Proposed ‘lemon law’ for new homes would only cover vets
The measure enjoys support among residents of Schertz and Cibolo, where foundation problems with dozens of relatively new homes — attributed largely to expansive soil — have caused heartaches for homeowners and headaches for municipal officials. Both cities have moved to strengthen their building codes. Cibolo Mayor Jennifer Hartman said her city has a high number of veterans but said the protections in HB 1887 should be expanded to cover all homeowners... She has successfully solicited support for the legislation from Guadalupe and Bexar County commissioners and from the Northeast Economic Partnership, a regional alliance of eight cities that includes Cibolo.

EDITORIAL: Home buyers need relief from the state
After a disastrous experience with the Texas Residential Constructio Commission, which ended in the agency being abolished, the Legislature has done little to address consumer and builder concerns that prompted the agency's creation...The agency was so flawed it did more harm than good to homebuyers and was dissolved in 2009... Legislation proposed by Democratic Reps. Joe Farias of San Antonio and Lon Burnam of Fort Worth would offer relief for homebuyers, but it does not protect all consumers...These problems are not unique to any region, and state lawmakers need to address them. Sidestepping the issues is unacceptable.

Homebuyer Protection Act (Home Lemon Law) Filed
With the abolishment in 2010 of the homebuilders’ Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC), it marked the end of a long battle over the rights of homeowners. Today, as it was in 2001 before TRCC, to cut hair, catch a fish or drive a car requires a license, but anyone can be a builder in Texas. Knowledge and financial responsibility are optional to become a builder, but required to drive a car in this state. Homebuilding is unregulated, there is no state agency that oversees the industry or new home sales. New home warranties give a false sense of security.

Proposed home "Lemon Law" would protect buyers
You've heard about a Lemon Law for your car, but what about a Lemon Law for a bad house? Legislation is in the works which could protect you as a homebuyer. The city of Cibolo is backing the proposed homebuyer protection law in Austin. Once a small town, it's experiencing a housing boom with up to 500 homes built yearly. "Not only is supporting the homebuyers and citizens important, but we see this as an economic factor, and when these homes start to have issues, it starts to play on home values," Mayor Jennifer Hartman explained. "It takes away not only from the city but the county and the school district in their taxing entity."

Bills may protect homebuyers
Under the legislation, known as the home lemon law, if a problem covered under the home warranty isn't remedied in three attempts, the homebuilder must replace the house or accept its return and refund the purchase price and closing costs. But (Mayor) says the problem goes beyond the consumer. The defects cause homes to lose value, which means less revenue for the city, county, school districts and state.“We have to raise taxes on everyone because of our homes' depreciating value,” she said. “We had to raise taxes this year just to maintain the same amount of taxes although we're growing at such a high rate.” The legislative push has received local support form the Bexar County commissioners, who voted to back the initiative last week, said County Judge Nelson Wolff.

If life were fair, there would be a lemon law for houses
A significant number of new-home buyers discover they have terrible problems. Bad framing, crooked leaky roofs, other structural shortcomings. They then discover they can't sue the builder, because of fine print in the sales contract. Those little average citizen homeowners don't have lobbyists and don't donate big bucks to politicians.

Homeowners storm Capitol
Janet Ahmad, president of HomeOwners for Better Building, said TRCC's Texas Star Builder Program is the main point of contention. The program allows builders to qualify as "star builders," demonstrating knowledge, experience and history of financial responsibility, Ahmad said. She said this must be made mandatory for builders instead of optional, as it is under the current system.

Home Builders Fearful Of Arizona ' Lemon Law ' For Buyers
Proposition 201, a so-called "lemon law" for home buyers... Supporters say the initiative protects buyers from sloppy construction and gives them recourse to remedy defects. The proposal, introduced and supported by unions and some community advocacy groups, provides "much-needed protection for people who buy new homes," said Linda Brown , executive director of the Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation, a supporter. "There ' s been very little oversight or checks for the home building industry because it ' s been the economic engine for the state...It ' s been the Wild West for them." Prop 201

Comment on Article by Dick Weekley on Tort Reform - Homebuilders worse 
I have never seen a piece of garbage in print as bad as "The cost of crooked lawyers" Outlook article. I used to be a defense attorney and worked at the most prominent homebuilder defense firm in Texas, and homebuilders rip off consumers more than any trial lawyer in history. There were times when builders built a horrible house with a bad foundation and then they'd claim "Texas soils shift," when it was actually a badly poured foundation. As the walls of the house would crack and fall, the homeowners' lives in ruin because their dream home was destroyed, the attorneys I worked with and the builders would laugh, knowing that Texas law allows a homeowner no real recourse. Since 1989, when a plaintiff's attorney went on 60 Minutes and bragged he had the Texas Supreme Court bought and paid for, there has been nearly 20 years of "tort reform" lobbyists in Texas. While the targets are trial attorneys over and over again, when has the Chronicle ever really done serious front-page journalism on the real people harmed, the people who are injured?  Aaron A. Herbert, attorney Dallas