Re: “,” May 24 editorial.
I resent the false narrative that construction defect laws are related to Colorado’s affordable housing problem. According to The Denver Postap logic, the answer is to build defective housing and leave the homeowners holding the bag.
We tried for years to get fixes to serious problems like leaking windows and interior ice buildup. The developer refused, forcing us to spend four years and thousands of volunteer hours to reach a legal settlement – then we lived through two years of reconstruction. We finally have the beautiful homes we thought we bought in the first place.
When we put down our hard-earned money on the most expensive purchase we ever make – our homes – shouldn’t we expect them to be built right and for developers to stand behind their product? And why should we have our legal rights to hold them accountable stripped away?
Colorado already has lax construction defect laws with homeowners here having the fourth-shortest time frame in the country to hold builders responsible for shoddy construction. And The Denver Post wants to make it harder for homeowners to be made whole in exchange for an accountability-free business environment for developers?
If construction defect laws were the barrier for developing affordable housing, we’d see these projects forming in Lakewood, Littleton and other cities that passed municipal construction defect ordinances – but there is zero evidence of that happening. As long as developers can make bigger profits by building luxury condos and apartments, thatap what they’ll do.
Colorado needs more affordable housing. Millennials and working families struggle to afford safe, clean places to live. But they also should expect quality home construction because they are the least able to afford the cash outlays, time and hassle of dealing with a construction defect – and with fewer legal rights would face either putting up with defective homes or foreclosure.
Giving builders the green light to cut corners is an invitation for skimping on materials and craftsmanship, harmful for Colorado families and communities alike. But we can work together to find solutions that work for all of us.
Creating funding and tax credits for affordable housing developers is a good start. Improving construction quality control and ensuring inspectors have adequate resources could prevent defects in the first place. Letap work together to figure out how to make Colorado the best place to live for all of us.
Mary Lavia is a Denver homeowner and a member of Build Our Homes Right.
