In every crisis, a handful of unsavory characters will take advantage of worried homeowners. Yesterday, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum issued a consumer advisory against “experts” offering help with Chinese drywall problems.
At least two types of fraudulent activity involving the defective drywall have been reported to the Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum’s Office by individuals in the building industry: bogus tests to determine the presence of the product and quick cure remedies that falsely claim to remove the corrosive properties of the drywall.
According to reports, defective Chinese drywall in a home causes black corrosion to appear on copper air conditioner coils and non-insulated copper wiring. If the air conditioner coils are corroded black, there is a strong likelihood that defective imported drywall is present in the home. Most homes that contain defective imported drywall were built between 2004 and 2008. Other homes probably do not have Chinese drywall.
McCollum says there are two easy ways to find out if defective Chinese drywall was used in a home: Ask the homebuilder or have a qualified professional air conditioner technician conduct a visual inspection.
However, the presence of defective imported drywall cannot be determined by “testing” the air in the home. Additionally, if the toxic version of drywall is found during a visual inspection, it cannot be remedied with a spray or an ozone generator. McCollum says those products can actually make the problem worse.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office has had the following specific complaints so far:
• Sale of bogus test kits. These can be expensive, often costing thousands of dollars, and are generally ineffective. The presence of defective imported drywall can only be determined through visual inspection.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – April 24, 2009 – In every crisis, a handful of unsavory characters will take advantage of worried homeowners. Yesterday, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum issued a consumer advisory against “experts” offering help with Chinese drywall problems.
At least two types of fraudulent activity involving the defective drywall have been reported to the Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum’s Office by individuals in the building industry: bogus tests to determine the presence of the product and quick cure remedies that falsely claim to remove the corrosive properties of the drywall.
According to reports, defective Chinese drywall in a home causes black corrosion to appear on copper air conditioner coils and non-insulated copper wiring. If the air conditioner coils are corroded black, there is a strong likelihood that defective imported drywall is present in the home. Most homes that contain defective imported drywall were built between 2004 and 2008. Other homes probably do not have Chinese drywall.
McCollum says there are two easy ways to find out if defective Chinese drywall was used in a home: Ask the homebuilder or have a qualified professional air conditioner technician conduct a visual inspection.
However, the presence of defective imported drywall cannot be determined by “testing” the air in the home. Additionally, if the toxic version of drywall is found during a visual inspection, it cannot be remedied with a spray or an ozone generator. McCollum says those products can actually make the problem worse.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office has had the following specific complaints so far:
• Sale of bogus test kits. These can be expensive, often costing thousands of dollars, and are generally ineffective. The presence of defective imported drywall can only be determined through visual inspection.
• Solicited home inspections costing thousands of dollars by “experts” with no apparent qualification. Homeowners should beware of cold calls and door-to-door solicitors.
• Sale of sprays and applications that claim to miraculously cure the corrosion problem. Not only are these products ineffective, but moisture could accelerate the corrosion.
• Sale of ozone generators. Ozone will actually increase the chemical reaction between the drywall and copper and accelerate corrosion.
Consumers can file a complaint about scams by calling the Attorney General’s fraud hotline at (866) 966-7226 or by filing a complaint online at http://myfloridalegal.com.
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2009 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
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