The Miller Law Firm Recovers over $19 Million for Several SOMA Homeowners Associations with Construction Defects

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Oct 28, 2014, 12:36 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Miller Law Firm announces that nearly $19.25 Million has been awarded just this year to several San Francisco Homeowners Associations that have experienced construction defects. These communities are all located in the South of Market area of San Francisco.

The buildings awarded the millions of dollars in repair funds were completed and sold between 2004 & 2010 as part of the building trend that the city experienced during this time.

"The effect of major building booms like San Francisco saw during this time shows up in the form of serious construction defects," states Thomas E. Miller, a 40-year veteran of the construction defect legal arena. "When builders race to build and sell in a hot market, corners are cut, supervision wanes and condo owners and their associations are left to address major repairs. Tens of millions of dollars certainly serves as a barometer of trends in building defects."

New condominium construction occurred at such a frenzied pace between 2004 and 2008 that over 2,000 new condominium units hit the market for sale in 2008 alone. Much like the 2008 boom, real estate experts source over 2,000 new condominium units that are currently under construction in San Francisco, with many more that have been entitled and are ready for construction. District 9 holds the majority of new and approved construction, including SOMA, South Beach, Yerba Buena, Rincon Hill, Mission Bay, Potrero Hill, Inner Mission, Dog Patch and Bernal Heights.

Rachel Miller, Senior Partner of The Miller Law Firm, states, "When the San Francisco building department estimates that 50,000 new housing units will be added to the city's housing stock, consumers living in homeowners associations should be aware that defects like garage leaks and plumbing breaks will be a reality. Having a resource to address building defects is the first step."

However, consumers won't always have access to information on shoddy construction. As Tom Miller adds, "Developers require confidentiality agreements that homeowners associations must sign when these cases are resolved, along with a full and lengthy release of all future claims. This gives consumers very little information on which developers have a record of shoddy construction. The good news is that these large scale recoveries do help repair and restore these communities."

The Miller Law Firm (www.constructiondefects.com) has represented homeowners associations with construction defects for over 40 years, with offices in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Newport Beach and Los Angeles. Thomas E. Miller and Rachel M. Miller are the co-authors of the only legal treatise on the subject, "Handling Construction Defect Claims: Western States," as well as "Home and Condo Defects: A Consumer Guide to Faulty Construction," (Seven Locks Press, 2012), available online at www.amazon.com.