Insurers dropping Chinese drywall policies

AP via Santa Cruz Sentinel ^ | 10-15-2009 | BRIAN SKOLOFF

[grey_whiskers]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—James and Maria Ivory's dreams of a relaxing retirement on Florida's Gulf Coast were put on hold when they discovered their new home had been built with Chinese drywall that emits sulfuric fumes and corrodes pipes. It got worse when they asked their insurer for help—and not only was their claim denied, but they've been told their entire policy won't be renewed.

Thousands of homeowners nationwide who bought new houses constructed from the defective building materials are finding their hopes dashed, their lives in limbo. And experts warn that cases like the Ivorys', in which insurers drop policies or send notices of non-renewal based on the presence of Chinese drywall, will become rampant as insurance companies process the hundreds of claims currently in the pipeline.

[grey_whiskers]

More benefits of globalism and Free Trade!

"Hang 'em all."

Then go after the politicians and lobbyists who made this possible.

Maybe drop them into North Korea.

Cheers!

[Mamzelle]

Gawsh, idjits. Replace the drywall. Eat the costs.

[JoSixChip]

Why would homeowners insurance be responsible for materials used during construction? Why not just ask obumber to "make it go away"

[Vendome]

Not cool. The insurers should eat the costs. They are in the business of risk management and this is their oversight, not the home owner.

[JoSixChip]

"Not cool. The insurers should eat the costs. They are in the business of risk management and this is their oversight, not the home owner."

So if I build a house out of defective materials and poor construction techniques and then insure it; the insurance company is responsible for the materials and workmanship? Is that what you are saying?

[Vendome]

If you are a builder you may in fact find you are in jeopardy. It sucks but, lawyers are going to after insurers and suppliers.

[JoSixChip]

Sure, the builder and supplier are responsible and any insurer associated with them as well, they should pay. But the homeowners insurance policy is in no way responsible for the building materials or workmanship.

[familyop]

"...Chinese drywall that emits sulfuric fumes and corrodes pipes."

LOL! ..."corrodes" PVC or PEX "pipes?" And they're so helpless, that they just don't know what to do. It must be rough, being retarded managers for free traitors.

I can drywall a house very quickly and nicely, but I'm not going to do it for them now. They should have thought at least to the depth of a pickax man before deciding to break our families and starve us to death with their globalist house of cards.

...haven't drywalled a whole house in over 30 years, but I could still do it better and faster than the best choice of their "human resources" managers.

[Puff! Spit!]

[Publius6961]

BUMP!

[Tainan]

I seriously doubt that the homeowner had any control or signed-off on where the builder/sub-contractor bought or sourced the drywall used in their home. Its not like they are going to be walking into the supply house selecting which sheet-rock to use and asking "Where was this made?"...At time of install that just did not happen. Maybe now it does...I don't know but I'm thinking it probably is now.
Most folks just select a final color and that about it for drywall in their minds.
If they used an architect or interior designer...maybe they share some responsibility also?
I do agree that first course of action, IMO, would be going after the builder/remodeler and any subs they had working on this rather than tossing it primo to their home-owners policy. But maybe thats where the home-owners insurance company needs to go.

[DeaconRed]

"The insurers should eat the costs."

There are many exclusion in every homeowner policy. There is NO coverage and is excluded under the faulty, inadequate or defective exclusion.
The claims will NOT be paid under homeowners policies. Look at your HO policy and look under the EXCLUSIONS SECTION.
I am a property adjuster.

[mikey_hates_everything]

If I buy a car and a manufacturers defect turns up, I can submit a claim to the gecko to get it fixed?

[DeaconRed]

"I seriously doubt that the homeowner had any control"

Neither did the builder or the subcontractors . The drywall was imported from China and everyone assumed it was OK. Going after the builder will get you no where. He/She did not manufacture the product, they only purchased it from a supplier. The supplier might be liable, however they would have to have known the product was defective. The only real recourse is to go after the manufacture and since they are in China, good luck.
It will be expensive more expensive than the initial installation when the home was being built. The bad drywall will need to be removed and treated as HSMAT. The wiring and HVAC also will need to be removed and replaced and possibly the plumbing pipes if copper was used.

[CharlesWayneCT]

China is destroying our country by selling us stuff.

How many products that we get from China are falling apart or killing us?

Drugs, kids toys, tires, drywall. Probably other things as well. Fake glassware that blows up on the stove?

[familyop]

"I do agree that first course of action, IMO, would be going after the builder/remodeler and any subs they had working on this rather than tossing it primo to their home-owners policy."

The "builder/remodeler and any subs" didn't manufacture or import the sheet rock. The house debtors' bosses did. And my main point was that the house debtors shouldn't display so much helplessness and despair, when very little skill is required to do such an inexpensive job.

It is often said that US working men are lazy and lacking in "basic skills" for jobs. Well, drywalling is child's play. It's simpler than many of the other men's chores of auto repair, electrical repair, building design, other building tasks (carpentry, electrical, plumbing, mechanical installation/repair), welding, and computer repair and configuration (see locks against hiring, blacklisting,...). Our superiors should get after it and so some real work.

Oh, and how's John Galt, the office manager, getting along? You see, he didn't turn out to be an engineer after all, and his wife's busy with pushing regulations against men constructing/building wind turbines on private properties and the like (see building heights, "ridgelines," "open space," etc.). ...not to mention zoning "laws" against small manufacturing businesses on private properties.

[familyop]

"BUMP!"

Thank you! You might also like to read comment #15.

Our new masterminds of business and politics may render our country into something like one of their third world houses of ill repute (see cars and service workers outside of resorts in third world cesspools), but we, the technologically inclined people of America, will be the survivors. After the "trading partners" try to collect on the debts, ingenuity will be everything (desperation for revenues, few left to enforce anti-domestic-competition regulations). Phony bosses with goofy, bloated linguistics ("enterprise,...") will be nothing. Deindustrialization will backfire on them. It's our bipartisan business, government, political and academic leaders, who need a ride to Venus.

[mysterio]

Cheap stuff is proved more expensive than anticipated once again.

[dfwgator]

Many of these houses being built today will not last 30 years, we are facing a huge problem in 2040 with literally whole cities with old, deteriorated housing that will have to be torn down and rebuilt.