State regulators in Oregon and the state's HBA have called for a study of the relationship between an increase in buyer complaints and defects cases and steep increases in liability insurance. The nine-member task force will include representatives of the construction and insurance industries and government. The study will be funded by $250,000 to $500,000 in fees builders pay to the state-managed Construction Contractor's Board. Legislative recommendations may be forthcoming by spring 2006, with the full report due January 2007. Problems in the construction industry, including reports of moisture damage to new homes, have been the subject of numerous articles in The Oregonian this year. The study seeks to pinpoint how pervasive the problems are.
