Complaint Review: Ryan Homes - Richmond Virginia

My original report was filed years ago. Nothing changed for the better. I've seen many victims of Ryan Homes come and go, some resolved, some foreclosed and bankrupt. They have two types of customer service at Ryan Homes. One is our experience, threaten legal action, and make personal threats by phone to shut up about what they did wrong. Another is, should they resolve a dispute by fixing a serious problem or give due compensation, you must remove all derogatory information about the builder, so there is no trace there ever was a dispute or problem. Ive seen this first hand a few times now, and one example is on ths site, but Ed would not remove it to fill the gag order Ryan Homes placed on the victims. There are obviously far more complaints than anyone could ever see. You won't find court records, BBB records, or any list of dissatisfied customers who will talk to you openly about the hell the company put them through. They can be sued by the builder for breach of contract for doing so. But you can easily find satisfied customers, and their perspectives published. Ryan Homes only has two primary types of customers, the satisfied kind, and the ones made to go away, so you only see one side predominantly. Of course we're an exception to that rule, as are a few others visible on the net. Why? Simple. It's currently cheaper to dismiss our losses, than take any real action to resolve them. And this could easily be you tomorrow. The complaints that remain visible are proportionately small against the positive feedback a multi-billion dollar company can produce. Buyers take illusional solace in that they see few complaints. Every company has negative feedback at some point in such a business. How they respond is the difference, what sets companies apart. So consider this when you are thinking of going with Ryan Homes or NVR mortgage. This company has no legal public record of resolving any major issues, aside form New York's now Governor Spitzer's state wide public record in which they were fined by the state of New York for shoddy construction. This is not because they didn't or don't have serious issues, they've had ten of thousands of them. Ask yourself, do you really trust a builder that hides complaints every chance they get? Do you want to buy from a builder that has knowingly destroyed people's finances and health, and despite billions in profits did not lift a finger or give a cent for support? Even if you buy into it being just a few people harmed, would you want to leave your children with a known child molester running a day care center because he/she only molests a small percentage of children they deal with? When you've lost your life savings and your health to a very wealthy builder, will you take comfort in knowing, they have many satisfied happy customers- other than you? How many people should a company destroy with defective products, before they are considered bad?

The cost of repairing or finishing items done wrong by builders and missed by code inspection dept's is an undisclosed part of the cost of new homes, a sort of hidden inflation. The building industry talks continuously about building affordable homes, but there is nothing affordable about a defective home. Consumer Reports and other investigations found that at least 15% of new homes had at least two SERIOUS defects, and that is not counting the many others with less serious defects that still cost the buyers thousands. Serious defects can, and do sometimes, mean complete financial devastation to the buyers, including possible bankruptcy and foreclosure and the years of credit damage that comes with that. The buyers are being punished for the builders mistakes. 15% is an underestimate in my opinion, and even if totally accurate, certainly is not in line with the claims most builders have of 95% to 100% customer satisfaction. Further, even if only one customer has a defective home, there is no reason that customer should not expect the warranty to be honored. These builders are breaking the law and are getting away with it.

