A good home should have a secure structure, including the walls, ceiling and roof. If building contractors do a poor job on the house you want to buy, you may find evidence of defects later on. Such defects may include water leaks.
Sometimes it is simple to discover a water leak. You could notice water dripping down your wall or dampness in your ceiling. According to SFGate, there are other signs that you may have a water leak. Some of these signs could be hazardous to your health and that of other home residents.
Mold and mildew
Water leakage can produce molds or mildew. You might notice molds in a place like your bathroom but they can also form near a broken pipe. Possible locations for broken pipes include a crawlspace or a basement. Since molds can cause health problems, it is important to deal with them as soon as you can.
Even if you do not notice molds at first, you may detect other signs of a water leak. Corrosion may form on a broken pipe or someplace around it. You may also discover rotten wood. Rot can form because of flowing water, which may indicate a nearby leak.
Sewer breakage
Sometimes you cannot see a sign of a leak, but you can smell it. If a sewer pipe has broken, your home may fill with a noxious odor. A sewer vent generally does not leak fluid, so you will have to rely on smell to detect a problem. Sewer odors can become a hazard, so it is important to have a professional like a plumber come out and locate the source of the smell.
If your house has undergone recent construction, the contractor may be responsible for defects that had caused the water leaks. This is something to keep in mind if you deal with water problems in your home.