood. Seeing as how when you sell a home, you have to inform the buyer of any problems (such as flooding), does the same apply to a lot? Keep in mind, the owner DID know that the lot would flood.

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state? Louisiana

A few years back, my family bought a lot in a subdivision and built a house on it. We found out later on that the lot floods and that the person we bought it from knew that the lot would flood. Seeing as how when you sell a home, you have to inform the buyer of any problems (such as flooding), does the same apply to a lot? Keep in mind, the owner DID know that the lot would flood.

**A: the owner/seller should have disclosed the flooding condition.

 

[alligatorob]

Don’t most all lots in Louisiana flood? Everything, all land surface, south of Baton Rouge is flood plain and naturally floods. The only things that keep some places dry are artificial levees and pumping, and these are prone to failure. What's more South Louisiana is sinking so the ability of these levees and pumps to keep it dry is getting less all the time. North of BR this is true of probably half of the developed land.

Wouldn’t a requirement to disclose a flooding condition in Louisiana be a little like requiring disclosure of the occurrence of earthquakes in California or rain somewhere else?

I'm a Louisiana native, a graduate of the Coastal Studies Institute at LSU, and I’ve cleaned up a lot of flooded houses in South Louisiana; but I am not a lawyer.

 

[HomeGuru]

Don’t most all lots in Louisiana flood? Everything, all land surface, south of Baton Rouge is flood plain and naturally floods. The only things that keep some places dry are artificial levees and pumping, and these are prone to failure. What's more South Louisiana is sinking so the ability of these levees and pumps to keep it dry is getting less all the time. North of BR this is true of probably half of the developed land.

Wouldn’t a requirement to disclose a flooding condition in Louisiana be a little like requiring disclosure of the occurrence of earthquakes in California or rain somewhere else?

**A: there is indeed earthquake disclosure in CA. You fail to understand that the flood disclosure should have been made specific to the lot, especially if the Seller had previous and superior knowledge of the conditions.
*************

I'm a Louisiana native, a graduate of the Coastal Studies Institute at LSU, and I’ve cleaned up a lot of flooded houses in South Louisiana; but I am not a lawyer.

**A: thanks for letting us know.

 

[mrbrown1602]

Not all of Louisiana floods. In fact, the only people that flood in our neighborhood is... well, us. ;-)

 

[HomeGuru]

Your clarification proved my point.