Homebuyers should get separate inspection of A/C unit

FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ (CBS5) -

An inspection is an important part of the home buying process, butthere's an extra step you should take with your A/C unit, regardless of what the inspection report says about it.

A good home inspector will do a thorough job and give you valuable information about the condition of the house in general. But when it comes tothe A/C unit, you need detailed information and you need to get it elsewhere on your own.

Melissa Atwood hired Buyers Protection Group (BPG) to perform a home inspection prior to buying her Fountain Hills home. Atwood says BPG's inspection report pointed out a couple minor issues with the A/C unit, but stated that generally it was in good working order.

A couple months after closing, the condensation line started leaking. Atwood called her home warranty company, also BPG, and they sent a repairman.

"His exact words were that this was the most horrible install job he had ever seen for an air conditioner, he told us we could not change the air filter because there was no tray," Atwood said.

An arrow on the inspection report points to where the air filter goes but never mentionsthe filtercan't be changed due to a lack of a tray and poor installation. Atwood says the contractor BPG sent out also said the unit was too small for their home and these were basic problems that should have been caught by the home inspector. Atwood says she only bought a warranty from BPG because their sister company did the home inspection. She felt BPG dropped the ball and should pay for a new A/C unit.

"They said it was not in the scope of the job, that it was not their responsibility to inspect the A/C unit," Atwood said.

Atwood's learned buyers should always hire a separate professional to inspect the A/C unit before closing. She's not happy with BPG's work.

"The name of their company is Buyers Protection Group. We hired them to protect us as a buyer and they failed," Atwood said.

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Homebuyers should get separate inspection of A/C unit