South of Sunnyside

Our neighborhood isn’t exactly what I had hoped for when we signed the contract to build almost four years ago. Reflective of the national collapse in the housing market, countless homes have been abandoned; some are now being purchased as foreclosures, at less than 60% of the original purchase price. And we’ve seen plenty of theft—of wire, of vehicles, of personal items inside our neighbor’s home.

The banks may or may not be helping, but lately, we’ve found that others are looking out for our best interest. Or so they say…

Last week I received word from our homebuilder, Granville Homes, that a law firm from Southern California was contacting homeowners in the neighborhood about a class-action lawsuit; on Saturday, Kim and I received a package from the Law Offices of Danil Monteleone in Reseda.

I won’t claim that our home is perfect—no built structure is. But we’ve found Granville to be very responsive, and the builder’s customer service reputation was one of the reasons we selected their tract. From the letter:

A lawsuit is being prepared against the builder of your home for construction defects. The lawsuit involves many of the homes in your neighborhood. To join, simply sign the enclosed "Contingent Fee Agreement" and return it by fax or mail. An envelope with prepaid postage has been provided for your convenience.

California law entitles you to recover money from the builder and its insurance carriers for stucco cracks, roof leaks, toilet leaks, window leaks and other types of damage. While we cannot guarantee a result in your case, our firm has a track record of obtaining sizable settlements for homeowners. This may be your last opportunity to compel the builder to stand behind its product.

You will not be asked for money if you join the lawsuit. All fees and costs will be paid out of the recovery. The Law Offices of Danil Monteleone will advance all costs associated with this case. No fee or cost will be charged to your until and unless there is a recovery. There is no financial risk to you.

The packet also includes a picture book of possible defects; what I find interesting about this is that most of them are common results of a settling foundation, and pose no real harm to a home. From the back of the book:

Why join a construction defect suit?
Because your home is your biggest investment, and you paid to have it built right!

It’s hard to argue with this answer, but that’s the reason that homebuilders (ours, at least) have a customer service department, and I’ve found Granville’s to be exceptional (in fact, I’ll outline my test of their service in another post).

I’m not opposed to class-action litigation, if they’re warranted. But my fear with this particular scam is that my neighbors will buy in—we’re all affected by the economic downturn, and the promise of easy money is quite attractive. Despite what the packet says, however, I can’t imagine that such a law suite won’t affect property values, or even the ability to sell a home.

For those in the neighborhood, there is a meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, at John Wash Elementary School.

Similar Posts:

• Of neighbors and lawyers
• An open letter to Danil Monteleone
• Negligence by any other name…