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| Register Your Builder Complaint |
Please let us know what has happened to you, and let us know if you would like to help us make buying new houses safer.
Tell us your story.
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melinda
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posted 3 February 2005 09:37 CET
I agree |
Sabrina
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posted 3 February 2005 09:37 CET
hey you guys rock i support you |
Alonda Davis
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posted 31 January 2005 21:52 CET
My name is Alonda Davis and I am desperately seeking your assistance. I purchased a Choice Home in September of 2003. During the walk through of my house several concerns was brought to their attention, one of them being the settlement cracks through out the house.
When we completed the walk through with Debbie Patterson and Travis and we expressed the concerns that we had regarding the settlement cracks, we were informed that the cracks were normal due to the house not fully being settled. My husband, whom is a builder, expressed to Debbie and Travis that the cracks that appeared in our home was not normal for a new home. So they said they would have someone come out and fix them. All they did was paint over the cracks.
As time passed, the cracks begin to appear throughout the entire house and became more evident. On January 10, 2004, I sent a warranty request fax and it was not addressed. I sent another fax on April 25, 2004 and did not receive a call back. I called Debbie and she said that they were moving offices and that she probably did not get it and asked if I could fax it over again. It was still not addressed. Finally I sent another fax on July 12, 2004, followed up with a phone call to Debbie and she said that she did receive them and she would begin to work on them.
She came and did a walk through of the house and she said that the cracks were normal. She said that she would have the gentleman they use to come and fix the cracks. The gentleman was scheduled to come and he did not showed up. This happened for a total of four times. By this time we asked to speak to Travis, her manager. He and Debbie came out to the house and walked through. He said that it was normal. So my husband decided to hire an engineer and have him do a survey. When we informed Choice Homes Inc that we were hiring an engineer, their response was that they would hire an engineer as well.
After their engineer came out and completed his survey, I still did not receive a call from a representative from Choice Homes with the results. It was not until I called Debbie Patterson that she informed me that Travis was no longer over my area and that their Project manager would like to come out and take a look. The project manager, Don, came out on January 19, 2004 and walked through the house and admitted that there was so major shifting of the house. He said that he would go back and speak with the engineer and see what needs to be done to correct the problem.
On January 26, Debbie called me and she said that Albert Verver, who replaced Travis, would like to have another engineer come out and complete an additional survey. I expressed to her that I had taken too much time off from work to deal with issues regarding my home that could have been handled before I closed on my home. She said that since their engineer and our engineer made no recommendations and based on the warranty, that they were not obligated to do anything to my house. She said what they were doing was a courtesy to me and they we trying to assist me, but they really did not have to. At that point I ceased all conversation with her and asked her to have Albert Verver call me. She said that he just got here and he was trying to get settled in and that he would call when he got the chance. So I informed her that I would call corporate office and speak to someone since this has drawn out for 1 year and 5 months.
Within 20 minutes Albert called me. I spoke with Albert and questioned why he wanted to have another engineer come out. His response was he had not done business that much with the engineer that came out and the engineer he wanted to come out was one he trusted his recommendations. I begin to explain to him that this has drawn out and I had taken to much time off from work to take off again because of a trust factor that he has with an engineer that his company chose to use. He said that is what had to be done in order for Choice Homes to do anything. I feel that I should not be inconvenienced again for them to take care of something that they have already completed.
I explained to him that I had already taken off for the gentlemen to replace the A/C vents in the house because they did not open and close. I took of for carpet replacement that had a defect, which we mentioned to them at walk through and they said that the carpet issues would walk itself out. The carpet in 8 months separated and I had to take off for the carpet be replaced. Then I had to interrupt my Saturday, because the replacement carpet had a defect and it had to be replaced again.
I want Choice Homes, Inc to address all my issues below in a timely manner, so I may begin to enjoy my home with my family.
· Door to Wash room does not always open and close
· Different color paint on exterior of house
· Paint on back door chipping after 10 months
· Brick cracks around the house
· Foundation falling apart at corner of house
· Incomplete caulking around windows (interior & exterior)
· Cracks throughout the house
· One gutter not working
If you can assist with finding out why Choice Home, Inc who says they are a hometown builder with their attention focused on making their homeowners happy have not done so with me. |
Sabrina Hammel
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posted 31 January 2005 10:39 CET
Owner of Centex home since 1998. Newly aware of defective siding used. Neighbors are also impacted but due to their homes being older their the siding is in more advanced stages of decay. I am trying to advance this complaint via the most direct way possible. Please advise? Also, I have been unable to locate the TXSC ruling once it was returned by the higher court. Do you have any information on that ruling. |
Ingrid Mongiove
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posted 24 January 2005 10:54 CET
I purchased a home from Prime Homebuilders in Homestead, FL in a newly developed community called Waterstone. I actually have a few complaints!!!!
