BUILDER COMPLAINTS
Bigger builders, fewer complaints

The top 50 builders build about 70 percent of the Valley's homes but account for less than 20 percent of the new-home-craftsmanship complaints recorded by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors during a recent three-year period.

The other complaints are spread among smaller builders and subcontractors. Builders can file complaints against subcontractors, and some buyer complaints are filed directly against a subcontractor, not the home builder.

Rank for housing starts Builder Complaints recorded by ROC Housing starts from July 1, 1998-June 30, 2001 Ratio of complaints to housing starts
1 Del E. Webb/Coventry 39 7,352 1 in 189
2 Shea Homes 73 6,655 1 in 91
3 Continental Homes 54 5,517 1 in 102
4 KB Home 65 5,421 1 in 83
5 Richmond American 38 3,785 1 in 100
6 Hancock Communities 98 3,449 1 in 35
7 Pulte Homes 28 3,370 1 in 120
8 Beazer Homes 51 3,350 1 in 66
9 Fulton Homes 37 3,100 1 in 84
10 Standard Pacific 15 2,524 1 in 168
11 Trend Homes 23 2,110 1 in 92
12 Dietz Crane 30 1,988 1 in 66
13 Ryland Homes 21 1,965 1 in 94
14 Brown Family Communities 21 1,943 1 in 93
15 Centex Homes 31 1,814 1 in 59
16 Robson Communities 29 1,745 1 in 60
17 Engle Homes 7 1,632 1 in 233
18 U.S. Home Corp. 46 1,524 1 in 33
19 Lennar Homes 47 1,512 1 in 32
20 Great Western Homes 25 1,478 1 in 59
21 Greystone Homes 25 1,251 1 in 50
22 Elliott Homes 32 1,160 1 in 36
23 Maracay Homes 11 1,152 1 in 105
24 DR Horton Homes 25 1,131 1 in 45
25 Morrison Homes 10 1,087 1 in 109
26 Courtland Homes 28 662 1 in 24
27 Geoffrey Edmunds 40 1,054 1 in 26
28 Hacienda Builders 7 930 1 in 133
29 Woodside Homes 24 927 1 in 39
30 Monterey Homes 36 920 1 in 26
31 Blandford Homes 3 872 1 in 291
32 Sivage Thomas Homes 6 811 1 in 135
33 Providence Homes 14 717 1 in 51
34 Capital Pacific Homes 22 667 1 in 30
35 TW Lewis Company 13 663 1 in 51
36 Jackson Properties Inc 42 657 1 in 16
37 William Lyon Homes 29 634 1 in 22
38 Golden Heritage Homes 10 622 1 in 62
39 Scott Homes 7 508 1 in 73
40 Regal Homes 8 495 1 in 62
41 Farnsworth Construction 7 492 1 in 70
42 Rising Star 2 429 1 in 215
43 De Haven Company 4 418 1 in 105
44 US Development Inc 21 364 1 in 17
45 Cresleigh Homes 11 350 1 in 32
46 Towne Development 5 328 1 in 66
47 Cachet Homes 1 313 1 in 313
48 Marlor Homes 22 302 1 in 14
49 Del Pueblo Homes 23 287 1 in 12
50 Mirage Homes 3 278 1 in 93

Complaints include allegations of "poor work," "wrongful act," and "property damage." New-home complaints can be submitted to ROC during the first two years of occupancy.

SOURCE: Analysis by Arizona Republic reporter Ryan Konig, using complaints data from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Housing starts data was provided by Meyers Group.