ARCHIVED
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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ARCHIVED
NEWS AND EVENTS
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8/05/2003 |
4/29/2003
Dallas
WFAA-TV
Some complain new homeowner-rights bill not enough
"Some consumer groups believe that instead of listening to them,
lawmakers heard the jingle of homebuilders who make huge campaign
contributions. Consumer groups concede the legislation that passed
in the Texas House begins to set building standards, but consumers
claim the legislation might actually make it harder for homeowners
hold builders responsible for bad construction."
4/3/2003
Northampton Homeowners Association Quashes
Free Speech of KB Homeowners
****
BEWARE!
Just Say
NO to Homebuilders Proposed Legislation!
BEWARE! Homebuilders propose
HB 730 by Rep. Ritter &
SB 383 by Senator
Duncan
HOMEBUILDERS AND LAWMAKERS CRAFT BILLS, H.B 730 & S.B. 383 TO
PROVIDE
“CORPORATE IMMUNITY” FOR HOMEBUILDER FRAUD
While Homeowners With Defective Homes Protest In The Streets,
Lawmakers Promote
A Bill With No
Consumer Protection
Apr 24 2003
Former Beazer employee alleges retaliatory firing
"Today, Collins finds herself jobless and teetering on the edge of a
new federal law designed to protect whistle-blowers -- people who
disclose company misdeeds and may pay in reprisals, including losing
their jobs. She became one of the first people in the
Southeast to file a complaint under the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a
varied bundle of reforms inspired by Enron, WorldCom and other
disclosures of corporate misdeeds in the past several years."
April 24, 2003 -
Shoddy Building in the Housing Boom?
The industry's critics now warn
that builders face a rising tide of consumer dissatisfaction. In
their rush to put up new homes, some skimped on materials and labor
costs, industry watchdog groups charge. "You can break into some of
these new homes with a razor blade," says Robert Batcheller, a
former builder who says he quit the industry last year, disgusted by
some of practices he saw.
"In the past 10 years, cars have gotten safer and more reliable, and
homes have gone in the opposite direction," Batcheller says. "Expect
a big backlash against builders."
Apr 24 2003
Contractor watchdog faulted
"The state agency charged with watching over construction in
Arizona isn't doing enough
to protect consumers, according to a report from the Auditor
General's Office....
The audit said the agency needs to fix a $5.5 million deficit in
the recovery fund, which
helps people who lose money to licensed contractors."
Mar 15 2003
Homebuilder sues for slander
Response:
This ridiculous lawsuit shows
how desperate KB Home is to stop our Consumer Revolt.
Instead of to doing "the
right thing." KB attempts to bully and intimidate rather
than accept responsibility for their bad behavior and defective
homes.
Janet Ahmad
Mar 14 2003 -
MEDIA ADVISORY:
State Representative Michael Villarreal files HB 2934
“The Home Lemon Law”
Feb 28 2003 -
MEDIA ADVISORY
CLICK HERE!!!
Feb 28 2003
-Attention
Taxpayers! New Public Housing built by KB. For those
of you who are keeping up with your tax dollars at work.
"San Antonio Housing Authority commissioners narrowed
the scope of their investigation into problems at
Mirasol Homes to three questions and told their
attorney to hire experts to get answers as soon as
possible. Are the homes structurally sound? Did SAHA get
what was specified and paid for? Did SAHA administrators
perform reasonable and acceptable oversight?"
The United States Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act of 2002 HR
5040. The Melina Bill.
Feb 15 2003
KB Homeowners Fighting Mad "Dozens of KB homeowners
are fighting mad and taking their case to City Hall. They're
complaining about problems with their homes in the Northhampton, El
Sendero and Tara subdivisions."
Feb 5 2003
Homeowners battle KB Home Just when you
think KB Home might learn a lesson from all the public exposure
their deception, they do it again. Now it's Arizona. The fact
is that KB has again ignored the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) Consent Order, that requires disclosures and compliance with
HUD standards.
Jan 26 2003
David Weekley makes the news in the Orlando Sentinel "As
many as 500 of the 700 homes the company has built in this tony,
immaculately landscaped development may have bad trim. Some of the
homes are worth $500,000 or more... The faulty trim -- though
painted and designed to look like wood -- actually is a fiberboard
many associate with far-cheaper houses."
