LOS?ANGELES – Rihanna may need an umbrella if she plans to stay in her multimillion-dollar mansion after filing a lawsuit last week over water leaks.
The Barbadian pop star Rihanna has begun proceedings to sue several companies for leaks at her Los Angeles Hillside property which was purchased by the S&M singer in 2009 for US$6.9 million (BDS$13.8 million).
It has now been rendered “uninhabitable” by the star as water has leaked into several rooms of the house.
Problems occurred at the Beverly Hills home following a rainstorm in 2010, when water flooded several rooms in the mansion.
Rihanna, 23, is convinced the former owner Heather Rudamin was aware of structural problems, including waterproofing defects and evidence of water intrusion.
She filed papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court last Wednesday claiming that Rudamin lied about the state of the property.
The Umbrella singer thinks that the property has serious structural defects, with the lawsuit stating she would not have paid US$6.9 million for the home if she had known about the problems.
It is thought that the water leaks have been caused due to a balcony at the home lacking the proper slope and drainage after the storm.
Rihanna (Robyn Fenty) has brought the lawsuit against Prudential California Realty and several other companies that designed and inspected the property. She claims Landmark Design Group, who remodelled the home, had failed to make necessary repairs.
According to Entertainment! Online, LaRocca Inspection Associates inspected the house and found a number of issues, including cracks in the exterior walls and drainage problems on the roof that could make the house susceptible to water damage.
The singer still wanted to buy the property and according to the lawsuit, her people issued a list of repair requirements to the owner, and upon a second inspection LaRocca Inspection Associates declared the house as “serviceable”.
The singer went ahead and purchased her new home but the court documents, which have been obtained by TMZ.com, stated that the singer claimed “the actual value of the property at the time of purchase, taking into consideration the extensive construction defects, was millions of dollars less” than the price she paid for it.
Landmark Design Group could not be reached for comment, but Prudential spokesman Wendy Durand said the company chose not to comment on pending lawsuits. (Mail Online)
