Looking for input on how much to disclose prior to sale about an issue with flooring. Posting this here and not in DIY, because it's not a question about repair, but about disclosure upon sale, and avoiding claims after sale.
Sooo ... a friend is selling a condo. The condo has carbonized bamboo flooring in all main rooms. During the summer, the floors look fine - no issues at all. During winters, thanks to central gas-hot-air overhead-vent heating (very very drying), the boards shrink, and a 1/2" gap opens up in the kitchen and into the living area. The gap runs about 15' long in total, and zig-zags from one joint to the next one over, once. Like this (imagine all three lines below connecting, with only the horizontal lines representing the gap:
__________________________
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Our friend bought two (small-ish) cool mist humidifiers to try to address it. They start them in October and run them until February, when they leave for warmer climes for 6-8 weeks. The gaps will start, but not be too too bad (but still visible, say 1/8" to maybe 1/4") from October til February. But after the humidifiers are shut off - and they have to do so, or pay someone to come in and fill them twice each day - the gap widens to 1/2" and then takes until June/July to close up 100%. This only happens along that one area in the main room, which is very large.
The friend is too cheap frugal to spring for a set of large and more powerful humidifiers. So while it is very likely that larger humidifiers - of unknown power and size - would solve the issue, it is not 100% sure because it was never tested. And, also keeping them running the whole winter, rather than shutting them off for two months.
Does the friend disclose this:
- in the listing?
- to the agent?
- immediately prior to sale?
Thanks in advance for your input and your moral and legal compasses. Especially to Ontarians/Canadians familiar with the law in this regard.