On January 31, 2020, WHYY and PlanPhilly published ‘Rotting from the inside:’ Fast-growing Philly developer accused of defective building, a title that generated directly from Meir Rinde’s interview with Jennifer Horn:
“You had families, successful doctors, people just starting out, teachers, people that are just excited about the layout of the house and the granite countertops. The last thing they’re thinking about: Is there water inside the walls?” said Jennifer Horn, a construction attorney who represents several Streamline buyers. “The Streamline houses are young houses that are literally rotting from the inside out.”
While one-year warranties are common in new construction, attorney Jennifer Horn argues that they are worthless when construction defects occur and can even be used by builders to try to avoid responsibility for breaking the law.
“When I say to you, ‘I’m going to build you a great home,’ and you give me $800,000, you’re trusting that it’s going to be done correctly with quality construction,” Horn said. “What we’re dealing with is not a breach of warranty issue. It instead really is a violation of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.”
A renewed enthusiasm for urban living and Philadelphia’s 10-year tax abatement on new construction have contributed to a building boom in the city, especially since the end of the recession. But many builders are unaware of state and local building codes, which describe how elements such as cladding, house wrap, and stucco must be installed or applied to keep water out of a new house, Horn said.
When she deposes builders for lawsuits, she often finds they don’t know the rules, don’t have architectural or engineering oversight on job sites, and don’t properly monitor the subcontractors who do much of the actual construction, she said.
“We have this incredible market where there’s an amazing demand for homes because people, rightfully so, want to live in Center City. So we have builders who are looking to maximize their profits, and at the time they’re building, they’re giving little or no attention to the building code, and they’re constructing homes that fail to meet even the minimum standards set forth by the building code,” Horn said.
Read the entire article at WHYY.org
You can hear the podcast here: The WHY Podcast Holding Philly area developers accountable for defective building