Cracks in the foundation of residential construction guarantee

Mold in the attic

His house, which has a flat roof, was built in a new neighborhood in a northern suburb of Montreal. To get an accurate picture of the problem, she retains the services of Mario Roy, a home inspection expert. This expert discovers that mold is already spreading in his attic. We were able to see significant mold growth on the building structure, precisely because of the lack of ventilation.says Mario Roy, who is also president of the Foundation for Property Quality Inspectors.

Inspector Mario Roy argues in favor of comprehensive inspections.

Photo: Radio Canada

The contractor does the misting work, but refuses to do the decontamination work as recommended by his expert. I have a medical condition, and I’m immunocompromised, so we had to deal with this very quickly to make sure it wasn’t affecting my health.. Faced with the contractor’s refusal, Ms. Gadori contacted GCR, the organization that has managed the warranty scheme for new homes in Quebec since 2015.

The GCR conciliator does not notice the presence of mold

The second surprise will happen to Stephanie Kaddouri in the presence of the authorized conciliator of the organization, who is responsible for evaluating the merits of her claim. “Listen, Mrs. Kaddouri,” she told us, “it’s only natural that you have mold in your roof…everyone has it.”

Mold in Stephanie Gadori’s attic.

Photo: Radio Canada

Residential Construction Guarantee is an organization independent of builders, who The obligation is to protect buyersas seen and heard in the GCR company video.

In its decision, GCR conciliator recognizes Ventilation problem And you risk of mold formation, but did not mention the actual presence of fungi. So no need for disinfection.

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Mold in Stephanie Gadori’s attic.

Photo: Radio Canada

The images taken by expert Stephanie Gadori are very clear. I just didn’t go back. She knows very well that there is mold. For me, this is misconduct, as you say. Her chosen expert agrees with this interpretation. You should have written “a big template that exists in such a place, place and place” as we mentionedThis is Mario Roy.

It is wrongconfirms GCR

In the event of disagreement with the GCR’s decision, builders and buyers may request a review of the decision by an arbitrator. That’s what Stephanie Gadouri does. Dissatisfied with the position of the conciliator, she lodged a complaint with the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. I judge that the person received us sympathetically. During the discussion she dared to tell us: “Good, Mrs. Kaddouri, I have seen others. Then you have a good contractor!” I don’t know if you’ve looked at GCR’s website, but it prides itself on helping customers. For me, it wasn’t the feeling that I lived at the time.

François-William Simard, vice president of communications at GCR, admits that the conciliator made a mistake.

« It should have been written in black and white that the mold should be removed. This is the note I am sharing with you today, and it should have been written in black and white. »

François William Simard, Vice President of Communications, Residential Construction Assurance (GCR).

Photo: Radio Canada

shift case

During the arbitration, the GCR management reviewed the conciliator’s decision in full. The attic will be disinfected, the roof repaired, ventilation grilles added.

It must be said that the builder built dozens of homes in the style of Stephanie Gadori’s in the area. Furthermore, 42 denunciations were submitted to the GCR regarding 30 homes in the strip. Corrective work to improve ventilation of some buildings has been carried out and costs have been reimbursed.

But a few days before the start of work at Stephanie Gadori, last September, GCR management was concerned.

Something is bothering the person in charge of overseeing the repair work at Stephanie Gadori. In the exchange of emails we obtained a copy of, he wrote to his boss:

On most properties on this street, owners have either a front vent or no front vent. […] So, when the neighborhood goes to see that GCR is installing shutters and that their homes only have one shutters… your opinion?

This email is addressed to Jean-Pascal Labrousse, Senior Vice President of GCR who replies: It’s hard to say, frankly, whether that will make the neighborhood react. We have always had strong suspicions that this project will miss a slew of complaints.

We believe from this exchange that GCR is afraid of doubling down on complaints from neighbors, as evidenced by the rest of the email. To be sure, making obvious changes puts us at risk.

The vice president seems to be hoping the teams will be more discreet when he asks the following question: Do we have other technical alternatives?.

this is unacceptable – GCR

asked by invoicethe first to express this is the Vice President of Communications at GCRThere will be internal discussions that will take place because this is already unacceptable.

The main interested party of the same opinion. This is really sad for people, Stephanie Gadori explains. We are still investing thousands of dollars in a home, it’s an investment for life.

The management of the GCR, which requested a second interview, wanted to provide the following clarification: The emails I saw were exchanges to determine the correct solution. Ms. Kaddouri was the only one with a mold problem. Since then, François William Simard identifies, a good solution in Mrs. Gadore is not necessarily a good solution in neighboring buildings, and that is what we have been trying to prevent people from expecting to get the same corrective solution.

Management regrets the content of the email. Is the email well written? the answer is noacknowledges the Vice President of Communications GCR. Its very obvious. It should have been phrased differently. Should we take the time to communicate with Ms. Kaddouri’s immediate neighbours? The answer is yes as well. It’s very important to learn from mistakes or things you didn’t do right.

invoice He received many complaints from owners who were disappointed with the way GCR handled their jobs. To respond to this blame, the organization intends to review the way complaints are handled when consumers resort to arbitration.