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

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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

(2/17)

SB800 Right to Repair Act Determined to Be Exclusive Remedy for Residential Construction Defect Cases

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The Fifth Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal recently held that SB800 (otherwise known as the “Right to Repair Act” and codified at Civil Code sections 895 through 945.5) is the only remedy available to homeowners for residential construction defect claims against builders. (McMillin Albany LLC v. Superior Court)

 

In so holding, the court rejected the reasoning and outcome of the 2013 decision by the Fourth Appellate District in Liberty Mutual Ins. Co. v. Brookfield Crystal Cove LLC, which allowed for common law remedies outside SB800 when the defective conditions caused actual damage to property. (The Fifth Appellate District covers nine counties in central California:  Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne. The Fourth Appellate District covers six southern California counties: San Diego, Imperial, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Inyo.) Given the split of authority, the issue may now be ripe for review by the California Supreme Court.

 

Both cases examined the legislative history of the Right to Repair Act. Enacted in 2002, the Act established a mandatory process to manage residential construction defects prior to litigation. The Act set forth building standards, the violation of which constitute construction defects. Prior to litigation, homeowners must follow certain notification procedures and builders must be permitted to inspect, test, and offer to repair the defects. The Act also prescribes statutes of limitations, affirmative defenses, and recoverable damages.

 

The Act sought to abrogate the 2000 decision in Aas v. Superior Court, in which the California Supreme Court held that construction defects in residential properties must cause actual property damage or injury prior to being actionable. The Act, by contrast, was intended in part to grant statutory rights where construction defects caused economic damage alone. The Act made major changes to the law governing construction defects, and sought to respond to builders and insurers concerned about litigation costs as well as giving homeowners the ability to have defects identified and corrected before they caused actual harm.

 

The Liberty Mutual case had interpreted the Act to not eliminate the property owner’s common law rights and remedies where actual damage occurred as a result of the defect. The more recent McMillin decision however undertook a more comprehensive analysis of the Act and concluded that the “groundbreaking reform” and “major changes” intended by the Legislature did not allow for the Act to be optional. The implications of the recent case for home builders are that claimants will have to comply with the Act before filing suit and will arguably have shorter time periods in which to do so.

 

McMillin Albany LLC v. Superior Court (2015) 14 C.D.O.S. 9696

(12/15)