State bill would offer better regulation of new home construction
One of the joys of purchasing a new home is that, in theory, it will pose fewer nettlesome problems once you sign the heap of papers at the real estate agent’s office and start moving your things in.
Leaks won’t turn up in inopportune places. Tiles won’t start falling off the bathroom walls. Cracks won’t start creeping up the foundation, and floors won’t take on a peculiar slant.
But, alas, life holds no guarantees and sometimes houses that are of recent vintage can be as deficient as century-old money pits — just ask the owners of the homes in Rostraver where mine subsidence has cracked foundations. Or, for that matter, ask the owners of hundreds of homes in the Philadelphia area that have had water seep into their walls and have had to cough up thousands of dollars to repair the damage.
The problems with the homes came to light as a result of investigative work by The Philadelphia Inquirer, which underscores the important role that newspapers continue to play in spotlighting troublesome issues. As a result of the Inquirer analysis, a bill has been introduced by Bucks County state Rep. John Galloway that would go some way toward assuring that Pennsylvania homebuyers are protected when their dream homes turn into nightmares.
Called the New Home Construction Consumer Protection Act, it would establish a fund that would pay settlements to owners of faulty homes if a builder cannot pay a settlement themselves. The fund would be paid for by a $50 fee that a home builder would have to pay when a building permit is issued. Also, any home builder would have to register with the state attorney general’s office every two years and alert homebuyers once they become aware of potential construction defects.
The bill has bipartisan backing from other lawmakers in the Philadelphia region, and has been referred to the House’s Committee on Consumer Affairs.
The stories told in the lengthy Inquirer investigation published in November are sure to be unsettling to anyone contemplating a new home purchase. One family’s home, completed in 2002, was beset by water due to shoddy construction.
“Every day with rain, drizzle, or high humdity … water and condensation crept through the cracks and crevices of their house, turning its wooden insides into a giant sponge and decaying the boards that held the house together.”
In that family’s neighborhood, nearly one-third of the homes “have had their exteriors ripped off and built anew.” And it’s not a problem homeowners can sidestep. Without repairs, the waterlogged homes will not last through the life of their mortgages, one home inspector told the Inquirer.
Along with all the security and comforts a home can provide, it’s also the most important and heftiest investment most consumers will make in their lives. They should have some recourse in case that investment goes bust through no fault of their own.
Observer-Reporter