Water damage in the basement, cause unknown - Architect's liability??

Hello everyone,

we built a single-family house 3 years ago. At that time, we agreed on an architect's contract with an architect that included all 9 service phases, including site supervision and monitoring the remediation of defects.

Four weeks ago, we discovered in the basement that the screed in one room on one side of the house was damp. Our architect came together with the builder responsible for the shell construction and inspected the damage. In one corner, the screed was "propped up," and water stood about 1 cm deep under the screed. The two could not determine a cause.

We informed the homeowners insurance (including natural hazard coverage), and an expert from the insurance company also inspected the basement and came to the conclusion that the insurance will not cover the damage (drying of the screed by a specialist company). A few days before we discovered the damage, it had rained heavily. Immediately after the rain, I checked the basement but could not detect any water damage.

The screed is now dry again. We initially left the holes drilled into the screed by the drying company open to observe if and where the water would reappear (about half of the basement was affected). Then we would have a starting point to continue searching for the cause.

How should I deal with the drying company's invoice? Can I confront the architect with it with the note that he is to pay it? We are still within the 5-year warranty period.

Thank you in advance for hopefully many helpful answers!

Hello,

How do I deal with the invoice from the drying company? Can I hold it under the architect's nose with the note that he should please pay it? We are still within the 5-year warranty period.

Before this question can even be remotely answered, the question about the soil report arises. What does it say about the soil conditions in relation to the execution of the basement?

Rhenish greetings