Baytown couple claims home's plumbing problem wasn't disclosed before purchase

BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- A Baytown couple said they were blindsided after spending their life savings on a new home.

Abraham and Alexis Maldonado moved in on Thursday. On Friday, they were allegedly informed of serious plumbing issues.

"We signed, and we came to the house after they moved out and sat on the floor and cried," Abraham Maldonado said. "We listened to the song, we walked down the aisle, and cried."

Abraham Maldonado said at that point he and his wife Alexis had already taken care of the basics like setting up Wi-Fi and transferring over utilities.

"Everything was good," Alexis Maldonado said. "We started moving stuff in here, and while I was at work Friday they called and said, 'Miss Maldonado, we shouldn't have set up the water in your name and transferred any services because there's a flag on your account.'"

The Maldonado's home is allegedly sitting on top of a faulty plumbing system.

Abraham was told there are tree roots growing into a concrete private sewer line that runs from his house to the city line.

According to the city of Baytown, it's been like this for seven years.

"They sent me an email with the letter that was sent to the owners," Abraham Maldonado said.

The owners tell ABC13 they don't recall getting a letter informing them of the needed repair.

It's stamped with a deadline of Aug. 17, 2018. The document states the consequences of non compliance are; they'll have to pay a $25 surcharge every month going forward, and utility services are not transferrable until the fixes are made.

"They've been paying that for seven years; that is a little over $2,000 that could have gone a long way for repairs," Abraham Maldonado said.

According to Abraham Maldonado, the job is going to cost he and his wife about $8,000.

He said on Thursday the city told him if it wasn't done by Friday their services would be cut off.

"I don't have any money. We spent it all on closing and getting all the stuff we need for the house, and she's like, 'I don't know what to tell you there's nothing we can do,'" Abraham Maldonado said.

ABC13 did reach out to the city outside of their normal business hours and are waiting on a response.

As of Sunday, the city has yet to cut the Maldonado's water off.

It doesn't change the fact that the life they imagined in this home could end up down the drain.

"We are not asking for seven years that the sellers had to get this fixed, but we would like some time to figure out what to do financially," Alexis Maldonado said.

For updates on this story, follow Alex Bozarjian on Facebook, X and Instagram.