29.4.2022
The Purchase Was Canceled in a Dispute over House Mold
Not long after the deal was closed a couple found house mold in their new property in Tammela, Kanta-Häme region. The buyers were able to cancel the purchase with the help of Attorneys Lindblad & Co.
Canceling the purchase required legal advice
When Kaisa Nikkanen and Tomi Koskinen bought an older property in Tammela in June 2020 everything seemed to be all right. “The house had been fully renovated. Also, the seller had experience in real estate business so we trusted that everything was as expected,” Kaisa notes. But not long after the sale, by early fall 2020, the new homeowners started to suffer from unexplainable health issues, which raised suspicion – could it be possible that the house had mold?
Kaisa tells how the settlement process began: “I contacted the seller via phone, who admitted that the house had suffered water damage, which hadn’t been thoroughly inspected nor dried, only the visibly wet materials had been replaced.”
The couple quickly concluded that they would need an expert to help them with the case. “Pretty much as soon as we became suspicious twe had a problem with mold, we assumed we couldn’t get the purchase canceled unless we turned to a lawyer. I didn’t want to make a notice of defects myself because I didn’t know anything about the legal terminology for starters,” Kaisa recalls.
Efficiency along with cost-effective and comprehensibility
Kaisa and Tomi moved out of the house to a rental and hired an attorney to help them with the case. The attorney advised them to order a mold inspection. Already, two mold dogs had sniffed 10 potential damaged spots, so when the inspection results came in, there were no big surprises: Actinomycete fungus was among the findings when the structures were opened.
In February, however, it became apparent that they couldn’t continue their cooperation with their then-attorney. “Their billing system was incompatible with our needs, so we terminated our case there,” Kaisa tells and continues:
“A friend of ours told us about Minna Ravi, an attorney specialized in real estate law. I checked her info and other clients’ testimonials online after which I called Minna directly. I explained our situation to her and Minna was able to explain the basics of Lindblad & Co’s billing right away. The price was substantially lower than that of the previous lawyer, and so began our cooperation with Lindblad & Co.
Kaisa recalls back to the beginning of the process. “Everything started out fast, but it took a couple months to communicate with the seller since they were unwilling to cancel the deal. We stayed in touch with Minna via email mainly. She always responded very quickly to our questions and always had an answer.”
Even if neither of the clients were experienced in legal matters, they think Lindblad & Co and Minna Ravi helped to keep the process clear. “We sent an email whenever we had any questions and they always responded back to us in swiftly,” Kaisa appraises.
Outcome: ”We’re super happy!”
The couple knew that canceling a real estate purchase isn’t guaranteed. “We wanted to cancel the deal from the beginning, no other options there, and were nervous whether this thing would end up in trial,” says Tomi.
To their relief, the dispute was settled before trial. In September the seller agreed to cancel the purchase contract and the process ended with a great outcome. “The process was very fast, some people need to fight for years. It was a nerving wait, nevertheless, since we couldn’t be sure of a positive outcome.”
The couple is happy with the result: “It’s so relieving that the purchase was canceled. We lost a lot less money than we feared. And we didn’t get a divorce even if it was close at one point,” Tomi says, relieved.
”Customer-friendly,” Tomi describes Lindblad & Co’s service, and Kaisa adds: “I recommend Lindblad, Minna especially. If you need a competent legal advice and an experienced lawyer, Lindblad is for sure a great option!”