Public comment sought on homebuyer rights
The Senate Committee on Community and Urban Affairs will hold a public meeting Thursday at Rowan University to hear testimony on a package of bills aimed at curbing the frequency of defects occuring in newly built homes...."Homebuyers purchasing a brand new home should expect that home to be in pristine condition and without structural problems. We need to empower those buying newly built homes with a definite set of rights to ensure that they don't get stuck with a 'money pit.'"
Public comment sought on homebuyer rights
IF YOU GO
The Senate Committee on Community and Urban Affairs meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in the Eynon Ballroom of the Rowan University Center, at 201 Mullica Hill Road in Glassboro.
Call Sen. Fred Madden's office at (609) 292-5215 or go to www.njsendems.com for more information.
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
GLASSBORO - The Senate Committee on Community and Urban Affairs will hold a public meeting Thursday at Rowan University to hear testimony on a package of bills aimed at curbing the frequency of defects occuring in newly built homes.
The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in the Eynon Ballroom of the Rowan University Center, at 201 Mullica Hill Road in Glassboro.
"Over the last few years, there have been several cases where developers have sold new homes that were fraught with structural defects," said Sen. Fred H. Madden, D-Washington Township, and a member of the committee.
"Homebuyers purchasing a brand new home should expect that home to be in pristine condition and without structural problems. We need to empower those buying newly built homes with a definite set of rights to ensure that they don't get stuck with a 'money pit.'"
The committee will hear testimony from the public on four bills:
Bill S-1824, would establish the "New Homebuyers' Bill of Rights."
These rights would include: no increases in the sales price of a new home without the agreement of the homebuyer; the requirement that deposit funds must be held in escrow; permission for buyers to cancel a contract if the new home is not delivered within 90 days of the promised delivery date, with a full refund; a specific right to conduct progress inspections; and the right for homebuyers to receive, without charge, a copy of the plans and specifications for their new home and that those plans and specifications can only be changed with the consent of
both the homebuyer and the builder.
Bill S-1825 would strengthen and expand the protections provided by "The New Home Warranty and Builders' Registration Act." The bill would expand what defects are covered by warranties and the time that a warranty would be in effect.
Bill S-1826 would amend the "State Uniform Construction Code Act" to authorize the Department of Community Affairs to direct any local enforcing agency that is not performing necessary inspections in a timely manner to allow the owner to have inspections performed by engineers or architects paid by the owner, but independent of the owner's supervision or control, and have the cost of such inspections charged against fees otherwise due.
DCA would provide a procedure for getting inspections done properly and in a timely manner in those cases in which a local enforcing agency is unable to deal with a sudden upsurge in the volume of construction work requiring inspection because of staffing limitations.
S-2046, which would also further enhance the protections afforded those buying newly built homes.
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