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Star-Ledger Editorial Endorses Recommendations to Regulate Industry |
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Saturday, 02 April 2005 |
The Star-Ledger Editorial
Safeguard home buyers
The State Commission of Investigation's latest comprehensive report calls on the Legislature to protect consumers from developers who cut corners. While professional groups are already balking at some of the recommendations, we endorse the move to correct what the SCI found to be a persistent problem in the home-building industry... The SCI proposes a package of legislation including extension of the state's Consumer Fraud Act to new houses, enacting a lemon law that gives a builder a specific time period to correct problems or buy back the house, publishing a list of claims against builders and changing the definition of what's a major structural defect.
Editorial
Safeguard home buyers
Saturday, April 02, 2005 The litany of problems involving shoddy construction is all too familiar to thousands of new- home buyers: leaky roofs, warped wooden floors, mold building up under poorly installed siding, rotted-out door stairs and on and on.
The State Commission of Investigation's latest comprehensive report calls on the Legislature to protect consumers from developers who cut corners. While professional groups are already balking at some of the recommendations, we endorse the move to correct what the SCI found to be a persistent problem in the home-building industry.
The 51-page report, based on testimony from 64 people at five public hearings, interviews with 400 others and documents produced in response to 234 subpoenas, found that unscrupulous builders and lazy code enforcement officers are responsible for the sleazy work, the SCI found.
The SCI proposes a package of legislation including extension of the state's Consumer Fraud Act to new houses, enacting a lemon law that gives a builder a specific time period to correct problems or buy back the house, publishing a list of claims against builders and changing the definition of what's a major structural defect.
The report also calls on municipalities to dedicate enough money to code enforcement to do that job properly and for the state to license carpenters, masons and site construction managers.
The developers, who have signaled they don't like some of these ideas, may use their substantial clout -- campaign contributions -- to block any reform efforts in the Stateho! use. The report bemoans the fact that no one in government is looking out for the best interests of home buyers. That's a role ready made for the Legislature. |
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