Edmonton

Desperate owners of poorly built homes in Alberta say industry advocate let them down

Owners of shoddy homes in Alberta claim they have been left with no resolution after reaching out to an industry advocate who says he has been overwhelmed by clients seeking repairs. Alberta homeowners Deborah Teichroeb and Adetola Wall say they hired John McKale of Home Warranty Advocates but did not receive the services they paid for.

Wall had bought her newly built home in 2016, but noticed moisture in the attic within a year. After a four-year losing battle with the builder and warranty provider, she turned to McKale for help.

Despite paying Home Warranty Advocates $2,625, almost a year later, no progress has been made and no claim has been filed under her name by the company, according to her warranty provider. In an interview with CBC News, McKale admitted his company failed to provide the services for which Wall had paid. He stated that his company has more than 400 clients, and the workload has become too heavy, leading them to put a moratorium on taking on more clients.

Calgary lawyer Michael Kwiatkowski, who specializes in construction litigation, says warranty providers rarely give homeowners money to fix their houses. "Usually the warranty provider will hire someone on their own," he said, "They prefer to use their preferred trades because they can get it for cheaper than the homeowner can, and this kind of litigation "moves at a snail's pace" in Alberta".

The CBC News article serves as a reminder to homeowners to thoroughly research and carefully consider their options before seeking help from advocates or litigators in new-home construction disputes.

Read the full story here.