We just had the townhouse discussed in this rip-off report appraise at $143,000 with its repairs mostly done, aside from cleanup and some final touches. We still don't live there, and hope never to again. We will owe roughly $95,000 on the home if sold. We have now lost over $200,000, with $170,000 of that to remain as separate debt accrued beginning in 1998, when extensive costly restorations from defect damages began to s****.. Our doctor had advised us to leave the home for our health years before things got their worst, but we didn't know how we could afford to abandon the defective home, and pay for another residence. We didn't know permanent health damages could occur by staying. The consequences of staying were far more severe than our doctor even anticipated. We did forcefully abandon the home when we got too sick to function there. We have survived the move only by the progressive buildup of debt. By the time we left the home in 2002, I developed a tumor that was removed from my head just this year, that formed while living and working in the home, during the period it had become heavily contaminated from defects. I have permanent nerve damage and pain from that surgery. My significant other had a miscarriage and also developed Hashimotos Syndrome during the time the house was most toxic. She will be on medication for life, as a result of developed health problems. Fortunately, both biopsies of our growths that formed while in the home turned up negative for cancer. No additional growths have occurred since leaving the home. All of the major health and property damages occurred as a result of a criminal code violation in the HVAC system, and builder errors in installing insulation. This contaminated the house with fiberglass, cellulose, soot, carbon monoxide, and finally led to toxic molds in the HVAC system that spread throughout the inside of the home. VP J. Winston Read, Richmond division of Ryan Homes, received documentation and photos showing clear and obvious evidence of criminal negligence and damages by certified mail. He also stated that he reviewed the documentation of damages on our website, which he urged me to remove, "for my own good." The site is removed at the moment, 17 months after false threats were made about it. Key statements Read made toward resolving consequential damages from builder defects that shut down any support from Ryan Homes: "Ryan homes accepts no responsibility for any damages resulting from builder defects. IF we determine by inspection that there is a builder defect, we are only obligated to fix the defect. Since your rights to legal action have expired there's nothing you can really do (to Ryan Homes)." -slightly paraphrased quote from Read. He could see documentation showing the defects had existed and were already fixed as he made this statement during a phone consultation. The total cost of the builder defects that were found and repaired was less than $200. The damages the defects caused became devastating. The house became uninhabitable as a direct result of Ryan Homes refusal to restore damages caused by their builder defects, and more permanent health damages occurred after the useless exchanges with Ryan Homes, in which they only offered to give their company position on the matter, with no help offered whatsoever. Had Ryan Homes chosen to do the right thing, honor their warranty, and provide needed restoration of damages they were clearly responsible for, when they were first contacted, they probably could have got this behind them for very little cost, well below the six figures now due. Our lives would be totally different, as we were in a prosperous productive situation, until this house nightmare became like a lead anchor around our necks. Cheers to Ryan for being such a successful builder in Richmond and beyond. But that doesn't give them the right to commit negligent acts, destroy people's health, lives, and property, then simply say "There's nothing you can do to us." I would urge Ryan Homes, for their own good, to do the right thing, and take responsibility for their mistakes as soon as possible. While we can survive without Ryan Homes, it's another thing to have our rights so grossly violated in so many ways, and pretend it never happened. It's a long horrible true story. We've given them over four years to think of something useful to offer, and putting us off has only made things worse for everyone involved.

We just had the townhouse discussed in this rip-off report appraise at $143,000 with its repairs mostly done, aside from cleanup and some final touches. We still don't live there, and hope never to again. We will owe roughly $95,000 on the home if sold. We have now lost over $200,000, with $170,000 of that to remain as separate debt accrued beginning in 1998, when extensive costly restorations from defect damages began to s****.. Our doctor had advised us to leave the home for our health years before things got their worst, but we didn't know how we could afford to abandon the defective home, and pay for another residence. We didn't know permanent health damages could occur by staying. The consequences of staying were far more severe than our doctor even anticipated. We did forcefully abandon the home when we got too sick to function there. We have survived the move only by the progressive buildup of debt. By the time we left the home in 2002, I developed a tumor that was removed from my head just this year, that formed while living and working in the home, during the period it had become heavily contaminated from defects. I have permanent nerve damage and pain from that surgery. My significant other had a miscarriage and also developed Hashimotos Syndrome during the time the house was most toxic. She will be on medication for life, as a result of developed health problems. Fortunately, both biopsies of our growths that formed while in the home turned up negative for cancer. No additional growths have occurred since leaving the home. All of the major health and property damages occurred as a result of a criminal code violation in the HVAC system, and builder errors in installing insulation. This contaminated the house with fiberglass, cellulose, soot, carbon monoxide, and finally led to toxic molds in the HVAC system that spread throughout the inside of the home. VP J. Winston Read, Richmond division of Ryan Homes, received documentation and photos showing clear and obvious evidence of criminal negligence and damages by certified mail. He also stated that he reviewed the documentation of damages on our website, which he urged me to remove, "for my own good." The site is removed at the moment, 17 months after false threats were made about it. Key statements Read made toward resolving consequential damages from builder defects that shut down any support from Ryan Homes: "Ryan homes accepts no responsibility for any damages resulting from builder defects. IF we determine by inspection that there is a builder defect, we are only obligated to fix the defect. Since your rights to legal action have expired there's nothing you can really do (to Ryan Homes)." -slightly paraphrased quote from Read. He could see documentation showing the defects had existed and were already fixed as he made this statement during a phone consultation. The total cost of the builder defects that were found and repaired was less than $200. The damages the defects caused became devastating. The house became uninhabitable as a direct result of Ryan Homes refusal to restore damages caused by their builder defects, and more permanent health damages occurred after the useless exchanges with Ryan Homes, in which they only offered to give their company position on the matter, with no help offered whatsoever. Had Ryan Homes chosen to do the right thing, honor their warranty, and provide needed restoration of damages they were clearly responsible for, when they were first contacted, they probably could have got this behind them for very little cost, well below the six figures now due. Our lives would be totally different, as we were in a prosperous productive situation, until this house nightmare became like a lead anchor around our necks. Cheers to Ryan for being such a successful builder in Richmond and beyond. But that doesn't give them the right to commit negligent acts, destroy people's health, lives, and property, then simply say "There's nothing you can do to us." I would urge Ryan Homes, for their own good, to do the right thing, and take responsibility for their mistakes as soon as possible. While we can survive without Ryan Homes, it's another thing to have our rights so grossly violated in so many ways, and pretend it never happened. It's a long horrible true story. We've given them over four years to think of something useful to offer, and putting us off has only made things worse for everyone involved.

