Karl helped the reviewer buy this property

Item: Karl Latham
Rating: 1
Author: Buyer

Price not available

36 Orton Ave

Kewarra Beach

House

over 4 years ago

Verified Review

CAVEAT EMPTOR-BUYER BEWARE

Karl negligently failed to tell us that the gas oven was faulty and not operational. I didn't request a building and pest inspection as I assumed that appliances and the swim spa would be operational. However two gas companies inspected the gas system . I had one of the most experienced gas company in Cairns inspect the oven and gas. They informed me that the oven could have blown up and gas was leaking for some time which could have caused an explosion outside. The gas regulator had been faulty for a long time and was defective. Karl's property manager could not start the oven upon pre-inspection. We had to have the complete gas system and oven removed and dumped. Neither could Karl's property managercstart the swimjet spa which had a defective and dangerous electrical system. Obviously these hazards would have been observed prior to marketing. In my opinion this puts doubt upon Karl's integrity and the integrity of Twomey Schriber. BTW, we had increased our bid by $20,000 from our original written offer and you'd expect everything to operate. Due to the oven drama going on and on we were without a cooker for two weeks. Sadly the experience was not professionally handled. As a suggestion if you sign a contract with Karl, under inclusions, add 'All appliances and equipment must be operational prior to settlement '.

Buyer

Hi Gary, As discussed off this platform, I acknowledge your review Gary and I reiterate that this is a review for agents not for the property itself. As mentioned, it took a qualified gas expert (that we courteously arranged and paid for) to inspect the property after you moved in to establish that there was a fault with the regulator outside. Given that the house was vacant and unoccupied when I listed and marketed the property and that the gas bottles were empty, I was not aware nor qualified to diagnose the issue prior. I agree it is a shame it wasn’t working, and I also agree that you would expect appliances to be in working order. Your suggestion of buyers adding into the contract that all appliances and equipment are to be in working order prior to settlement is good advice to avoid the disappointment after moving in. Or if the buyer is not getting a professional building and pest inspection, its wise to personally check these items prior to offering if at all possible. In regard to the swim spa, both yourself and 20 other buyers saw the swim spa running at the open for inspection. As part of my settlement gift I arranged for a handover from a pool specialist to give you a lesson on working the spa. He established the pool pump and spa pump was working fine however the 3rd pump was faulty on the swim jet. Again only a pool professional was able to diagnose this issue after a 30 minute full investigation of the system. I sincerely hope you overcome these issues and settle into your new home without any further drama. I also hope you realise that I have been here to help as much as possible and find it unfair to be blamed or held liable.

Karl responded on 13 Oct 2021