Jan 26 2003
Family First Home Expo and Town Meeting
During the meeting, a panel of experts: Senator Royce West, Janet
Ahmad of Homeowners for Better Building, Home Inspector, Max
Hightower, Kathy Graf of the Texas Department of Insurance and John
Aspinwall of WR Starkey Mortgage answered questions about home
insurance, mold and quality of construction to name a few.
Jan 13 2003
RITZY APTS. TURN INTO SOLID MOLD
The world's most expensive condo building - 515
Park Ave. - has been invaded by killer mold, The Post has learned.
Jan 7 2003
Another article about the Mirasol HUD project built by KB Home.
"San Antonio Housing Authority commissioners will contact U.S. Rep.
Charlie Gonzalez immediately to seek a joint public meeting with him
at Mirasol Homes to air complaints about the troubled public housing
project."
Jan 5 2003
San Antonio Express-News U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez is
so frustrated over complaints about the Mirasol Homes public housing
project and inadequate responses from the San Antonio Housing
Authority that he will launch his own survey of residents' concerns,
he said Friday.
Dec 17 2002
New Jersey Inspector prosecuted! It was one of the
things that was well known in the community: If you wanted it done,
you had to pay Vidal," Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Goldklang
said. U.S. District Judge Joel Pisano called him a "bully" who even
at his sentencing remained blind to corruption. "You abused your
community and that's why you stand here today," Pisano said. "And
you seem incapable of accepting responsibility for your actions."
Dec 12 2002
Homeowners file lawsuit against builder over mold problem
"Thick, white, fluffy mold...probably at least a quarter-inch thick
in huge patches and dark, black, rotten wood," said Karen Conner,
homeowner. "There were several different kinds of toxic mold growing
inside the house.""
Dec 12 2002
Florida homeowners claim shoddy construction, mold and use of
private inspectors caused defective homes in the James Island
community of Jacksonville Florida. The failure of the Jacksonville
building officials to inspect has been well documented in numerous
articles over the past several years. One article confirmed
40% of all homes never got all of the required inspections.
Related story 3/20/98: "City fails homeowners - Home
inspectors missing 40%"
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/032098/met_2a1BUILD.html
http://jacksonville.com/special/inspections/
Dec 2 2002
Mold problems found in schools across U.S.
"Nationwide, school districts are finding allergy-inducing mold in
walls, on carpets and near ventilation systems. While one report
blames aging buildings and mold-promoting construction techniques,
one expert says it's due to a lack of proper ventilation in newer
schools...
In Austin, Texas, voters approved
a $49.3 million bond issue in February to pay for mold removal and
preventive maintenance in 91 schools. In Fort Myers, Fla., several
teachers sued county school officials last week, accusing them of
failing to fix mold problems."
Nov 26 2002
State fines area plumbing companies
Group says copper pipes not properly installed in S.A. homes.
Nov 10 2002 Disgruntled homeowners join in the
festivities of KB
Homes' Grand Opening of the Steeple Chase Subdivision
located just south of Austin in Kyle, Texas.
Nov 10 2002
HomeOwners for Better Building submits mold report to The Federal
Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee titled: "The Texas
Department of Insurance Toxic Mold Hearing." The
report was submitted to the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee,
Chair Senator Sue Kelly, Washington, D.C. This mold report is the
result of HomeOwners for Better Building's participation, the
testimony of experts, as well as hundreds of victims who spoke at
the Texas Department of Insurance Mold Hearings, held in Austin,
Corpus Christi and Houston.
Nov 2 2002
The Florida Times Union -"A losing Battle" Lawyers,
multimillion-dollar verdicts in Texas and California, and
celebrities such as Ed McMahon and Erin Brockovich who are suing
over moldy houses are driving an increase in both claims and
lawsuits. So are bad construction and architectural designs and an
increasing use of mold-friendly building materials, experts say .
Part of what we're seeing is the result of new, untested building
material...A grassroots group in Texas is pushing for a "lemon law"
there that would make builders buy back defective houses
Nov 1 2002 Boston
Globe Followup Story - 'Lemon' law sought for home buyers
"In a proposal
that could lead to a national precedent, the state's top
consumer official said yesterday that new home buyers should
have the same protections the Massachusetts ''lemon'' law
provides for new car buyers, who can get their money back if
serious flaws go unrepaired.
Home buyer advocates
said that a home lemon law under consideration by the Texas
Legislature is the only such proposal in the nation, and that no
state has approved a law giving new home buyers the same
protections as those enjoyed by car buyers."
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