We just had the townhouse discussed in this rip-off report appraise at $143,000 with its repairs mostly done, aside from cleanup and some final touches. We still don't live there, and hope never to again. We will owe roughly $95,000 on the home if sold. We have now lost over $200,000, with $170,000 of that to remain as separate debt accrued beginning in 1998, when extensive costly restorations from defect damages began to s****.. Our doctor had advised us to leave the home for our health years before things got their worst, but we didn't know how we could afford to abandon the defective home, and pay for another residence. We didn't know permanent health damages could occur by staying. The consequences of staying were far more severe than our doctor even anticipated. We did forcefully abandon the home when we got too sick to function there. We have survived the move only by the progressive buildup of debt. By the time we left the home in 2002, I developed a tumor that was removed from my head just this year, that formed while living and working in the home, during the period it had become heavily contaminated from defects. I have permanent nerve damage and pain from that surgery. My significant other had a miscarriage and also developed Hashimotos Syndrome during the time the house was most toxic. She will be on medication for life, as a result of developed health problems. Fortunately, both biopsies of our growths that formed while in the home turned up negative for cancer. No additional growths have occurred since leaving the home. All of the major health and property damages occurred as a result of a criminal code violation in the HVAC system, and builder errors in installing insulation. This contaminated the house with fiberglass, cellulose, soot, carbon monoxide, and finally led to toxic molds in the HVAC system that spread throughout the inside of the home. VP J. Winston Read, Richmond division of Ryan Homes, received documentation and photos showing clear and obvious evidence of criminal negligence and damages by certified mail. He also stated that he reviewed the documentation of damages on our website, which he urged me to remove, "for my own good." The site is removed at the moment, 17 months after false threats were made about it. Key statements Read made toward resolving consequential damages from builder defects that shut down any support from Ryan Homes: "Ryan homes accepts no responsibility for any damages resulting from builder defects. IF we determine by inspection that there is a builder defect, we are only obligated to fix the defect. Since your rights to legal action have expired there's nothing you can really do (to Ryan Homes)." -slightly paraphrased quote from Read. He could see documentation showing the defects had existed and were already fixed as he made this statement during a phone consultation. The total cost of the builder defects that were found and repaired was less than $200. The damages the defects caused became devastating. The house became uninhabitable as a direct result of Ryan Homes refusal to restore damages caused by their builder defects, and more permanent health damages occurred after the useless exchanges with Ryan Homes, in which they only offered to give their company position on the matter, with no help offered whatsoever. Had Ryan Homes chosen to do the right thing, honor their warranty, and provide needed restoration of damages they were clearly responsible for, when they were first contacted, they probably could have got this behind them for very little cost, well below the six figures now due. Our lives would be totally different, as we were in a prosperous productive situation, until this house nightmare became like a lead anchor around our necks. Cheers to Ryan for being such a successful builder in Richmond and beyond. But that doesn't give them the right to commit negligent acts, destroy people's health, lives, and property, then simply say "There's nothing you can do to us." I would urge Ryan Homes, for their own good, to do the right thing, and take responsibility for their mistakes as soon as possible. While we can survive without Ryan Homes, it's another thing to have our rights so grossly violated in so many ways, and pretend it never happened. It's a long horrible true story. We've given them over four years to think of something useful to offer, and putting us off has only made things worse for everyone involved.

