Massachusetts homeowners across the state are pleading with lawmakers to help them with crumbling foundations.
Insurance won’t cover the issue and the government is the last place for them to turn. The advocacy group, Massachusetts Homeowners Against Crumbling Foundations, went door to door at the State House Wednesday calling for aid.
The home foundations are failing because the concrete is contaminated with pyrrhotite, a natural mineral that causes concrete to crumble. It causes a physical and financial breakdown of the home - tanking the market value of a property and leaving it structurally unsafe. One homeowner who spoke with NBC10 Boston
Advocates say around 40 Massachusetts cities and towns have seen affected homes. It’s an issue not covered by insurance, and there is no legal recourse. Replacing a crumbling foundation can cost millions.
It’s an issue our sister station NBC Connecticut has been covering for nearly a decade. In Connecticut, the government took action, creating a state program to help. To date the Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company (CFSIC) has helped over 1,000 homeowners fix their foundations. However, there could be thousands more to go.
Holden resident Karen Riani found out her foundation was crumbling on Christmas Eve of 2020.
“We threw money from our savings and took money from my 401(k) And a retirement funds at our retirement age. This is a nightmare. It is a crisis that needs to be addressed,” Riani told NBC10 Boston.
Some local legislators want the issue addressed, calling on the governor to create a commission to determine the best way forward. Monson homeowner Michelle Loglisci, who started the Massachusetts group, said they are asking Gov. Maura Healey to use her executive power to get the ball rolling.
"It isn't just a Connecticut or western Mass. issue anymore when we have condos in Dracut, a home in Boxford, it's moving throughout the affected area," Loglisci said.
She added that they had hoped the creation of the commission would be included in the Affordable Homes Act but it was removed in conference committee.
