Homeowners of Texas (H.O.T.) are ready to put some teeth into that state’s laws governing shoddy workmanship on new home construction. They recently stormed the state capitol, calling for the dissolution of the Texas Residential Construction Commission and instead establishing consumer protections similar to those found in the state’s Lemon Law (including awarding attorney fees). According to an organizational press release:

The TRCC, established by the Texas Legislature in 2003 to help resolve disputes between homebuilders and homeowners, instead has become a puppet of the homebuilding industry and a roadblock to relief for wronged homeowners…. Two of the biggest complaints against the TRCC are that it requires one of its own inspectors to visit a home in dispute, a process that can take five months or longer, and the fact that if builders are found guilty of poor or unsafe work, the TRCC has no authority to compel them to correct the problems.

Because a home is likely the largest investment a person makes in his or her lifetime (and particularly in light of declining home values and the current economic crisis), it makes sense to make homebuilders accountable for their products. Consumers need an avenue of redress - and an assurance that, as with auto lemon laws, they don’t have to spend money out of pocket for a lawyer - to get their voices heard.