Customers of America’s largest homebuilder are accusing the company of leaving them with dirty and dangerous new homes that they are now desperate to sell.
DR Horton calls itself “America’s Builder” and has built more than one million new homes since its founding in 1978.
But homeowners across the country say the company is turning its back on complaints about major structural problems, leaks and mold in their brand-new homes.
The Texas company last year settled a $16 million lawsuit filed by hundreds of South Carolina homeowners over construction defects. It’s possible this won’t be the last lawsuit the company will be involved in.
“We spent all the money to buy the house and now we have to spend even more money to hire a lawyer and try to get something done,” Isaac Ortiz said from his home in Las Vegas.
Danielle Antonucci said families had been devastated ‘financially, physically and emotionally’ by the trauma of living in their poorly built homes
She discovered that doors didn’t fit in their frames when she bought her Florida home in 2022
She had to remove ceiling panels and walls to tackle the mold in the house
“Everything was in bad shape,” he said AZfamily.com. ‘Everything.’
Jayson Warren was left with medical and home repair bills after his wife fell down the uneven stairs of their new home in San Antonio, Texas, in 2020.
“I couldn’t look at that house without seeing a time bomb,” he said. “We went into the house and we weren’t there more than 24 hours before there was a problem.
“It resulted in my wife going to a medical specialist,” he added. “You go up and down the stairs on autopilot. There’s a reason all the stairs in the country are built the same.”
Eventually his family left, but others fear they spent their money on “dream homes” that are now unsellable.
When PJ Skipper moved into his DR Horton home in Locust Grove, Georgia, in 2019, he discovered a broken air conditioner, bent nails, torn plywood, and hundreds of maggots.
“I thought, man, this is hell,” he said.
He says the company refused to respond to his complaints and that he therefore had to pay the repair costs himself.
Nikole Willis says she was ignored when she raised alarms about problems with her home
She claims that a poorly constructed rainwater pond has repeatedly flooded directly
The pond was sold as an ‘amenity’ but the floods have made life hell for the residents
And the still water laps just a few feet from the homes on the estate in Santee, South Carolina
“We as homeowners are the ones who get the bill,” he said. “Most of the time, we have to pay it out of our own pockets.”
“A lot of people in my neighborhood have sold their homes,” he added. “They thought it was best to sell and move away.
“I can say that DR. Horton left a very bad taste in my mouth.”
Nikole Willis says she, too, was ignored when she raised the alarm about ongoing flooding from standing water from the stormwater pond built right next to her home in Santee, South Carolina.
“When the water became too dangerous, they just stopped coming,” she said.
‘I’m afraid DR Horton is leaving us with this nightmare of a problem.
“I don’t really have any respect for DR Horton. I don’t like being lied to; I don’t like being ignored; I don’t like that,” she added.
“They have made a lot of empty promises to the people in this neighborhood.”
The company attempted to resolve some issues Danielle Antonucci reported after she moved to her Florida home in 2022, but which subsequently fell off the radar.
Jayson Warren (left) had to take his wife to the hospital after she fell down the uneven stairs of their new home in San Antonio, Texas, in 2020, while Isaac Ortiz (right) said his Nevada home was filled with construction debris and had leaks in the walls.
She said poorly closing doors, major structural problems and mold in the walls from water damage have left the Sarasota home virtually uninhabitable.
“You didn’t give me the brand new house that I bought,” she said. “I’m worried, in three or four years I’m going to have a house full of mold in my walls?
“We share a tiny bathroom. We’ve been fighting with them for over two years.”
And she begins to realize how many other owners have gone through similar hell.
“These stories are heartbreaking,” she said. “They devastate families, financially, physically, emotionally, mentally, all of that, it’s devastating.”
And homeowners’ anger is fueled by the knowledge that county inspectors are approving their defective new homes.
“Almost 45 days ago, I filed a complaint with the Nevada Attorney General,” Ortiz said. “At this point, almost 45 days later, I still haven’t heard anything.”
Others wonder what needs to be done to hold the Fortune 500 company accountable.
“I think the federal level may play a role when you talk about the compounding effects,” Warren said.
A company spokesperson stressed that it has no plans to shy away from its customers’ concerns.
PJ Skipper says his neighbors in Locust Grove, Georgia, are now desperate to sell their homes
A company spokesperson stressed that the company will not shy away from addressing its customers’ concerns.
“We are extremely proud of the quality of the homes at DR Horton and have helped over 1,000,000 individuals and families across the United States realize their dream of homeownership,” the spokesperson told AZfamily.
Our team takes all homeowner concerns very seriously and strives for customer satisfaction.
“We encourage any homeowners in DR Horton who are concerned about their home to contact us at CorporateCustomerCare@drhorton.com so we can address any issues.”
Dailymail.com has reached out to the company for comment.