Condo defects bill moves out of the Colorado Senate to the House

Condo developers scored a victory in the state legislature Tuesday as a bill limiting construction defects lawsuits passed the Republican-held Senate. But the celebration may be short lived as it moves to the House.

House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst wants a key change to the Senate bill: preserve the ability of homeowners to sue builders. But that demand appears contrary to original intention of the bill.

Developers and city leaders both say a lack of condo construction in the Denver area is due a plague of lawsuits on newly-completed projects. This law would force arbitration, and require a majority of homeowners vote to enter a lawsuit, not just a majority of an HOA board. 

Homeowners groups argue, on the other hand, those provisions would let builders off the hook for sloppy construction.