Ryan Homes

Review: In 2001, my husband and I purchased a home from Ryan Homes in [redacted] Since 2006, we have had yearly renters occupying the property. Since we purchased the home, we have had numerous problems arise, all of which I have had to pay for myself thru the property management co. Recently, it has come to light that there are a number of areas of the home that were not built to code that directly correlate to the damage and issues we are having with the home. Ryan Homes has communicated that they will do nothing to fix these, as the home is "out of warranty". Based on the inspection reports, I strongly believe this is not an issue of home warranty, but sub-par construction that did not adhere to building codes. The areas of the home that were not built to code directly relate to the current issues and damage that is occuring now and is a result of sub-par building quality. I am asking for assistance with this matter, as I feel it is consumer fraud and Ryan Homes refused to take any action to correct the problems. Below is a brief outline of the issues we have had as well as documentation to support this claim. In 2003, we began having small leaks. As this is not unusual, we contacted our property management company and these were addressed by an outside construction company. At this time, I did not realize there was a larger issue and paid for these repairs myself. At the end of last year, the Homeowner's Association sent out a letter to owners in [redacted] that there had been a recall on the windows that were used during construction due to seal and leakage issues. I contacted Shore Can Construction to come and inspect and they found that 21 of the windows had leaks. Ryan never contacted us to let us know there was a recall. I paid for the installation of the new windows and during installation we found 4 swollen window frames, which needed extensive repair at a cost of $1775. I did not contact Ryan about this and paid it out of my own pocket. This swollen window frame issue was the first time I realized that there were water damage issues and hired [redacted] of AHITCo of Bethany Beach to do a home inpection.In 2013, our renters contacted the property management company to report that the trim around the sliding glass door to the outside was rotting and that there was a large water stain under the table in the living room. This living room stain was most baffling of all. I decided to hire an independent building inspector to uncover the real reason behind the leakage, as I previously thought it was just because of the recalled windows. He found numerous building code violations, including improper grading and missing window flashings, as well as areas that were missing significant waterproofing measures. For example, Ryan wrapped the home in 1/8 inch thermoply material with no moisture barrier. The independent inspector said that there was significant "concealed damage" in the walls and crawl space. I contacted Ryan Homes in July 2013 to let them know what had been found and they responded that since the home was out of warranty, they were not responsible. The crawl space is even more troubling since there is standing water, water stains on the walls, its evident that the floor joists are water damaged with infestation. There is no sump pump installed there and due to the grading on on side all ground water flows into the crawl space. Again, I do not believe this is a warranty situation and had I known that these issues were present when the home was built. I am asking for assistance to get these issues fixed and strongly believe that what was done here was fraudulent. I am in the process of obtaining estimates for the repairs. I do not have the resources myself to address the extensive concealed damage that was caused by these building code violations and would greatly appreciate any help that your office can provide. I have attached all the documentation that I have surrounding this issue. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I have sent the home inspection reports to Ryan at [email protected], to [redacted] and I mailed these documents tol [redacted]Desired Settlement: We would like the building code issues as well as the damage caused to be repaired and replaced so that the home is in good condition and will pass another home inspection.

Business

Response:

This customer contacted us regarding issues that are well outside the warranty period. We communicated the same to the customer and her attorney. The home was

purchased in 2001 and much of the work she has requested be completed would have been covered under the one year warranty.

Please contact me with any questions.