Residents say Richmond American homes are faulty

More than 20 residents of the new Revere at Independence community in Lincoln showed up to the June 13 City Council meeting to voice their dissatisfaction with what they say was faulty construction of their homes. Residents said their homes were built by Richmond American Homes. "It has come to our attention that Richmond American is building additional homes in our city of Lincoln while continuing to neglect their contractual obligation and warranty agreements on our homes," said a resident who identified herself as Amy at the June 13 Lincoln City Council meeting. She was accompanied by her husband, Marcello. Amy said they moved into their home that had a patio door with missing handles with doors that wouldn't remain closed. She said no handles posed a risk for her three toddlers. She also talked about vandalism that occurred because of the lack of handles and mud that stained her carpets. Amy said promises have not been kept. "We have been given excuses. We have been lied to and had community pleas go unanswered," Amy said. "We're victims of forced-closing on incomplete homes." Amy said that Richmond American provided a document with 27 signatures from others in the community who are experiencing the same problems. "We ask that Richmond American's plans for further building be denied until they find the staff, timeliness, and desire to uphold the promises and contractual agreements they have made to the community," Amy said. Her husband agreed. "What's been going on has been overwhelming to say the least," Marcello said. He talked about how Amy is an ICU nurse and he is a probation officer. He said most of his neighbors serve the community. "We know what it's like to work hard and want to come home to something nice," Marcello said. He added that "these homes are not cheap by any means." Another Revere at Independence resident Sarah Wheeler said she "caught a lot of mistakes" made by Richmond American in their home. She said windows were crooked, bedrooms were framed wrong, the front door doesn't lock or shut and they've ignored her emails for service. "We just want our home done," Wheeler said. "It's hard. We paid a lot of money. We worked hard and have been waiting a long time. It's a very emotionally-draining experience." Wheeler said she wants Richmond American Homes to be held accountable and not do the same to other people. Revere at Independence is in Lincoln Councilmember Holly Andreatta's district. She read aloud an email from Richmond American President John Bayless, who she said gave the board a heads-up that residents would attend the June 13 meeting to speak about the issue. "Unfortunately, many of their claims are valid," the email from Bayless stated. In the email, Bayless blamed poor communication and short staffing for the slowed service. He stated that Richmond American "remained committed" to finding a resolution to the matters. "We want your homes fixed. I'm not interested in building a lot more homes until they get yours fixed," Andreatta said. "You have our commitment that we will stay on top of this and get you what you need. I'm very sorry."