chinese drywall issues | Mr Williamsburg, Revolutionary ideas on real estate!Hampton Roads Virginia

Good To Know

Posted on June 16, 2011 by mrwilliamsburg

As of July 1st, the Virginia General Assembly is FINALLY enacting a law that requires home sellers and landlords to disclose the existence of known defective (“Chinese”) drywall in a home. Believe it or not prior to July 1st you did not have to let prospective buyers know.

Disclosure is required of REO ( Bank Owned) and foreclosed property holders as well, unlike the requirements of the Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act.

Sad that it took over five years from the first report of defective Chinese Drywall for legislators to act.

Read more about Chinese Drywall issues in Hampton Roads and Williamsburg VA here

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No Action On Chinese Drywall Cases in Hampton Roads-Owners in Limbo

Posted on June 13, 2011 by mrwilliamsburg

Two years have passed since Colleen Nguyen and her family left their spacious waterfront home in Virginia Beach’s Little Neck neighborhood.

It is one of hundreds in the region built with tainted Chinese-made drywall, which federal product safety regulators say emits sulfur gasses that corrode metal in homes. Homeowners say the fumes cause illness and make their homes unlivable.

These days, the home’s only inhabitants are the small spiders that spin cobwebs along barren kitchen and living room walls.

Nguyen is one of more than 170 Hampton Roads homeowners whose lives have been in limbo since the discovery of the problem drywall in the early months of 2009. The legal battle over who will pay to fix the properties is in its 26th month, with seemingly no resolution in sight. Many have abandoned their properties or lost them through foreclosure or bankruptcy. Others have sold their homes for sometimes less than half of what they paid.

When supplies of U.S.-made drywall became scarce in 2005 during the building boom, a Norfolk construction supplier imported more than 150,000 sheets of Chinese-made drywall. That was enough to build more than 300 homes.

One of the region’s largest builders – The Dragas Cos. – paid to fix 73 condos it built with the problem wallboard. In the Williamsburg VA area there have been a number of homes with Chinese Drywall that have been remediated by the builders. But many other local builders who constructed homes with the product have been unwilling or unable to fix them.

It’s been more than a year since a federal judge in New Orleans awarded $2.6 million to five Virginia homeowners in a lawsuit against Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd., the company that manufactured the drywall that was imported into Hampton Roads.

It was a short-lived victory. Taishan, which originally didn’t respond to the lawsuit, filed an appeal two months later. Now, the foreign company is challenging whether U.S. courts even have jurisdiction over it.

Meanwhile, local lawsuits against the drywall importer, developers and builders also have hit snags.

CDC Review Finds No Link Between Chinese Drywall and 11 Reported Deaths in U.S.

Posted on February 7, 2011 by mrwilliamsburg

A review provided to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health finds that there is no evidence linking exposure to Chinese Drywall and 11 reported deaths in Louisiana, Florida and Virginia homes .

The CDC said in the report that the people died without exception due to "preexisting chronic health conditions unrelated to imported drywall exposure."

The findings by the Atlanta-based health agency back up previous findings by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The CDC found that seven of the 11 people who died had cancer and seven had heart problems. For the review, state medical examiners and the CDC probed 10 deaths in Louisiana and Florida—five in each state—and a single death in Virginia.

The deaths were reported to regulators as possibly being linked to drywall.

Still, federal regulators say the health risk of Chinese drywall remains a concern.

Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the safety commission, said "hundreds, if not thousands" of homeowners have reported problems with nosebleeds, respiratory problems and other symptoms that could possibly be linked to Chinese drywall.

This study included the death of a homeowner in James City County. The VA. State Medical examiner reviewed medical records of an 82-year-old person who had chronic heart disease, acute cholecystitis, and pneumonia before death. The medical examiner reported that no clinical evidence existed in the record to link the person’s death to “exposure of construction materials containing strontium sulfide” (Chinese Drywall)

You can read the CDC review here.

CPSC is in the final stages of completing its scientific investigation into Chinese drywall. As part of this process, CPSC has requested that the CDC consider undertaking a comprehensive study of any possible long-term health effects.

