Organizing your community to bring public attention to builder’s bad deeds and seeking assistance from local, state and federal elected officials has proven to be more effective and much quicker for thousands of families. You do have choices and alternatives. Janet Ahmad
No place like home for this cuddly Austin lapdog THE Texas Legislature, over the years, has created a number of industry lapdogs, but the Texas Residential Construction Commission, established two years ago, could be one of the cuddliest yet... A few senators tried to take some of the wag out of its homebuilder-friendly tail last week but failed. Even though some political contributions have sparked legal turmoil, money still talks in Austin, and with a very loud voice... Homeowners now have to go through an expensive, commission-run dispute resolution process before pursuing any legal action over construction complaints. This is more bureaucratic and potentially more intimidating than the mandatory arbitration process that most builders already required in new home contracts.
Perry’s picks for TRCC are Targeted At a Monday hearing, Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, took issue with the commissioners’ work since they first assembled in December 2003. He said registered builders undergo almost no scrutiny, yet the general public thinks state registration is “giving them a badge, they have some sort of elevated credibility.”Duncan criticized Krugh for opposing portions of a bill Duncan authored that would address some of the problems he believes exist in the process. He grilled Krugh for lobbying against a provision to provide notice to homebuyers where the only inspector is the one provided by the homebuilder.
Senator Duncan..."by the builder, for the builder"
Friday, 20 May 2005
Star-Telegram Door slams shut on bills to protect homeowners And consumer groups apparently have found a new ally: state Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, who introduced the bill two years ago that created the commission. Duncan says he now wonders whether the commission is operated "by the builder, for the builder." "It appeared to be to the public a regulatory body," he told fellow lawmakers at a hearing Monday in Austin. But in fact, he said, "The people that are being regulated by the act are the consumers, to a certain degree, as opposed to the builders."
Home builders resist reconstructing rookie agency Buyers no better off in resolving disputes, say proponents of strengthening regulator this session The fledgling Texas Residential Construction Commission was created two years ago to provide new performance standards for builders and a formal dispute resolution process between buyers and builders. A remodeling of the commission is necessary, some consumer advocacy groups say, because it was created solely with the interests of home builders in mind, leaving buyers worse off than before. The law establishing the agency was written by the lawyer for Houston home builder Bob Perry, who gives more Republican campaign contributions than anyone else in Texas. "Builders don't have to do anything differently than before the commission was created," said Janet Ahmad, president of the consumer advocacy group HomeOwners for Better Building. "This is pushing people to lawsuits; that's what the problem is." The current dispute resolution process has no teeth, Ahmad said, because it doesn't require the builder to settle with the buyer if the commission finds in favor of the homeowner.
FREE? See announcement and schedule – 22 cities Texas Residential Construction Commission Announcement Free Warranty and Building and Performance Standards Seminars The commission will be holding seminars designed to answer questions from homeowners and other interested parties about the recently adopted warranties and building and performance standards that go into effect on June 1, 2005… Learn how “Crack House” takes on a how new meaning.Warranty and Performance Standards allow builders to legally build new homes with unlimited numbers of cracks. See how: Standards tarnishing the image of a fine University
The Partington Story - TRCC More Harm Than Good
Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Complaints against builder illustrate agency's problems Video: Byron Harris reports In one particular instance, people are angry at one homebuilder, Robert Tidwell...It was supposed to be their dream house. More than four years ago, the Partingtons hired Tidwell to build it. They signed over their lot to him; he took months to build a little, then quit. They sued him and won $65,000, but Tidwell never paid them, and they lost everything - the lot and their partially-finished house, where someone else now lives... "This was everything we had, this was everything," Lisa Partington said. "This was our life savings." Three bills to change the TRCC went before the Legislature this session; they all died. One reason might be that the homebuilding industry spent nearly $9 million lobbying in Austin over the last four years. Related Article: The First Cheetum Mark of Distinction, Hall of Shame Award Goes To.... Robert Tidwell. Related article: Cheetum Builder Hall of Shame Award
State Affairs House Committee to regulate homebuilders Broadcasts of Live Coverage State Affairs hearing on HB3404 – 4/18/05 Advance to 4:52.
Of the 502 complaints officially filed with TRCC over the past 15 months – 206 filed for SIRP the dispute esolution however, only 137 were eligible. 365 could not use TRCC if they wanted to. Based on these figures clearly, TRCC is a $2.5 Million state agency that selectively serves a very small portion of the home buying public stuck with defective homes.
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