New homes in Camden have leaks, faulty roofs, cracks. Owners ask, who's to blame?

The day Roxana Stuart got the key to her house in Camden was one of the best in her life. Situated in the heart of Lanning Square, one of the city's nicest neighborhoods, the spacious house has a master suite on the third floor, meaning she and her teenage daughter could have their own bathrooms. Best of all, it was newly built, and Stuart hoped it would be years before it needed significant repairs.

But in the years that followed her 2013 move-in date, rain began seeping into walls, water leaked through ceilings, and baseboards cracked. Last summer, rain from a heavy storm flowed through the window in her front door. Leaks from the third-floor bathroom have rendered the shower and bathtub temporarily unusable, she said, and moisture warped the paint and drywall in the second-floor bathroom below.

"When I first moved in, I was so excited. It was my first house, and it was brand new," said Stuart, 36, who grew up in Camden and works as an administrative assistant for the Cherry Hill school board. "Now I wish I would never have bought it."

Stuart's neighbors, who occupy four adjacent townhouses that were built with federal grant money on the 600 block of Berkley Street, have faced similar problems. Those neighbors include Telisha Ortiz, a 36-year-old doctor who recently completed her residency at Cooper University Hospital, and Kiara DeJesus, a 26-year-old mother who moved to Camden to be closer to her job at the Wells Fargo Bank downtown - precisely the types of professional residents that the impoverished city has historically struggled to attract and retain.

They have complained to the developer, the construction firm, Camden officials, and the Camden Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which facilitated the sales. The most severe concern - a roofing flaw that caused water to pour into their living rooms last summer - was fixed, but the owners said other problems persist, including leaks and mold caused by water in the walls. In recent months, residents reached a standoff with city officials and began contemplating a lawsuit.

City spokesman Vincent Basara said last week that he could not comment on details of the claims because of the possibility of litigation. But he said the CRA was working with the developer, Nueva Vida Homes, and the contractor, Tyrone Pitts of Arline Construction, to remedy the problems.

"It's our understanding that this responsibility falls on the contractor and the developer," Basara said.

Pitts, a Camden developer who has been involved in several residential projects throughout the city, did not return requests for comment.

"It's just a shame," said Ortiz, a Texas native who bought her house in 2014 shortly after she began her residency. "I believe in the redevelopment of Camden. I worked at Cooper, I saw the need. I wanted to think I was doing the right thing by investing in the city."

The four houses on Berkley were funded by a $1.4 million Neighborhood Stabilization Project grant from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. After putting the project out to bid, the CRA selected the Cramer Hill Community Development Corp., a nonprofit Camden group dedicated to city planning, which awarded the project to Nueva Vida Homes, a subsidiary.

Nueva Vida hired Arline Construction. Arline's website lists more than 100 residential renovations in Camden among its projects.

Pitts is associated with several companies in Philadelphia and New Jersey, and court records show he and his companies have been the target of several lawsuits alleging nonpayment of wages. In March a federal judge found that Arline and K.L. Pitts were liable for $184,000 in payments to the New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters and the state Carpenters Funds.

The homes on Berkley Street were sold not long after work was completed. Stuart bought hers for $150,000 and moved in with her 16-year-old daughter three years ago. DeJesus paid $175,000, and her boyfriend and 9-year-old daughter moved in during 2014.

Ortiz had been living in the Victor Lofts apartment building and was drawn to her house because of its proximity to Cooper University Hospital. After buying it in 2014 for $175,000, she grew to love the neighborhood. Her house became a home base for other medical residents, who often stayed over during night shifts. After completing her residency, she got a job in Philadelphia but stayed in Camden.

"I have so much space, I have parking and it's a 10-minute Uber ride to the city," she said.

Ortiz, Stuart, and DeJesus got grants that helped with closing costs. All three said that they never arranged for independent inspections of the homes before buying and that representatives of the CRA assured them the city inspections would be thorough.

City officials declined to comment on any guidance the CRA may have provided with regard to inspections.

Over the next few years, all three women noticed water coming in around windows and doors, damp spots appearing on walls and ceilings, and a strong smell of mold following heavy storms. Baseboards and windowsills developed cracks.

Stuart said she noticed water spots on the walls of the second-floor bathroom within a year of moving in. She realized it was coming from the third-floor bathroom and stopped using the shower and bathtub. A plumber gave her an estimate of $3,000 for the work, but she said she could not afford it and was unsure whether it was covered by her home warranty. She also said she had to fix her automatic garage door three times.

Water started coming through the ceiling of DeJesus' kitchen and then her second-floor bedroom in early 2015, she said, warping the surface of a dresser and peeling the wallpaper. DeJesus said Pitts sent a plumber, but the leaks persisted. Her insurance company told her they were coming from a poorly installed third-floor deck, she said.

"At this point I'm fed up," she said.

Last year, Ortiz returned from a vacation to find a massive water stain on her kitchen ceiling. She had to replace her alarm system panel after it kept going off, and an electrician told her it had rusted from water pouring down the front of the house and seeping into the brick. Ortiz and Stuart said they also discovered exposed wiring in their homes.

In July, a heavy rainstorm sent water pouring through their front windows and under their front doors, flooding their living rooms. After the three women complained to Nueva Vida and Pitts, contractors came out and told the women that flashing was not installed properly on the roof, which had forced rainwater into the walls. The contractors also found inadequate caulking around windows.

Manuel Delgado, former executive director of the Cramer Hill Community Development Corp., said he first became aware of complaints about the homes in July. Though he left the agency shortly after the homes were sold, he said he had tried to help get the complaints resolved and said the agency had addressed concerns as they were raised.

Delgado said the homes were inspected by Energy Star, by the city's Department of Code Enforcement, and by the Camden Redevelopment Authority.

Representatives from the Code Enforcement Department did not return requests for comment.

The owners filed claims through their home warranties and hope home insurance will cover some of the damage. After the roofing problems were discovered, they each hired an independent inspector to evaluate the homes.

Ortiz said the inspector said it could cost $80,000 to address her house's problems, which she said included everything from incorrectly angled windows to an improperly installed HVAC system.

Ortiz said that city officials initially said they would work with the homeowners to help them get the homes fixed. But negotiations came to a standstill after Ortiz demanded that they be able to pick the contractors who would conduct mold studies and do needed repairs.

"After all this, how can we possibly trust that the work will be done right?" she said.

asteele@phillynews.com

856-779-3876@AESteele