1. They did not fully disclose the taxes. They estimated our taxes at $1800.00 - next year I'll be paying close to $6,000.00! Yes, SIX THOUSAND for a home I paid $167,000 for.
2. Prime did not fully disclose the CDD at the point of purchase. There was one paragraph in our sales contract stating we 'may be in a special tax district', but nothing at closing about a 30 year $924.00 a year CDD tax. Oh, and it can go up at any time.
This is causing several homeowners to have to sell their homes - it's adding $400-$500 a month onto mortgage payments. I don't think a lot of those who purchased homes form Prime would have been approved if the correct taxes and the CDD were disclosed.
SHAME ON YOU PRIME HOMEBUILDERS!!!!!!! |
Andrea
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posted 24 January 2005 09:40 CET
1. Lennar did not disclose full amount of taxes to be imposed on each homeowner. Many would not have qualified if the full amount of taxes were disclosed.
2. Lennar did not fully disclose the CDD at the point of purchase. Sometimes not at all, usually incomplete data implying the charge was a "one year" or "one-time only" assessment and then on the day of the closing, sprung this information on many unsuspecting buyers who had often been waiting hours to close. Not one single buyer has been discovered who knew that the CDD could mean even additional, ever increasing assessments and operational fees, PRIOR TO PURCHASING THEIR HOME.
3. Lennar refuses to recognize that injuries arising from the same deception or non-disclosure perpetrated upon initial buyers was passed on to those they sold to as well. Second buyers were wronged by Lennar, because their sellers unwittingly passed on Lennar's deception to those they sold homes to. Almost all initial buyers were ignorant of the impact of the CDD and the city of Homestead tax liability until well after they had closed on their homes.
4. Even when Lennar had buyers sign CDD disclosure documents at closing, some signed under duress and Lennar representatives either deliberately or in ignorance, perpetrated severe misrepresentations to customers of what those documents contained and the actual liability they presented for buyers.
5. Lennar knows they have dealt deceptively with their customers at Waterstone and have been paying homeowners settlements ranging from $4,000 to $10,500. in hush money. The CDD liability is significantly more than that and could create a liability as high as 35% of the FMV of these homes!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Maggie and Brad Parker
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posted 23 January 2005 22:18 CET
Ryan Homes promised us a perfect home for our growing family in a new subdivision of Terrace Ridge in Cincinnati, Ohio. Needless to say it all "went down the drain" with a series of gross acts by the unsupervised contractors. We pulled up to view our nearly finished home in our pick up truck one late afternoon following work. The bricklayers were still working and I suspect assumed we were subcontractors by the way we were dressed. The bricklayers were in and out of the second floor windows via the scaffolding so we stayed in the basement and 1st floor to stay out of their way. I was walking through the kitchen when I noticed yellow dripping from the ceiling of the kitchen through the sub flooring and down the drywall going from the kitchen into the dining room. We walked upstairs to find a fresh pool of urine in the bathroom linen closet floor and splashed all over the drywall seeping through the sub flooring. Horrified, we went downstairs and found other locations of pools of urine including the dining room with seepage coming through the kitchen floor under the dividing wall. We immediately called the Ryan supervisor and left a message with no response. We then had to call again in the morning. They said they would bleach the affected areas and replace some of the floor boarding and drywall. They could not guarantee that this was the only incident. There was only one port-o-let on the job site and it was roughly 1/5 mile away from our home...until two days following our gross findings and then they put one right next to our house. After expressing our emotional blocks in a meeting with the sales manager, they told us they would "not make us buy the house" and that we could take the weekend to decide. We made a call to the local health department and the inspector was concerned with health issues involving future mold problems arising from the affected areas. Right then we knew we no longer wanted this home or any home Ryan built. We called the sales manager and told her our decision to void the contract. She then got nasty and said we would have to pay all the costs associated with the breach of contract and that they were going to keep our hand money we gave up front. She then offered to do a special cleaning and paint our basement floor...the basement floor never came up as a possible affected area and it was a finished living area during the construction. Ryan's neglect in supervising and hiring quality subcontractors and their bad business practices of deception by their sales department has left a terrible taste in our mouths for the new home building experience. We hired an attorney to retrieve our money back and force Ryan to let us out of the contract and now we are in the process of filing a complaint with Clermont County in Cincinnati, Ohio. Perhaps this indecency may be another reason why mold problems are so widespread among newer homes. I pray this doesn't happen to any other home buyers, but BEWARE! |
Michelle Mahala
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posted 22 January 2005 20:30 CET
I am not sure who is responsible for the issues with my home, however I am very sure it is not me.
I have been dealing with this issue since 2003 to no avail.
I will be breif in my explaination.
Basically Pennsylvania was in drought when we purchased our home in 2001. In 2002 PA came out of drought and we began to notice water pooling in the back corner of our yard. We have contacted the Borough where we live and the builder who built the home and asked for help in aleviating the swamp like condition creating when the sump pump line was buried in our back yard. We had no luck. We hired a lawyer to help us... again no luck. We were served the first of the year with a lawsuit from the Borough in which we live to clean up the water back up that we have all but begged for help with and got no response. Now they are threatening to put a lein against our home and put us and our five boys out on the street.
