GREENSBORO, N.C. — Joann Cozart was ecstatic to be moving into her new townhome. The multi-level unit included a large floor plan with high ceilings.
“Very excited, it is so unique and different inside, the layout and everything,” Cozart exclaimed.
The 2nd floor looks down on the entryway and main living area. Cozart tells News 2 the home is beautiful but there are multiple problems with the workmanship.
“There’s just a lot of things wrong with the home,” Cozart stated.
Her neighbor Michelle Martin also had several issues. One of the biggest issues involves severe water damage.
“Within the first week of moving in there was a massive flooding event in the home,” Martin said.
Both ladies sent emails to the building with a long list of fixes and repairs that needed to be done. The problems included unlevel floors, holes in the drywall, siding that needed painting, and railings that were extremely loose.
“We quickly realized we could not rely on the builder to respond to our requests for assistance,” Martin said.
While some items did get repaired by the builder, Cozart and Martin said most of the items they listed were not fixed. They also told News 2 it was often difficult to reach the builder or get a call back after leaving a message.
“It takes forever for them to do something (you have to) reach out all the time,” Cozart explained.
After almost a year of trying to get the needed repairs, both women reached out to News 2 for some assistance. They sent us a list of the necessary repairs and photos of the problems. We then reached out to the builder.
“We chose to purchase a new home, so we did not have to deal with issues and surprises, all we have dealt with is issues and surprises,” Martin said.
During several months, we had multiple conversations with representatives of the company. We provided a punch list of the items that needed to be repaired and provided pictures of the problem spots.
“I was getting frustrated, I reached my limit, (I was) beyond frustrated,” Cozart said.
The company did work with News 2 and the owners over the course of the next several months to address most of the serious issues.
“We didn’t know what else to do, we were not getting anywhere,” Martin said.
Some of the items Cozart and Martin wanted to be done could not be agreed upon by the builder. The two sides did not agree that the issues were related to poor craftsmanship or faulty materials.
News 2 was however able to get many of the repairs or improvements made to the delight of Cozart and Martin.
“Thank you for all your effort,” Cozart said.