Does the principle of "buyer beware" generally apply to home sales?

13. The principle of “buyer beware” generally applies to home sales. A buyer is required to make reasonable pre-purchase enquiries about the property. Exceptions include negligent or fraudulent misrepresentations and the seller’s duty to disclose known latent defects (see Nixon v. MacIver, 2016 BCCA 8).

14. A latent defect is one that a buyer cannot discover through reasonable inspection and includes defects which make the property unfit or dangerous for living. Patent defects can be discovered through inquiry or reasonable inspection. A seller does not have to disclose patent defects to a buyer but cannot actively conceal them (see Cardwell v. Perthen, 2007 BCCA 313).