Houston Homeowners Sue Builder For Allegedly Flawed Townhomes

In Texas, the Houston Chronicle reports:

• For years, neighbors in a stylish Montrose cul-de-sac named Hyde Park Crescent fought to get something out of the developer they claim failed to fix faulty windows, water-soaked balconies and defective roofs that spawned leaks, mold and rot in their nearly new $350,000 homes. Families alleged in a lawsuit that they were sold flawed town homes and then stuck with thousands of dollars in repair bills. They also contended that the men behind the company committed a kind of corporate identity fraud to avoid responsibility and keep right on building on other fertile ground in construction-friendly Houston.

• Over the years, the builder, and other companies associated with it, have left a trail of documented damages and unresolved consumer complaints involving at least four other Houston housing developments, according to documents reviewed by the Chronicle, including lawsuits and Better Business Bureau and government records. Texas laws offer minimal recourse for homeowners, and their complaints often drag on for years with disappointing results, advocates say. Some owners lose money fixing their homes or lose their homes because they can't afford to fix them.

For more, see Owners stuck with flawed homes (Families' costs mount, but state, builder give scant help, files show).