It was supposed to be a fun adventure for Carol – downsizing from a 2800 square foot house in the city to an 800 square foot condo out in a quiet, natural setting. But while she was ready for adventure, she didn’t expect to end up feeling like she was camping in her own home – squatting over a bucket because her toilet had been ripped out as part of year-long saga over faulty pipes.
The problem began shortly after Carol moved in when she noticed that sewage was backing up into her bathtub and occasionally overflowing her toilet.
“In the middle of the night, the toilet would make this loud noise and suddenly, all the water would disappear out of it,” said Carol. “The bathtub would fill up with water, way past the jets, with sewage floating around, and then suddenly, all drain out.”
When she approached the homeowners association for a recommended plumber, she was told they would take care of it – any problem under the floor was their issue, not hers. But months later, after several extensive jobs involving ripping out the bathroom tile, her wood floors and more, it still wasn’t fixed. And what’s more, Carol found out that the previous owner had known about the issue and lied on the disclosure form. That’s when she called Texas Legal.
“Texas Legal made it really easy. They helped me find an attorney close by who was very professional, very articulate and very sensible,” says Carol.
Carol’s attorney quickly got to work on her behalf and got the homeowner’s association to sign an agreement that they would complete the work to Carol’s satisfaction. Then Carol and her lawyer used used the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act to pursue the previous owner and helped Carol reach a settlement for the trouble.
“It’s been really easy. My attorney has handled everything. He’s dealt with them, and he’s done whatever he had to do in requesting payment. I really didn’t have to do anything other than my initial phone call,” said Carol.
As a state employee, Carol has been a Texas Legal member for over 20 years, but before this issue, she had only used her plan for her wills. Although she never anticipated needing anything more, she says she’s incredibly glad that Texas Legal was there when she needed it.
“It’s very low cost, so I never cancelled my membership, even when I wasn’t using it,” says Carol. “I’m glad I did because of this ridiculous mess.”
And although the plumbing problem is now fully fixed and Carol has a working toilet again, she had to call her lawyer again for yet another issue. The homeowner’s association has disputed the contractor’s bill, and the contractor put a lien on Carol’s property, despite the fact that she’s not responsible for the bill. Carol said she was upset about it for a little bit, but now that she has a lawyer, she knows he’ll handle it and she doesn’t have to worry.
“It’s been never ending, but we sent a letter yesterday, and I have faith that he will make it go away,” said Carol.
Here at Texas Legal, we’re proud to have been by Carol’s side when she needed us. Thank you, Carol, for your loyalty as a Texas Legal member. Do you have a story of a Texas Legal attorney who helped you? We want to hear about it. Email us at outreach@texaslegal.org.
[…] When you have a legal plan, you can ask a lawyer to write a letter on your behalf to make sure an unscrupulous contractor lives up to his end of the deal or to help you get your security deposit back from a crooked […]