And, of course, most families simply can t walk away from their investment and start over. Filing a lawsuit is many families last recourse to force the builder to repair their homes. Only unresponsive builders get sued. No homeowner buys a new home expecting to end up in a lawsuit. Homeowners dealing with construction defects first contact the builder or contractor repeatedly over many months or years before resorting to the aid of a lawyer.
Toxic mold is one result of shoddy construction.
Other families have contended with beetles hatching and boring their way through walls, sagging balconies , unsafe fireplaces that belch smoke and other health and safety violations. Although no homeowner should be forced to raise his or her family in a home that is affecting his or her health, homeowners living in affordable housing should have greater legal protection, not less. People living in affordable housing tend to be less knowledgeable first-time buyers, seniors who may not have been in the housing market recently and people whose first language may not be English. The builders contentions that litigation drives up home costs are unfounded. In a 1999 report to the Assembly Housing Committee, the independent California Research Bureau found no conclusive link between litigation, increased insurance costs and the supply of affordable housing .