For additional findings from the Interagency Drywall Task Force’s investigation, visit www.DrywallResponse.gov

Continue reading →

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Deal To Fix Homes With Chinese Drywall Going Well

Posted on December 3, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

CAIN BURDEAU, Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ― A pilot program to fix homes that were built with tainted drywall made by a major Chinese manufacturer is progressing well and will likely expand, a federal judge said Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon said a test program to repair up to 300 homes in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi ( No Homes in Virginia are in this pilot program) made with drywall made by Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. appears to be on the right track.

"It looks like it is working and expanding," Fallon said during a court hearing on the status of wide-ranging litigation in state and federal courts against Chinese drywall makers. Fallon presides over consolidated claims against Chinese companies.

Thousands of homeowners, mostly in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana have reported problems with the Chinese-made drywall, which was imported in large quantities during the housing boom and after a string of Gulf Coast hurricanes.

In October, plaintiffs’ lawyers and Knauf announced that they had reached a deal to fix homes that had been made with Knauf drywall. Knauf agreed to replace drywall, wiring, fire and alarm systems, and fixtures in damaged homes.

Lawyers say between 2,000 to 3,000 homes built with Knauf’s drywall might be fixed under the deal if the pilot program is successful.

Steven Glickstein, a Knauf lawyer, said companies throughout the supply chain — suppliers, builders, insurers and others — are agreeing to pay shares of the cost of fixing homes. He said 80 homes have been inspected and will undergo repairs soon.

He said Knauf also was prepared to consider compensating homeowners who went ahead and paid to remove Knauf drywall on their own. Such homeowners would have to prove that their homes were built with Knauf drywall and ask for "a reasonable price" for compensation, he said.

Among those homeowners is Sean Payton, the coach of the New Orleans Saints football team, his lawyer, Daniel Becnel, said.

Russ Herman, a lead plaintiffs’ lawyer, said repairs to some homes might be under way by Christmas. The repairs are expected to take about three months and cost between $40 and $60 a square foot. Knauf and the other companies face a price tag of $30 million to $45 million to fix the 300 homes, not including the cost of temporary housing for the homeowners.

The drywall in question has been linked to corrosion of wiring, air conditioning units, computers, doorknobs and jewelry, along with possible health effects. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has said preliminary studies have found a possible link between throat, nose and lung irritation and high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the wallboard, coupled with formaldehyde, which is commonly found in new houses.

In October, Fallon said he was optimistic the deal could resolve most property damage claims against Knauf.

Still, the deal does nothing for thousands of other homeowners with drywall made by other Chinese companies. Lawyers say there could be as many as 10,000 other homeowners whose homes contain drywall made by other companies that have largely ignored lawsuits filed in U.S. courts.

Fallon already has ruled in favor of plaintiffs and ordered extensive remediation in Chinese-drywall tainted homes.

In April, Fallon awarded more than $164,000 to a Louisiana family whose home was ruined by drywall made by Knauf Plasterboard and said the home needed to be gutted. Knauf argued the family’s home could be repaired for less than $59,000.

Earlier that month, he awarded $2.6 million to seven Virginia families whose homes had been ruined by drywall made by another Chinese manufacturer.

So far, Fallon’s rulings only have covered property damage and haven’t considered possible health problems.

Note to our Virginia Legislators:
Why was Virginia not a part of this initial pilot program ?
Is there any progress in assisting the hundreds of home owners in Virginia with Chinese Drywall in their homes ?

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Details On Chinese Drywall Settlement In Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida

Posted on October 20, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Christopher A. Seeger of Seeger Weiss LLP part of a negotiating team that included Arnold Levin of Levin Fishbein Sedran & Berman and Russ M. Herman of Herman, Herman, Katz & Cotlar, LLP, have obtained a breakthrough settlement to remediate homes affected by Chinese drywall in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. The agreement was reached with Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT), Exterior Building Supply, Banner Supply Co., the Louisiana Homebuilders Indemnity Trust, QBE Insurance Group, Chartis and State Farm Insurance, and other Knauf entities.

