By Howard Fischer
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-728457.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Voters will get a chance to decide if they want to force home builders to provide 10-year warranties. Arizona Public Radio's
Howard Fischer explains.
The initiative also would leave the decision to the homeowner and
not the builder whether to repair or replace defective work or to
take cash instead. And the homeowner would be able to select the
contractor doing the repairs. Richard McCracken, attorney for the
Sheet Metal Workers union which is financing the effort, said
this is better than the current system which forces dissatisfied
homeowners to sue.
(We think the result is not more lawsuits. We think the result is
better construction. Because if somebody's standing behind their
house for 10 years and they know they're going to have to repair
any defects, they're going to build it differently in the first
place.)
But home builders' lobbyist Spencer Kamps said state law already
gives homeowners the right to sue for defects within eight years.
He criticized the provisions in this measure, which include the
ability to recover various other costs, saying it will increase
litigation.
(The only people that are going to win out of this process is a
bunch of attorneys. That's the problem. And all's it's going to
do is cause housing cost to go up and lawyers' pockets to get
bigger.)
Each side is expected to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars -
- if not more -- on the campaign.
For Arizona Public Radio, this is Howard Fischer.