D.R. Horton

On 11 February 2020 I spoke with Spencer, DR Horton's customer service interface in Oklahoma City, regarding two issues with a new house I purchased there last July.

The first issue concerned a leak due to an improperly sealed vent stack on the roof, which led to interior damage during a heavy rain when the house was still vacant. My local property manager saw it as an urgent problem and immediately repaired it themselves, even before telling me.

The second issue concerns a broken garage door that, according to the property manager's vendor, was installed incorrectly.

Regarding the first issue, DR Horton's position is that they would have repaired the damage if notified of it but they will not reimburse the cost of someone else doing the work. To that, I argue that the problem was undeniably caused by shoddy work on DR Horton's part, the property manager was reacting to what they perceived as an emergency, and therefore DR Horton should honor their warranty.

Regarding the second issue, DR Horton claims the damage was probably caused by the tenant trying to open the door while it was locked. The property manager's vendor states there is no evidence of that.

I live out of the state and cannot verify matters for myself, but I know from long experience with my property manager that they are reliable and professional. I indicated to Spencer that I saw a pattern in what DR Horton is doing, i.e., his role for them is to dodge responsibility.

This leads me to suspect that DR Horton's warranty is worthless. I have purchased other houses from them in the past, which never had construction defects, but this time I got a lemon. And since DR Horton does not stand behind their product, I will remember this experience next time I am buying, and next time other buyers talk to me about builders.