Knauf in partnership with builders, suppliers and insurers, will fund a demonstration remediation program, which will facilitate the removal of KPT drywall from up to 300 homes in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. If successful, it is expected that this pilot program will be expanded to remediate thousands of homes with KPT drywall

Seeger Weiss served at the forefront of the Chinese Drywall litigation and was Trial Counsel in two bellwether cases this year: Michelle Germano, et al. v. Taishan Gypsum Co., Ltd., f/k/a Shandong Taihe Dongxin, Co., Ltd., et al., which resulted in a verdict of $2.6 million and which was the first of thousands of drywall claims to come to court; and Tatum B. Hernandez, et al. v. Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., et al., which resulted in a verdict of $164,000, and which followed the first case in less than a month. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon in the Eastern District of Louisiana appointed Christopher Seeger to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Chinese-Manufactured Drywall Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2047) in September 2009. Seeger also chairs the Trial Committee, which oversees trial teams for all pending Chinese drywall actions.

The demonstration program applies to homes which contain all, or substantially all, KPT drywall. The program will provide:

removal of the drywall;
replacement of all electrical wiring, including switches and receptacles;
replacement of fire safety and home security equipment;
replacement of fixtures damaged by the problem drywall;
restoration of the home to the same construction quality and finishes that existed prior to the start of the remediation work;
compensation to the homeowner for alternative living costs during the remediation, moving and storage and personal property damage;
the reservation of rights for bodily injury;
attorneys fees and expenses to be negotiated by the PSC and KPT and to be paid by KPT.

As outlined in the settlement, KPT will retain and supervise contractors to do the work on a cost-effective basis. The completed homes will be inspected by environmental engineers, who will certify to the homeowner that their home is free of problem drywall odors and contamination.

Chinese gypsum board was used by many builders in recent years as a low-cost alternative to American-made products. Many of the damaged homes are in Florida, Virginia and throughout the Gulf region, where builders used the Chinese wallboard to construct new homes following Hurricane Katrina and other storms, and throughout the housing bubble. In the past several years more than 7,000 U.S. homeowners have filed similar suits alleging that noxious sulfuric fumes from the defective drywall have caused extensive property damage to their homes, including corrosion of plumbing, electrical wiring, and appliances. These outcomes will continue to have a huge impact on drywall litigation pending around the country.

"These initial decisions in Louisiana are hugely important for thousands of homeowners who have been living with the poltergeist effects caused by this defective material in their midst. The high concentrations of sulfur, strontium, and other toxins released by this inferior drywall has permeated their residences, destroyed their property," said Mr. Seeger.

To see a list of addresses in Virginia where Chinese drywall was delivered, this is a delivery manifest from Venture Drywall Supply. The list was compiled for national litigation.

Click here to see delivery manifest for Williamsburg and Hampton Roads VA

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300 Chinese Drywall Homes To Be Repaired

Posted on October 14, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co, a Chinese drywall manufacturer facing thousands of homeowners’ court claims and several other companies have agreed to pay to repair 300 homes in four states in a pilot program, an attorney involved in the deal said Wednesday.

Homeowners in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi whose homes had drywall manufactured by Knauf. will be eligible to participate in the program and get their homes fixed, according to Richard Duplantier Jr., an attorney for a Louisiana-based drywall supplier.

Duplantier said his client, Interior Exterior Building Supply, and several other homebuilders and insurance companies will help pay for the repairs.

"We want our customers and the homeowners who bought the drywall to get some relief," he said.

Knauf will play a role in picking which homes will be fixed, according to Duplantier.

"Which homes are part of the program is kind of an evolving process," he said.

Thousands have sued over damage from Chinese drywall installed in homes that has caused problems ranging from a foul odor to corrosion of pipes and wiring.

Attorneys were expected to announce the deal Thursday on the steps of the federal courthouse in New Orleans, where a judge is presiding over thousands of Chinese drywall claims.

