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Article
and Video Courtesy Ch. 10 Connect
By
Noah Pransky
Published
October 19, 2012
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 Watch
VIDEO
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BRADENTON, Fla.-- Homeowners of the
crumbling condos at Bradenton's Willowbrook
Townhomes
tell 10 News that KB Home may be addressing their failing balconies and
broken stucco, but an agreement with the homeowner association is
neglecting the inside of their units.
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The frustrations stem from an
agreement KB Home made to fix the problems, but since the HOA is
only responsible for the outside of the home, the only permits that
have been pulled so far have been for 10 failing balconies.
Interior issues include mold and
wood rot from water intrusion into the building.
The Willowbrook Townhomes are
between two and five years old, but dozens have already been deemed
unsafe by the county. Frustrated homeowners say KB Home is
addressing cosmetic and
balcony problems first instead of the root
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of the problem: the rotting interior
structure of the building.
"The inside is (our property),"
homeowner Armando Oyolo-Delgado said his townhome. "So we have to ask
(KB Home to repair) it. Well, we've been asking them to do it for years
and they haven't done nothing."
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He says the
company seems to be focusing more on cost
effectiveness and doing bare minimum work to
solve complaints. Homeowners received 10-year
limited warranties when they purchased their
homes.
KB Home issued
this statement today:
"KB Home
continues to make repairs in Willowbrook,
including addressing any interior concerns from
homeowners.
The Willowbrook
Association's contractor has procured permits to
begin the repair process on the exterior of the
homes and decks. |
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"The agreement with the HOA pertains to
the exterior repairs, which are being made by the Willowbrook
Associations contractor and funded by KB Home. The interior repairs are
being addressed by KB Home and we have actively started to make these."
Manatee County building director John
Barnott briefed commissioners Tuesday about his department's
investigation,
ordered by the board last week.
Barnott tells 10 News that KB Home has
agreed to put $2 million in escrow for repairs to the complex, per the
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the HOA.
However, neither Barnott nor many of
the owners of Willowbrook's most distressed homes have seen the MOU, a
frequent complaint of the homeowners who say they are getting a raw
deal.
While several commissioners have been
sympathetic toward the homeowners' plight, the county attorney warned
them last week about getting involved:
McClash led the effort to get a full
report from the Manatee Co. Building Department on the Willowbrook
problems. It's expected by the board's next meeting on Oct. 30. |
