Law doesn’t protect homeowners

By Richard Rychtarik, Las Vegas

Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 2 a.m.

The Homeowner Protections Act signed by Gov. Brian Sandoval is defective and without merit.

Thanks to the radical Republicans in Carson City, construction defects have moved on to greed effects. When Clark County was at the peak of cookie-cutter home construction, the quality of construction labor was abysmal. A home construction worker’s skill set classification was determined by what tool he was seen holding at the time. If the worker didn’t speak the same language as his supervisor, there was a spray paint can color that provided work direction. But don’t worry, a team of government building and safety inspectors will save your home from any and all defects that may result from the builder who either won’t or can’t employ skilled labor.

This, of course, is patently false. Your government is far more interested in revenue expansion than good construction. Building and safety (BS) is a euphemism for very limited oversight. When it was brought to the attention of the city BS department that none of the windows in our subdivision meet the energy guidelines, the employees and mayor who signed off on the work responded, “True, but you have a very fine window.” Nonsense; it was the cheapest window money could buy. When the HVAC and home envelope systems failed to provide the promised energy efficiency, the department said it doesn’t inspect those.

A word to the wise home shopper: When looking to buy a home, ask about what is not being disclosed. For example: What financial guarantee of quality assurance will I receive? Do homeowners in gated communities have different rights? Do you employ all skilled union labor? No matter where you live, buying a house can be a loaded crapshoot, so remember to bring your own dice.