The pilot program could pave the way for a larger settlement of more than 3,000 claims against Knauf.

U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon, who is presiding over the consolidated claims, already has ruled in favor of plaintiffs and ordered extensive remediation in Chinese-drywall tainted homes.

In April, Fallon awarded more than $164,000 to a Louisiana family whose home was ruined by drywall made by Knauf Plasterboard and said the home needed to be gutted. Knauf argued that the family’s home could be repaired for less than $59,000.

Earlier that month, he awarded $2.6 million to seven Virginia families whose homes had been ruined by drywall made by another Chinese manufacturer.

So far, Fallon’s rulings only have covered property damage and haven’t considered possible health problems. The first cases with medical claims won’t be considered by the court until late 2010 or early 2011.

Thousands of homeowners, mostly in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, have reported problems with the Chinese-made drywall, which was imported in large quantities during the housing boom and after a string of Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says homes tainted by Chinese drywall should be gutted and that electrical wiring, outlets, circuit breakers, fire alarm systems, carbon monoxide alarms, fire sprinklers, gas pipes and drywall need to be removed.

The drywall has been linked to corrosion of wiring, air conditioning units, computers, doorknobs and jewelry, along with possible health effects. Preliminary studies have found a possible link between throat, nose and lung irritation and high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the wallboard, coupled with formaldehyde, which is commonly found in new houses, the commission said.

Many homeowners can’t wait for help to get Chinese drywall out of their homes, but even with the pending announcement their future remains unclear.

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Hampton Roads Home Buyers Beware

Posted on July 13, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Did a recent article in both the Virginia Pilot and the Wall Street Journal cause Prudential Towne Realty to disclose the existence of Chinese Drywall in one of their listings ?

An article in the Virginian-Pilot of Hampton Roads and the Wall Street Journal reported that real estate agents have listed “several houses” built with tainted, Chinese-made drywall . These homes, understandably, are being listed at steeply-discounted prices. But the home listings offered no indication of drywall problems.

Kimber Smith president of Prudential Towne’s Peninsula division stated “It’s not in the public remarks because we certainly want people to inquire about the property,” He commented that prominently advertising the drywall is not in the best interest of the seller.

It also could be argued that this tactic isn’t in the best interest of the buyer, who likely isn’t interested in buying a home that needs to be completely gutted and therefore is wasting his time even looking at the home.

Apparently he rethought his statement. The PUBLIC Description now reads:

“Chinese drywall material is present in this property”

At $207,000, the five-bedroom, 2,700-square-foot home in Williamsburg sounds like a phenomenal deal, even in this housing market.

“Yes the price is correct!” read the real estate listing in the local MLS. “What an opportunity. Property to convey ‘as is, where is.’ ”

Sure, that’s a discount, but would it be worth the hassle and risk to gut it? Although the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s advice to homeowners living with the Chinese drywall is to simply get rid of it, the crisis is so new that it is still unknown whether any long-term effects will linger.

And besides, most homebuyers want to buy a home that’s ready for them to move into, not one that’s going to take them months if not years until it’s move-in ready.

The home above is one of several houses containing tainted Chinese-made drywall that have been popping up in the Hampton Roads real estate market recently. At least a half-dozen such homes were listed for sale this week in REIN and WAAR MLS.

Although some disclose to the public the presence of the drywall, other listings disclose that information only in private remarks section viewable by real estate agents.( Note, I am a real estate agent and will gladly share all information I know with clients who work with me.)

. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that the wallboard emits higher levels of volatile sulfur gases than typical U.S.-made drywall and probably is causing metal corrosion in homes. The commission has recommended that homeowners rip out the problem wallboard, electrical wiring and natural gas piping.

Numerous other listed homes also offer potential buyers no hints that there is anything wrong with the properties.

“Elegant tri-level townhome in Hollymeade Village,” stated one listing for a home on Avondale Lane in Newport News.

Although no study has yet linked the drywall to specific health problems, homeowners have complained of respiratory issues and headaches, and an April report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission identified five brands of Chinese-made “problem drywall,” and said that some Chinese-made samples emitting hydrogen sulfide at a rate 100 times greater than non-Chinese drywall boards.

