Law should force builders to be responsible
Re: "Couple's dream home a 10-year legal nightmare â Builder fights claim of faulty house in court to which he's donated," Sunday news story.
Builders will not accept responsibility until judges and politicians recognize that consumers should have distinct rights. Political contributions should never govern right and wrong.
Our home is our most expensive investment and should be built correctly. In addition to liability, state laws should require every home to have the builder's name permanently affixed to the structure for future reference.
The statute of limitations should be extended to 15 years for deficiencies. Arbitration should be non-binding. Every home should have a complete set of blueprints available for every purchaser.
And certain politicians and judges need to be exposed for their corrupt behavior.
Jerry Keeler, Dallas
Influence, spin money should go to education
The Culls' battle with Perry Homes illustrates how expensive and time consuming it can be to fight a builder over construction defects. It's certainly nothing like the myth that homeowners easily sue over frivolous imperfections and take home million-dollar awards.
Our organization, Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, also sees a growing number of builder complaints that include predatory lending involving a builder's in-house or preferred lender.
Besides Bob Perry, builders associations donate millions to political campaigns and spend money on public relations to spin their images. How much smarter it would be to spend that money on educating industry members on ethics and proper construction?
Cindy Schnackel, Norman, Okla.
If Perry won't do right, he deserves a boycott
It is shameful that Bob Perry is treating an elderly couple so poorly. His company clearly is responsible for the problems with their home. Instead of using his wealth, power and influence to beat the system and browbeat the Culls into submission, he should right this wrong and pay to correct his mistakes.
If not, we should never purchase a home built by him.
Clark Paton, Mesquite