COMMERCE CITY, CO — Blue tape still riddles Angelica Acevedo's home. Nine months after purchasing, she says her list of finishes and fixes only gets longer.
"My closing happened December 31st, the very last day of the year," she said. "I have been living in blue tape since December 31st."
The blue tape represents unfinished work she has asked her retailer, Richmond American Homes, to fix. From the walls to the outlets, to the vents, to the windowsills, blue tape is visible in every room in her house.
"I signed a contract with Richmond and they are the ones who failed to meet those expectations," she explained. "It defeated the whole purpose of buying a brand new home."
Acevedo is not the only homeowner frustrated with incomplete work. Several other neighbors reached out to Contact Denver7 as well, saying the company failed to make good in selling a completed home.
"They told me they were going to have everything covered," said Monica Newman, pointing to exposed insulation bulging from her unfinished garage wall. "Warranty said don’t worry about it we are going to cover everything."
Newman purchased the house from Richmond American Homes in March. She says the company failed to address many of the items on her list as well, citing COVID restrictions.
"I have sent text messages, emails. I created an excel spreadsheet that I sent to them," said Newman. "We have a lot of issues here."
Newman has six months left on her warranty. She is worried that, if the finishes and fixes are not completed before that point, Richmond American Homes will no longer cover the damage. Other homeowners that reached out to Contact Denver7 say they have even less time.
"It feels like they are just putting it off until the warranty is over," said Chris Peak, another neighbor who echoed similar concerns about his house. "We moved in December of last year. It is getting close to a year now and we still have all these issues."
Contact Denver7 reached out several times to Richmond American Homes for comment but have not heard back.
It is unclear who will be responsible to pay for the fixes once their warranty is up. However, the homeowners say they were promised a completed house at purchase. Months later, they say, that promise is still incomplete.
"I am afraid that my warranty is going to run out. I am focusing on the things that they still have pending and not the things that I am concerned about," said Acevedo. "I am going to be spending more money on this house than it might even be worth."
