JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville family sinking money into a big problem.
Shalecia Jackson emailed the Ask Anthony team for help, because she wants to know who is responsible for the hole in her front yard.
"Yeah, we weren't expecting this," Jackson responded.
Jackson, her husband, and three children moved into their home on Lamee Avenue more than two years ago.
"Over the course of about a year, we noticed that water was starting to gradually come up in the yard," Jackson said.
An issue that turned into a $10,000 problem.
The first-time homebuyers thought they knew all the details about their property, but Jackson says they were never told what was beneath the ground until a giant hole formed in their front yard.
"We called JEA. They came out and looked at everything and told us that this was a private septic tank and that we were responsible for it and they would no longer touch it. We had to come out of pocket to pay for it," Jackson explained.
Before they bought the home, Jackson says their realtor asked if there was a septic system on the property and the previous owners said there wasn't.
"It's not even in the description of the full layout," Jackson added.
Anthony Austin contacted JEA about the issue and they explained over the phone that it's a private low-pressure system in Jackson's yard. This type of system collects sewage from the home into a collection tank and once it is full, it pumps out to the JEA sewer system.
Field technicians say the private tank failed, creating the sinkhole and causing dirt to be pulled into JEA’s sewer force main. A representative also said:
"JEA is not responsible for the repair of the customer’s private system; it is the homeowner’s responsibility, as with any other type of plumbing on private property. JEA also has no record of a claim being filed by the property owners for property damage."
"I don't feel like this should have been our responsibility and honestly I'm paying for JEA and this private septic tank here that JEA will not help us with," Jackson said.
JEA says the City of Jacksonville does have programs available to assist homeowners with repairs.
It's also important to mention, in Florida, the seller of the property, not the real estate agent, is legally bound to disclose to the buyer all defects that impact the home’s fair market value. If the buyer was not informed of the septic system, and bought the home, then he or she may have a claim against the seller for failure to disclose.
The existence and condition of the septic system is considered something that the seller of the property should disclose to the buyer.