Chinese Drywall: Literally Up Against the Wall

Port St. Lucy, FLKim bought a new house in 2007 and leased it to a tenant who complained of Chinese drywall. "I had a home inspection done that indeed confirmed Chinese drywall problems and my tenant moved out, afraid of the effects it would have on their health," says Kim. Not only does Kim now have to deal with a reno, he has also lost rental revenue on his home.

"At the advice of my attorney I sent a letter to the builders, demanding they remedy this situation," says Kim. "I also sent them a copy of the inspection report and a copy of the proposal from a contractor for replacing all the drywall. I believe the amount is around $55,000. I also sent a letter to the builder's legal counsel with return receipts to both the builder and their legal counsel. These letters were received July 23 and so far I haven't had a response.

My attorney also advised me to call the builder's attorney daily. I don't know how long that will last but I suppose at some point my attorney will file a lawsuit if I don't hear back from them after a certain length of time.

Another thing I want to add: the first person I spoke to at the builder's office told me (before I sent the letter) that they were not ready to do any remediation because they "didn't know what to do". As well, the builder sent their own inspector to inspect my house and confirmed that it did indeed have Chinese drywall. So there is no issue whether or not it is contaminated. The builders just don't know the proper protocol. 'What am I supposed to do?' I asked. "You do what you have to do, the builder replied.

I am up against a wall.

I also read an article online about my builder, Centerline Homes. They are remediating a house in my town, and it gave the address. Apparently they knew what to do with this house.

And according to what I have read online, many houses have been effected, especially in the state of Florida. Now I am checking out another house I own just a few houses down the street: my tenant notified my manager that they think it has Chinese drywall as well. My manager said they are having difficulty breathing and having nosebleeds. Of course that is heresay at this point but I have a feeling I might be dealing with this issue again. So now I have to get the inspectors in this second home.

I am very concerned because my attorney said we have a very good case and we will win, but there is also lost rent for however long the houses are vacant. If my house costs $55,000 to fix, I am worried about how much everything is going to cost me in the end..."