Under Right to Repair Act, Builder Must Timely Respond to Homeowner's Notice of Claim Despite Inadequate Specificity of Alleged Defects

Under Right to Repair Act, Builder Must Timely Respond to Homeowner’s Notice of Claim Despite Inadequate Specificity of Alleged Defects

In California, the Right to Repair Act, codified at Civil Code sections 895 et seq., was established with the goal of resolving construction defect claims in an expeditious and non-adversarial manner. The Act requires that, prior to filing a lawsuit, a homeowner must provide the builder with a notice of claim. The notice must contain the claimant’s name, address, and preferred method of contact. The notice must also state that claimant is alleging a violation pursuant to section 910 of the Act, and describe the claim in reasonable detail sufficient to determine the nature and location, to the extent known, of the alleged defects.

Once such a claim is delivered via overnight mail, certified mail, or personal delivery to the builder, the statutory timelines go into effect. The builder must acknowledge receipt of the claim within 14 days, may elect to conduct an initial inspection of the property within the following 14 days, and may offer to repair the violation and compensate the owner within 30 days of the initial or second inspection. The owner then has 30 days to authorize the builder to proceed with the repair or request alternative contractors. If the builder fails to strictly comply with any of the requirements or timelines, the owner is released from the requirements of the Act and may proceed with filing a lawsuit.

In a recent case, Blanchette, the owner of one of 28 homes constructed by GHA Enterprises, served GHA with a notice of claim under the Act. GHA did not respond to the notice until 21 days later. GHA’s response asserted that Blanchette had not alleged the defects with sufficient detail as required by the Act. Because the response took 21 days, Blanchette took the position that it was untimely and filed a construction defect class action against GHA. GHA moved to stay the lawsuit, and the trial court granted the motion, agreeing that Blanchette’s notice of claim lacked sufficient detail to trigger GHA’s obligations under the Act.

The Court of Appeal reversed the trial court decision, finding that the timelines under the Act are to be strictly construed. Although the Court agreed that Blanchette’s notice of claim lacked sufficient detail of the alleged defects, the Act nonetheless requires that the builder respond and acknowledge the claim within 14 days. Here, the builder should have raised any objection to the sufficiency of the notice within the 14 day time period rather than relying on that defect as a basis to delay the response. Because GHA did not timely acknowledge receipt of the claim and set forth its objections, Blanchette was released from the requirements of the Act and could proceed with the lawsuit.

This case serves as a reminder to builders in California to make sure and strictly comply with all provisions of the Right to Repair Act, or risk becoming embroiled in what may become much more lengthy and expensive civil litigation.

Blanchette v. Superior Court (GHA Enterprises) (Feb. 10, 2017) 17 C.D.O.S. 1302

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