ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 28, 1997 TAG: 9701280062
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
Virginia's housing board voted unanimously Monday to place a five-year limit on home builders' liability for construction defects.
The Board of Housing and Community Development passed the measure without discussion, despite opposition from a homeowners' group that said the limit violated their rights.
``They just rammed it through,'' said Stephen T. Seldon, director of Homeowners for Better Building. ``But we'll bring it back. Next time we'll pack the room.''
The change in the Uniform Statewide Building Code specifies that homeowners cannot blame the builder for problems they find in their homes after five years. There is no limit now.
The new limit means homeowners like David Woodruff, who has spent years fighting a builder over rotting siding in his Louisa County home, will have five years to detect problems and get them corrected.
``Problems with wood or defects in construction can take way more than five years to surface,'' Woodruff said.
He urged the board to keep an open-ended policy so homebuyers will get ``a home that will last, not just get past a few years until the builder is off the hook for violations of the code.''
Builders have argued there are time limits on manufacturers' responsiblity for most products and that they should not be treated any differently.
Seldon said his group will petition the board to reopen the issue for public discussion before the change goes into effect in April.
He said the board was out of line for not making the proposed change public before voting on it.
Public opposition last year prompted the board to reject two-year and three-year limits on builder responsibility.
The Board's Codes and Standards Committee put forward the five-year limit on Jan. 20 as a compromise solution.
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