In an article published in The Daily Business Review, Natalia A. Duran advises community associations to be proactive in taking care of construction defects within their properties. The brisk rate of housing construction means oversight is lacking, allowing general contractors and other parties to potentially cut corners that lead to bigger problems.
“Construction defects may either be obvious to the average person (patent), such as a leaking roof, or ‘invisible’ to the average person (latent), like the improper installation of house wrap hidden behind stucco,” writes Duran. “Astute Association personnel must watch out for both types of problems because both have strict repair-time limitations that may begin even before an owner purchases a property.”
Because Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill reducing the number of years property owners have to file a lawsuit against contractors for defective construction, the window is now smaller for Associations to proactively identify and address these problems. Regular inspections are critical.
“No one wants to deal with construction defects, but the faster new properties are built, the more defects will pile up,” Duran writes. “By conducting your due diligence now, Associations can stay well ahead of the curve.”
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