Also in April, seven homeowners—four of them in Williamsburg—were awarded $2.6 million by a federal judge in Louisiana for damages to their homes caused by drywall produced by Taishan Gypsum, although some legal experts say the homeowners are unlikely to collect because the company is owned by the Chinese government.

What say you? Would you even consider buying a home with tainted drywall, even at a $150,000 discount?

Do you think sellers should be required to reveal the presence of Chinese Drywall in public comments ?

To see a list of addresses in Virginia where Chinese drywall was delivered, this is a delivery manifest from Venture Drywall Supply. The list was compiled for national litigation.

Click here to see delivery manifest for Williamsburg and Hampton Roads VA

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James City County Drops Assessments on Chinese Drywall homes to $100

Posted on June 16, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

James City County has agreed to reduce assessments on every home with Chinese Drywall to $100.

James City County supervisors had previously asked staff to look into the possibility of offering residents with corrosive Chinese drywall in their homes a substantial tax break.

Chairman Jim Kennedy said some people in his district had contacted him regarding the defective drywall in their homes. Many cannot afford to tackle the extensive renovations needed to repair their homes, Kennedy said, and probably can’t sell the home, either. Some residents have told Kennedy they can’t live in their homes and are facing bankruptcy and foreclosure.

Cases of Chinese drywall have been reported in numerous James City County homes to date, in neighborhoods that include Stonehouse, Wellington, Braemar Creek, Kensington Woods, and New Town. To date, the county has been contacting builders to rectify the problem if a home is two years old or less; after that, the matter has passed the statute of limitations in the state.

Read more about the Chinese drywall issue on the county’s website here.

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Chinese Drywall Maker Appeals Ruling

Posted on June 12, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

In April 2010, U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon in New Orleans awarded damages to seven Hampton Roads homeowners whose properties were built with Chinese-made drywall. Attorneys had selected seven homes in Virginia – one in Virginia Beach, two in Newport News and four in Williamsburg – to serve as a cross-section of homes affected by the drywall across the country.

Fallon ruled that all drywall in the homes should be removed, along with all items that have suffered corrosion as a result of the drywall and anything damaged in the process of removal.

Because Taishan did not respond to lawsuits, Fallon entered a default judgment against the company last fall.

The Chinese manufacturer has now appealed the federal court decision. homeowners.

Taishan Gypsum Co. Ltd.’s filing on Thursday marks the first time that the company owned by the Chinese government has responded to any lawsuit filed against it in the United States

Continue reading →

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Judge awards VA Homeowners $2.6M in Chinese drywall case

Posted on April 9, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Consumer advocates hailed a ruling Thursday in Louisiana federal court that awarded $2.6 million to seven Virginia families who bought homes built with Chinese drywall.

U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon handed down the first award in a Chinese drywall lawsuit. He awarded property damages, personal property damages, and an amount for loss of use and enjoyment.

The case is considered a bellwether for numerous federal class action lawsuits consolidated in New Orleans. It also provides guidance for hundreds of other cases awaiting trial in state circuit courts.

The ruling lends legal weight to a recent federal policy decision that the only safe method of dealing with Chinese drywall is to gut a house’s interior of all drywall, wiring and plumbing.

Fallon used a formula of $86 a square foot for a typical home, and awarded $100,000 to most of the seven families for loss of use and enjoyment.

But, recovering from the Chinese company that made the drywall –Taishan Gypsum – may be more problematic. Taishan was served notice of the suit, but failed to respond, and a default judgment was entered against it in a previous ruling.

Continue reading →

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Virginia forms Chinese Drywall Task Force

Posted on March 5, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Jim Cheng the, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade has appointed a task force to develop the state’s strategy for dealing with drywall from China that has prompted complaints nationwide.