Another Thanksgiving in a temporary apartment, as our Ryan Home remains uninhabitable from defects discovered in 1998. The home is 90% restored. Legal action appears exhausted, local media won't touch it, and in spite of the many stories we have heard about other bad experiences with the company, they only get richer.

While Ryan advertises they make the American dream come true, I wonder what dream that is? To become wealthy enough to destroy people's lives without consequence? People now write me about their Ryan Homes problems. Our case seems to just be a tribute to Ryan Homes/NVR's ability to get away with criminal acts. I have no easy advice on recourse once you find you have serious building defects. If you own the home, you own the defects. All I can suggest is that if you are having a home built by Ryan Homes, or any large production builder, have your own inspector. DO NOT assume the builder's inspectors or the local government inspectors are doing their job. This seems the only likely way to not have that dream of owning a new home become a nightmare.

Another Thanksgiving in a temporary apartment, as our Ryan Home remains uninhabitable from defects discovered in 1998. The home is 90% restored. Legal action appears exhausted, local media won't touch it, and in spite of the many stories we have heard about other bad experiences with the company, they only get richer.

While Ryan advertises they make the American dream come true, I wonder what dream that is? To become wealthy enough to destroy people's lives without consequence? People now write me about their Ryan Homes problems. Our case seems to just be a tribute to Ryan Homes/NVR's ability to get away with criminal acts. I have no easy advice on recourse once you find you have serious building defects. If you own the home, you own the defects. All I can suggest is that if you are having a home built by Ryan Homes, or any large production builder, have your own inspector. DO NOT assume the builder's inspectors or the local government inspectors are doing their job. This seems the only likely way to not have that dream of owning a new home become a nightmare.

Suing is often a last resort for consumers faced with this kind of builder, (and there are many!), but then they find out that usually doesn't get you very far either. The media reports what the builders tell them to report, and they put a spin on it that is really beyond spin and an outright lie.

They claim that people are easily suing for minor imperfections and actually profiting from it...nothing could be further from the truth, as you and thousands of other home owners know.

The above story is TYPICAL of a new home owner's attempt to get a builder to build a home right and honor the warranty. This is the reality of construction defect complaints.

Please seriously consider internet complaints on sites such as this, or on www.hadd.com or similar, or people's home pages outlining their difficulties with a builder. This is usually the only way they had to put pressure on a builder and to warn others.

Sadly, many builders are now suing complaining consumers, despite the fact that this is a frivolous suit designed to interfere with your first ammendment right, and the public's right to know.

The mentioned Ryan built home became too toxic to live in, because of contamination caused by defects, and we've been living in motels and apartments for most of the last year. Since both the company and our attorney took steps which I believe were designed to eliminate us, not our problems, I posted photos and all information about our situation in detail on web pages on the company website.

Now, the very people that have made our lives a sort of hell for over four+ years now threaten to sue me for disclosing their acts, just adding to the damages.

I have no other recourse than just tell of what happened as they have gotten away with multiple abuses and crimes otherwise. All my other rights are otherwise taken, and they want to eliminate all my rights. My apparent choices in being abused by a builder's shoddy work and misleading customer service are to shut up and just go away, or lose more defending myself for crimes and abuses perpetrated against me. I've known two rape victims personally who could not withstand being put on trial for being raped, and the chares were eventually dropped-this has a similar feeling to a lesser extent.

Must note, that while Ryan has stated they are looking for any way to sue me for posted information about my home, stating my claims are untrue, they also offered to inspect my home even though it is now out of warranty, and liable expired long ago while were seeking legal recovery.

Their offered support was defined as "within their customer service guidelines" It was already explained by a Ryan representative, their company was not required to do anything by these guidelines some years ago. I will let them do an inspection on a home already mostly repaired at my own expense and labor, but this seems like more games on their part.