Texans Abused by Builders, Abandoned by the TRCC
With the creation of the Texas Residential Construction Commission in 2003, Texas homebuilders were shielded from liability and given a free pass to build shoddy homes.  The following stories are true accounts of homeowners who are now left with nothing and no way to hold their homebuilders accountable.

New homebuilding provisions reviewed
Changes in state law won't affect area homebuilders much, some say. "I don't see anything here that will affect our operation at all," said Don Farek, of Cameo Homes in Killeen. "One of the changes in House Bill 1038 gives you (builders) an out," Fortner said. Following a state inspection, a builder can make a written offer to the homebuyer to fix the errors. If the offer is agreed upon by both parties, the homebuyer can call the state and cancel the complaint associated with the inspection results. If an offer is made in advance of the inspector's report that is similar to the recommendations, TRCC will pay the inspection fee and not report finding a defect.

Home construction agency faulted for careless reporting
 Sloppy record keeping by the state agency that investigates complaints about home construction prevented state auditors from measuring key performance criteria, a report released Thursday said. The Texas Residential Construction Commission had inaccurate or incomplete data on four of seven performance measures, including the number of disputes between homeowners and builders it closed and the length of time it took to resolve disputes, auditors found. The report also said the commission underreported telephone calls to its toll-free help lines and overcounted the number of Texans receiving in-person assistance. Related Report: Texas Comptroller Condemns TRCC Builder Protection Agency-Recomends to blast TRCC be blasted off bureaucratic books

STATE AUDITOR CITES RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION FOR SLOPPY RECORDKEEPING
The State Auditor reports that the controversial Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) reported unreliable results on four out of seven key measures mandated by the legislature.The auditor conducted the report to certify that the agency is meeting the performance measures laid out by the legislature.  According to the auditor’s report, the TRCC failed to properly maintain its records and failed to follow written policies, and miscalculated expenditures.  Because of these deficiencies, the auditor was unable to certify that the agency was meeting its goals.

WATCHDOG'S BITE, RANGE INCREASE
Next month will see some significant changes in the powers of the Texas Residential Construction Commission -- and that could mean good news for consumers.  Starting Sept. 1, the TRCC will have extensive powers to fine home builders and remodelers up to $10,000 per infraction for 26 prohibited practices, up from 12.  Even with the extension of powers, at least one consumer group says the new law does not go far enough. Since its inception, the TRCC has faced complaints from consumer groups that its dispute-resolution process is too lengthy, costly and bureaucratic, and that the commission is "pro-builder."  "The homeowner is the one regulated," said Janet Ahmed, president of HomeOwners for Better Building, based in San Antonio. "They have to prove that something was wrong."

Builders, house flippers face more accountability
New changes to a state law have made home builders slightly more accountable if they build a defective home, and also have broadened the definition of who qualifies as a builder... House flippers and other individuals who rehabilitate homes don't have to register as "builders," but need to be aware that they must guarantee their fixer-upper work. "There's going to be a benefit to you if you're more proactive," Javore told builders and remodelers. Builders who make repair offers before the inspection process won't have their names put on the TRCC's Web site, for instance. The agency also will have to strike the addresses of homes from all public records, making it impossible know exactly where a defective home is located. Consumer groups say little of substance changed with the updates to the law because it focuses on getting builders to register with the agency. The TRCC still lacks the authority to force a builder to repair a defective home, said Janet Ahmad of Home Owners for Better Building.

FOX 4 Investigates: Case of the Crooked House
You expect to get what you pay for, especially when spending $300,000. But one Hunt County man found out his luxury home isn't worth nearly what he paid for it, and a state law may get in the way of him getting his money back. FOX 4's Paul Adrian investigates the Case of the Crooked House...The State sent an inspector who found a variation of 14 inches over 95 feet of slab...He found lots of problems, but when it came to the big one, the slab itself, that was “in compliance” with state standards.  See homeowner's message

Homeowner seeks help in renovation dispute
A local man is facing a remodeling nightmare after a disagreement with his contractor put the entire renovation project on hold. Now the homeowner is looking for help to end the dispute.There's not much to show for a remodeling project that was started back in April: a concrete slab collects rainwater, lumber sits stacked unused in the backyard, a trench is exposed and demolition to the back of the house is incomplete...Currently the agency covers remodeling projects of more $20,000. However, that amount will drop to $10,000 beginning September 1, 2007.However, TRCC has its limits. The state agency only mediates finished renovation projects, not those which are incomplete.

Foundations and Empire
After four years of Republican dominance in Austin, you can throw a dart at the organizational chart of Texas government and reliably hit a state agency corrupted by influence peddling of some sort. There’s no better example of the pay-to-play culture that has infected Texas politics in recent years than the brief history of the Texas Residential Construction Commission.