Details about this story

• Source: Houston Chronicle
• Date: April 27, 2008
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Lise Olsen
• Topics: Real Estate
• Data Types: Local Data , Other Data
• Description/Excerpt: For years, neighbors in a stylish Montrose cul-de-sac named Hyde Park Crescent fought to get something out of the developer they claim failed to fix faulty windows, water-soaked balconies and defective roofs that spawned leaks, mold and rot in their nearly new $350,000 homes. Families alleged in a lawsuit that they were sold flawed town homes and then stuck with thousands of dollars in repair bills. They also contended that the men behind the company committed a kind of corporate identity fraud to avoid responsibility and keep right on building on other fertile ground in construction-friendly Houston. Over the years, the builder, and other companies associated with it, have left a trail of documented damages and unresolved consumer complaints involving at least four other Houston housing developments, according to documents reviewed by the Chronicle, including lawsuits and Better Business Bureau and government records. Another related company developed Montrose's Tremont Tower, a troubled condo project that bears the dubious distinction of having one of the region's highest 2007 foreclosure rates, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of data collected by the Foreclosure Information & Listing Service.