Applebaum Realty

I was not aware that the purchaser of this property was still having an issue with the heat pump system. When the home was remodeled a HVAC contractor was hired to do the job. The contractor pulled permits and had permits closed out so the county had passed this installation when it was put in. I...

only received one call from the buyers real estate agent and I acted promptly by calling the contractor that installed it to go to home to make sure that the unit was properly working. I had never heard anything else in regards to this issue. In addition this HVAC unit was installed prior to the person doing this complaint. It was not installed for her. When this person was purchasing the home it went through a home inspection and the unit also passed that inspection. The unit was new when home was purchased as advertised. It was also working properly at the time the home purchase was made per the buyers home inspection company. I cant be responsible for anything in the home after it is sold.

Review: I purchased a home from Applebaum Realty in May of 2013. The advertisement indicated "the entire HVAC system is a new Trane system". In January 2014 the temperature inside became unbearably cold (47 degrees), so I had the unit inspected by a licensed heating contractor ([redacted] with 25 years of experience. [redacted] stated that the heat pump was the wrong size for my house. He said it was a 1.5 ton unit which is made for condos or townhouses only. I contacted the New Castle County Code Enforcement office and [redacted] came out on January 15 to inspect the unit. He said it did not conform to county code requiring the heating unit to produce a temperature of 68 degrees. He suggested I contact an attorney. He also said he would arrange a meeting with [redacted] and I. He no longer returns my calls. I contacted my realtor, [redacted] and she made arrangements for the installer (used by Applebaum) to check out the unit to see if he could find any way to fix the heater. He said there was nothing wrong with it except that it was the wrong size. When I asked about getting a new unit, he said Mr. Applebaum would not install the larger 2 ton unit but that he would be glad to upgrade my unit for $3000. The attorney I contacted said I would likely not succeed legally as I could not prove he knew it was the wrong size HVAC unit. I think that is ridiculous as he could have found out that information on the internet in about 5 minutes.Desired Settlement: I am a widow living on a fixed income. The cost of a new HVAC unit could easily exceed $10,000. I would like to see [redacted] replace my 1.5 ton HVAC unit with one of the correct size.

Business

Response:

I was not aware that the purchaser of this property was still having an issue with the heat pump system. When the home was remodeled a HVAC contractor was hired to do the job. The contractor pulled permits and had permits closed out so the county had passed this installation when it was put in. I only received one call from the buyers real estate agent and I acted promptly by calling the contractor that installed it to go to home to make sure that the unit was properly working. I had never heard anything else in regards to this issue. In addition this HVAC unit was installed prior to the person doing this complaint. It was not installed for her. When this person was purchasing the home it went through a home inspection and the unit also passed that inspection. The unit was new when home was purchased as advertised. It was also working properly at the time the home purchase was made per the buyers home inspection company. I cant be responsible for anything in the home after it is sold.