Cheng decided to form the group after a visit last month to Newport News, where dozens of homes in Hollymeade have been identified as containing the Chinese drywall. Cheng says the panel will form a plan for responding to any action taken by the federal government on the drywall problem

Cheng’s office announced Thursday that the state would gather together a group of experts, state officials, lawmakers and homeowners to try to come up with a way for the state to help people trapped in toxic homes The working group includes Del. G. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News, who helped arrange for Cheng to visit, and Sen. John Miller, D-Newport News.

More than 2,360 homeowners nationwide have said the drywall made them sick and corroded wiring and HVAC systems throughout their homes.

Locally, Chinese drywall has affected homes in Newport News, York County, Williamsburg and South Hampton Roads. Neighborhoods where the product has been discovered include :Hollymeade, Braemar Creek, New Town, Wellington and Kensington Woods, all in James City, Overlook Point in York, The Hampshires at Greenbrier, and Cromwell Park on the Southside.

The Chinese Drywall Information Center is a great resource for homeowners who believe their home may have been built with defective drywall. It seems as if the majority of homes constructed with Chinese drywall were built during the years of 2004-2008. This period was an era of “Hurricane Reconstruction,” during which the supply of American drywall could not meet the levels of demand. An influx in imported drywall ensued, now at the center of multidistrict litigation in federal court.

This post was authored by local resident and REALTOR, John Womeldorf. John is known around town as Mr. Williamsburg, for both his extensive knowledge of Hampton Roads and the historic triangle, and his expertise in the local real estate market. His websites, www.WilliamsburgsRealEstate.com and www.MrWilliamsburg.com, were created as a comprehensive resource about living in Williamsburg and Hampton Roads, with the hopes of selling a house now and again. You can reach him at 757.254.8136 or John@MrWilliamsburg.com.

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Judge Weighs damages in Chinese Drywall Case

Posted on February 23, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Some Virginia homeowners who are plaintiffs in the first federal Chinese drywall trial gave testimony yesterday about the toll the disaster has taken on their lives. According to a report in the Associated Press, their testimony at times became emotional.

At least 3,000 people from across the country have filed suit over defective Chinese drywall. All of the Chinese drywall lawsuits filed in federal courts have been consolidated in the US District Court in New Orleans under Judge Eldon E. Fallon as part of a multidistrict litigation.

The first case in the multidistrict litigation involves seven Virginia plaintiffs whose homes have drywall manufactured by China-based Taishan Gypsum Co. It is considered a bellwether, or test case, and is expected to set a minimum threshold for fixing homes where defective drywall was installed. Blame is not at issue in this case because a default judgment has already been issued against Taishan Gypsum for failing to respond to lawsuits.

According to the Associated Press, Jerry Baldwin, 59, of Williamsburg, Virginia, testified that Chinese drywall in the home he and his wife purchased in 2006 appliances, electronics and the home’s air conditioning system. He and his wife can’t afford to move out he said, and the financial fallout from the disaster will likely mean he will put off his retirement.

Another homeowner, Lisa Orlando, told the court that they noticed a “baby diaper” smell shortly after moving into their Williamsburg home last year. Orlando’s family has moved out of their home, and are paying rent in excess of their mortgage.

William Morgan, also of Williamsburg, testified that he and his wife were forced to file bankruptcy last year, after their move to a rental home left them in a financial bind.

The plaintiffs are arguing that the only way to truly fix their homes is to gut them down to the studs. The costs calculated for remediation itself, based on bids solicited independently from two Virginia builders, averaged about $86 per square foot, or roughly $172,000 for a typical 2,000- square-foot home. The plaintiffs are seeking $2.5 million – about $1.2 million would cover remediation, with at least another $1.3 million for damages beyond the remediation.

Judge Fallon’s ruling is expected in a few weeks. However, if the plaintiffs are successful, they could still have trouble collecting against Taishan, since civil judgments in U.S. courts aren’t enforced in China. According to the Associated Press, plaintiffs lawyers said they will try to seize the company’s U.S.-bound vessels and shipments if the company continues to ignore the litigation.

