HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A single mother paid more than half a million dollars in May for a new construction home in Wimauma, Florida, where she planned to live with three children and her father, who is a disabled veteran.
Multiple construction problems have prevented the family from moving in, and the owner told the ABC Action News I-Team that the builder has yet to pay thousands of dollars of her out-of-pocket expenses.
Warped framing, ceiling joints and trusses
“This is the mess,” said Jessica Perez, showing the interior of her D.R. Horton-built home on Aug. 18, nearly three months after she bought it.
Her pictures show it didn’t look much better on the day she closed on the home in late May.
“This house should have never closed in this condition,” Perez said.
Blue tape shows problems in nearly every room.
A plug for an outside security camera is pulled through the outer wall, pulled from behind a wall outlet and then plugged in.
An outside pipe to a faucet protrudes from the stucco.
But the major issues are inside.
“About 95% of the floors had to be redone,” Perez said. “There were high and low spots all over.”
Since Perez bought the house, walls and ceilings have come down so crews could repair and replace warped and bowed framing, ceiling joists and trusses.
Jessica’s son Matt posted videos on YouTube.
“You can see just the extensiveness of how bad they messed up. Because I mean they’re not gonna give you a brand new home with the ceiling missing,” Matt Perez said in one of the clips posted in early August, which shows the ongoing construction project.
Homebuyer says she was told there would be penalties for not closing
When Jessica asked her realtor to delay the closing, she said he told her that the D.R. Horton sales rep said that would result in consequences.
“If she doesn’t close today, we’re not going to pay her rate lock any further. She’s gonna have to pay us $250 a day until she closes, and that’s if we don’t terminate her contract, and she’s out the money she put down on the house,” Perez said, describing what her realtor told her prior to closing.
So Perez closed on the $541,000 house and began paying her mortgage and utilities, but she was never able to completely move in due to many ongoing repairs.
For months, six people in her household have lived in a small apartment.
“I have a king-size bed, and it was me, my daughter and my son all sleeping in one bed,” she said.
While paying her mortgage, Perez also paid apartment rent, two utility bills and rental for multiple storage units, where the family had to put furniture while repairs are ongoing.
Engineer believes prolonged weather exposure caused problems
Perez hired a home inspector in June who found uneven drywall on multiple ceilings and walls.
He recommended a structural engineer.
She hired an engineer who said it was his opinion that Hurricane Ian delayed the home’s rough-in, which, according to his report, “contributed to the components being exposed to weather for a prolonged period."
He added in his report, “It was certainly apparent that the walls, roof trusses and floor trusses had exposure resulting in some members becoming warped/bowed.”
“I kept asking them, 'What are you going to do for me? How are you going to make this right?'” Perez said. “You’re displacing me, and you’re making me spend money I shouldn’t be having to spend.”
Builder blames subcontractors
We contacted D.R. Horton by phone and email.
A spokesperson responded in a statement, blaming the problems on subcontractors.
“Since learning of Ms. Perez’s concerns, we have completed multiple repairs and have been in regular contact with her,” the statement said. “We have additional work and testing scheduled in the home, which we anticipate will be completed on a timely basis over the next couple of weeks.”
Last year, D.R. Horton was the biggest homebuilder in America, closing on more than 83,000 homes and reporting revenues of more than $33.5 billion.
“I asked them for reimbursement, and they told me it’s not their policy to reimburse,” Perez said.
Perez moved from Denver so her father, a disabled veteran who recently suffered a stroke, could be closer to his brother.
He’s been staying with another relative in Texas during the repairs.
“He calls me every day. ‘My daughter, can I come home yet? Can I come home yet? I want to come home.’ And I have to tell him, 'The house still isn’t done, dad,'” Perez said.
The money she planned to use to add a walk-in shower to assist him went to pay for an apartment, storage units and other expenses she said she never should have had to pay.
“I think with a new build, you’re gonna have a little bit of that, but it shouldn’t be this extensive. This is insane,” Perez said.
We contacted Perez’s realtor, who she said encouraged her to close on the home, but he has not responded.
D.R. Horton did not say if they planned to reimburse Perez in their statement.
A spokesperson said the company encourages any homeowner in the Tampa area with a concern to contact them at 813-740-9720.
If you have a story you’d like the I-Team to investigate, email us at adam@abcactionnews.com
