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South Dakota the 31st State to Enact Construction Defect Law
South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds recently signed into law Notice and Opportunity to Repair (NOR) legislation that enables home owners and home builders to settle construction defect lawsuits without engaging in sometimes costly and time-consuming litigation.
South Dakota is the 31st state to adopt a “right to cure” law. Among the states that have adopted the legislation are: Montana, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia.
The new law, which was signed by the governor in Pierre on March 7, requires home owners to provide written notice to builders before filing a lawsuit alleging a construction defect in a newly constructed or renovated home.
Contractors would then have 30 days to propose to inspect the alleged defects, offer to settle the claim by payment or dispute the claim. Notice and right to cure preserves home owners’ right to sue if they are not satisfied with the builder’s settlement offer.
“Notice and right to cure is a common-sense approach to resolving legitimate consumer complaints and addressing construction defect concerns in a way that can help both the home owner and the builder avoid expensive court battles,” said Mike Jung, president of the South Dakota Home Builders Association.
For more information on this issue, e-mail Alex Strong, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8279.
 BuilderLink Connects Builders With Members of Congress
BuilderLink, an updated national grassroots program that will provide opportunities for NAHB members to connect more frequently with their members of Congress, is set to be launched on Wednesday, June 6 at the 2007 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.
By developing local grassroots activities that bring NAHB members and their members of Congress together throughout the year, BuilderLink will build on the momentum generated by the annual NAHB conference, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 builders to Capitol Hill to share their concerns on housing-related issues with their representatives and senators.
BuilderLink will pinpoint members of Congress who have the most influence over priority housing issues and link them to the NAHB members living in the areas they represent. As constituents, NAHB members are in a unique position to directly communicate with their federal lawmakers on the impact of their decisions on housing.
Whether conducting a local visit, writing a letter or making a phone call to a member of Congress, BuilderLink will provide the resources NAHB members need to advocate a pro-housing message.
For more information on BuilderLink, click here, or e-mail Molly Murray at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8470.
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