Even if I could afford a lawyer I can't find one willing to take the case since it is government.
What is a person to do?? |
Trevor Hubert
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posted 18 January 2005 14:53 CET
Turnberry Homes LLC (Rick Bell) continues to deny there are any problems and has yet to accept any responsibility. Turnberry advertises themselves as the "Ralph Lauren" of homebuilders but, in my humble consumer opinion, they are far from living up to the implied reputation. Turnberry Homes LLC, by their inactions, has forced us to pursue legal action as a remedy to resolve these matters. The complaint with the Tennessee State Contractors Licensing Board and Law Suit filed in Williamson County Chancery Court are still pending.
Roof – Water damage under the felt; shingles improperly installed; areas without any felt under the shingles; nails and nail holes in shingles; improperly installed flashing; rain gutters improperly installed and leaking; splitting eaves from the house settling and causing the shingles to split and leak water... .
Attic – Because of the mold and mildew on the roof, there is now mold, mildew and fungi in the attic area.
Brick veneer - The brick veneer walls were installed with NO flashing for windows or flashing for the weep holes; ...there are areas of the OSB board behind the brick that have NO felt and are wet and have mold and mildew; Architect and Engineers recommend that all the brick, OSB and insulation be completely removed...
Windows – The windows are not properly installed and have NO flashing; several windows leak when the rain hits them; water leaks through the windows and runs down the back of the drywall; many of the window frames and sills have peeling paint from the water and moisture; daylight can be seen through the frames of several windows.
Back door – The back door leaks water and has mold and mildew growing in the frame from not being properly installed.
Foundation – There are 7 areas in the foundation where the mortar has washed away into the crawlspace from the hydraulic water pressure coming from the outside; the hydraulic water pressure has also caused several of the cement blocks in the foundation to loosen...
Crawlspace – There are several areas where water accumulates up to 12” deep in the crawlspace after a rain; .. there is mold, mildew and fungi on the wood in the crawlspace...
Hardwood floors – The hardwood floors are not properly installed and are sub-standard quality. The hardwood is separating, splitting, warping and have many “Mill Ends”.
Steam shower – The steam shower control unit has never been permanently installed, it was left hanging from the wall by its wires.
These are but a few of the many challenges we are experiencing with our 1 ˝ year old house. The Architect stated in his report that he would rate this house a “ D or even an F”. The Architect also states that in his professional opinion our house was “Built to sell, not to last”. We paid in the neighborhood of $500,000.00 for a house that needs extensive, expensive repairs after only one year. The estimated cost of repairs now is well into the 6 figure $ range. What will the repair/maintenance cost be for 5 or 10 years? More than we paid for the house in the first place?
At this point I have to say that I would not personally trust Turnberry Homes to build a “Dog House” for me, never mind any other type of house.
August 28, 2003 –
· We took position of our Custom Built Turnberry Home and the NIGHTMARE began.
August 2004 –
· We filed a formal complaint with the Tennessee State Contractor Licensing Board. We gave the State copies of all the inspection reports we had concerning our home.
October 2004 –
· We received a copy of the Turnberry Engineer response from the State CLB. The Turnberry Engineer report says that our home is “constructed well beyond what is considered good and workmanlike and the industry standard”.
· We filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
· A State Inspector/Investigator performed a preliminary inspection of our home.
November 2004 –
· We received a letter from the States CLB Attorney stating that he has requested an investigation of our case and an Investigator would be contacting us in the next few weeks.
December 2004 –
· Our Attorney, acting on our behalf, filed suit against Turnberry Homes LLC for:
1. Fraud
2. Breach of Contract
3. Consumer Protection Claims
4. Negligent Misrepresentation
5. Negligence
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Debra Rylander
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posted 17 January 2005 13:44 CET
I live in a home that was built by Perry Homes and a community being developed by Perry Homes.
Nine months after we moved into our home a professional engineer
(David Grissom P.E.) gave us the bad news. Our home needed a complete underpinning, the repairs for this will run approximately $55.000.00. We have battled with Perry Homes for 2 years and have spent $53,000.00 on legal fees and forensic testing to find the cause of our foundation problems. To date they have offered to redirect the water from two gutter downspouts. My engineer laughs at this fix. We are now faced with three choices none of which holds the builder accountable. 1. We can repair the home on our own dollar. 2. We can file a lawsuit. We were told this would cost us approximately $100,000.00. 3. Choose binding arbitration by the 28 Jan. 2005 with the Home Warranty of Texas. Which we must pay for. What would you choose. Where are the rights of the home owner? Perry spent 9 million in the 2004 elections. Guess I need to have my name on a political ballott to get a response from him. |
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