News Release

(AUSTIN) — At its August 8, 2007, meeting, the Texas Residential Construction Commission entered into agreed orders that included penalties against 26 builders/remodelers. Houston-based Newmark Homes L.P. received the largest penalty. The commission fined Newmark $6,000 for several violations, including a failure to properly register homes, a failure to remit fees and for presenting a payment to the commission that was not honored.

In all, the commission fined 19 builders for registering late, four for presenting the commission bad checks, one for failing to register homes properly and two for multiple violations. The total penalties for all companies amounted to more than $28,500. The average fine was a little more than $1,100.

Three of the affected builders are located in the Central Texas area, six in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, six in the Houston area and two each in the Rio Grande Valley and in Victoria . The rest are spread throughout the state. (View the complete list) .

Commission Executive Director Duane Waddill said that the fines send a simple statement to the industry.

Waddill said, "Compliance with the law is important; It's important to the commission, it's important to the industry. Most of all, it's important to consumers in the state. Texans need to know that their builders and remodelers are living up to their statutory obligations."

"When a builder or remodeler doesn't meet its statutory obligations, that info rmation will be public. It's in a company's interest to stay in the best public light possible. A builder or remodeler with a record of penalties fails in that goal," Waddill said. "I encourage Texas consumers to thoroughly research builders and remodelers before they sign a contract for any work."

Waddill said a builder or remodeler with multiple administrative actions faces additional penalties under House Bill 1038, recently signed by Gov. Rick Perry. Waddill said, "Starting September 1, 2007, the commission gains the authority to revoke a builder or remodeler's registration for repeated violations. Builders and remodelers need to understand they will now be under greater scrutiny."

Texas consumers can research whether or not a builder or remodeler is registered, if the state has found a defect as a result of a consumer complaint and how many projects a builder or remodeler has registered by utilizing the public record search on the commission's Web site.

For other information about a builder, remodeler, the commission or its operations, Texans can call the agency toll-free help line at 877-651-TRCC (8722).

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