Construction Law

Florida Attorney General Warns Homeowners of Chinese Drywall Scams

Florida Attorney General, Bill McCollum, issued a consumer advisory warning to homeowners in Florida who have been affected by Chinese Drywall alerting them of scams related to the defective drywall situation. The Attorney General?s office has received two reports of scams related to the Chinese drywall problem. The first includes bogus tests being conducted in order to determine the presence of Chinese drywall in the homes, and the second includes a company claiming to have a remedy for the corroded pipes and coils in the homes.

The Attorney General noted that a homeowner can determine if defective drywall is present in his or her home by asking the homebuilder or a qualified air conditioner technician to conduct a professional visual inspection. The Attorney General warns that the presence of defective imported drywall cannot be determined by ?testing? the air in the home, and if the substance is found during a visual inspection, it cannot be remedied with a spray or an ozone generator. Reports have also found that these bogus remedies may make the problem worse.

According to the Florida Department of Health, homeowners should be aware the following scams which builders have reported to the Attorney General?s Office:

- Sale of bogus test kits. These can be expensive, often costing thousands of dollars, and are generally ineffective. The presence of defective imported drywall can only be determined through visual inspection.

- Solicited home inspections costing thousands of dollars by ?experts? with no apparent qualification. Homeowners should beware of cold calls and door-to-door solicitors.

- Sale of sprays and applications which allegedly claim to miraculously cure the corrosion problem. Not only are these products ineffective, the addition of moisture may accelerate the corrosion problem.

- Sale of ozone generators. Ozone will actually increase the chemical reaction between the drywall and copper and the corrosion will be accelerated.

If you suspect your home may be built with defective Chinese drywall, contact us here for a free no obligation case review.

Full post as published by Construction Litigation Law Blog on June 22, 2009 (boomark / email).