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Chinese Drywall Bills Fails to pass the House

Posted on February 13, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

A House committee Thursday voted down two bills dealing with insurance coverage of Chinese drywall.

The first would have ensured that Virginia home-owners could file claims with their home insurance companies for property damage caused by Chinese-made drywall.

The second would have prevented home insurers from canceling policies or raising rates on properties because they were built with the drywall. Both were sponsored by Del. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News.

While lawmakers agreed owners of homes built with Chinese drywall deserve relief, they weren’t sure that going through insurance companies was the best way for them to go about getting it.

They said they were uncomfortable with the second bill because they didn’t think state code should tell insurance companies when they can or can’t raise rates.

Locally, Chinese drywall has affected homes in Newport News, York County, Williamsburg/ James City County and Southside Hampton Roads.

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Bill passed to keep Insurers from Cancelling policies on Chinese Drywall Homes

Posted on February 3, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

A bill to prevent home insurers from canceling policies or raising rates on homeowners because their properties were built with Chinese-made drywall passed the Virginia Senate on Monday.

The bill was introduced by State Sen. John C. Miller, D-Newport News. A similar bill, introduced in the House by Del. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News, is still being reviewed by the House committee on Commerce and Labor.

Another bill introduced by Oder seeks to ensure individuals can file a claim with their home insurer on property damage caused by the tainted drywall. It too is waiting for action by the House committee

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Chinese Drywall Town Hall Meeting

Posted on January 13, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Nearly 150 people attended a town hall meeting in Williamsburg hosted by Richard J. Serpe, an attorney representing about 70 families whose homes contain Chinese drywall. Many were from Hollymeade Village, a Newport News town-home development. Others were from Williamsburg-area developments.
They’re among about 2,775 reports of the defective building material that have surfaced in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Most of the homes were built in 2006 and 2007. More than 90 percent of the reports are from Florida, Louisiana and Virginia.

Continue reading →

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HUD to help Chinese Drywall Victims

Posted on January 6, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

HUD has issued a press release stating that they are now offering assistance to homeowners with FHA loans who have defective drywall.

HUD has instructed FHA approved lenders to offer special forbearance to homeowners faced with financial hardship due to the effects of defective drywall.

Continue reading →

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House Passes Resolution to Aid Chinese Drywall Victims

Posted on December 4, 2009 by mrwilliamsburg

By a vote of 419 to 1 the House of Representatives today approved Congressman Glenn Nye’s resolution (H.Con.Res.197) asking banks and mortgage servicers to provide assistance to homeowners struggling with toxic drywall in their homes. Nye has been leading the effort in Congress to deliver relief to families in Hampton Roads affected by toxic drywall.

Continue reading →

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Mr Williamsburg, Revolutionary ideas on real estate!Hampton Roads Virginia

Good To Know

No Action On Chinese Drywall Cases in Hampton Roads-Owners in Limbo

CDC Review Finds No Link Between Chinese Drywall and 11 Reported Deaths in U.S.

Deal To Fix Homes With Chinese Drywall Going Well

Details On Chinese Drywall Settlement In Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida

300 Chinese Drywall Homes To Be Repaired

Hampton Roads Home Buyers Beware

It also could be argued that this tactic isn’t in the best interest of the buyer, who likely isn’t interested in buying a home that needs to be completely gutted and therefore is wasting his time even looking at the home.

James City County Drops Assessments on Chinese Drywall homes to $100

Chinese Drywall Maker Appeals Ruling

Judge awards VA Homeowners $2.6M in Chinese drywall case

Virginia forms Chinese Drywall Task Force

Judge Weighs damages in Chinese Drywall Case

Chinese Drywall Bills Fails to pass the House

Bill passed to keep Insurers from Cancelling policies on Chinese Drywall Homes

Chinese Drywall Town Hall Meeting

HUD to help Chinese Drywall Victims

House Passes Resolution to Aid Chinese Drywall Victims

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It also could be argued that this tactic isn’t in the best interest of the buyer, who likely isn’t interested in buying a home that needs to be completely gutted and therefore is wasting his time even looking at the home.

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