Action 9: Woman says major repairs failing 2 years after buying new home

Two years after buying a new home, a local woman claims she's living without finished walls, ceilings and a floor that bounces. And she says all repair attempts by a major builder failed.

The front room in Lisa Hubbard's new home is stripped down to concrete block and rafters. She discovered a bad wall leak after buying the home two years ago. She claims every repair by the builder, Mattamy Homes, has failed.

“This was our dream home and now it's a nightmare,” Hubbard said.

She doesn’t just have issues with the corner walls. Hubbard claims the upstairs wood floor moves and bounces.

Two home inspection companies she hired found these big issues should be covered by the 10-year structural warranty. Hubbard sent those reports to the builder. She included a 100-item punch list of cosmetic repairs.

“We finally had to reach out to Mattamy leadership. You have left our home in disarray,” Hubbard said.

An email from the builder's Orlando president stated the home will be fixed but Hubbard said she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement first.

Instead she hired a law firm and contacted Action 9 consumer investigator Todd Ulrich.

“I think that's just what it is, poor workmanship,” said licensed home inspector Kerei Stampfel of KA Inspections.

Action 9 turned to Stampfel to check the builder's repairs so far.

She did a simple water test and found that front wall still leaks.

“It's coming through now,” Stampfel said.

And upstairs, Stampfel felt the flooring move under her feet.

“This builder needs to get back out here and take care of the woman's upper structure and figure out why she is still getting water intrusion,” Stampfel said.

Mattamy Orlando is rated B- at the Better Business Bureau. Five complaints involve warranty issues.

Another Kissimmee buyer turned to Action 9 a year ago with structural warranty complaints in her Mattamy new home.

As for Hubbard, the builder told Ulrich it’s engaged with the homeowner and her attorney to address the warranty items but there's been no response.

“We want our home. This is our home,” Hubbard said.

Most new home contracts include mandatory arbitration and that covers any warranty complaint.

A warranty is a kind of insurance so home buyers can also send their complaints to Florida’s Department of Financial Services.

Mattamy Homes response:

“We have been making continuous efforts to engage with the homeowners and their attorney to address their warranty items but have yet to receive any response to our offers to repair them. We look forward to the opportunity to bring the matter to conclusion.”

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