The National Association of Home Builders recently conducted a survey asking its NAHB-Logomembers about the legal issues they faced in the last 12 months and whether they consulted their attorney to deal with the problem. Below are some highlights of the survey.

Legal Issue % of Homebuilders % Contacted Counsel
Warranty/call back claims 34% 51%
Contract disputes 22% 84%
Defective Install/Workmanship 20% 83%
OSHA Issues 13% 33%
CGL Coverage Questions 11% 73%
Construction Liens 10% 57%

 

I was not surprised that over 80% of home builders contacted their counsel when dealing with contract disputes and defective installation and workmanship issues. But, I was surprised to see that only 33% of home builders contacted their counsel when dealing with OSHA problems. Given the potential penalties involved in OSHA violations, I thought that more home builders would contact their attorney to assist with the problem.

How often do you contact your attorney to discuss legal issues? Are these survey results in line with your business?