To view this email as a pdf or to access archived issues of the report, please click here.
| |
Indiana Single-Family Building Permits Down Two Percent in May
|
|
| |
Single-family building permits in Indiana decreased two percent in May over the previous month while numbers decreased 10 percent in May compared to the same time last year according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In May 2015, there were 1,184 single-family building permits issued compared to 1,312 in 2014. Single-family permits for the first five months of 2015 are up one percent compared to the first five months of 2014.
Read the Inside INdiana Business article Housing Permit Totals Drop Statewide and view the press release here.
Previous press releases issued by IBA are archived here.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Survey Says Indiana is "Best State in Midwest"
|
|
| |
Bloomberg BNA says Indiana is the best state in the Midwest for companies to potentially locate operations. The national study found 19 percent of respondents saying the tax climate is beneficial enough to select Indiana for a hypothetical relocation. Bloomberg BNA says the survey examined the role taxes play in decisions to "relocate and develop new facilities, their experiences with receiving state tax incentives and their opinions on which states provide beneficial tax climates for businesses." |
|
|
Top
|
| |
IBA's Housing Protection Fund - A Great HBA Resource
|
|
| |
The Housing Protection Fund (HPF) is used to help defray the staggering litigation costs of builders and developers who are litigating a case with either statewide significance to the housing industry or which has the potential for positive impact on an issue of particular interest to the housing industry. It is also used to affect legislation and public policy favorable to the housing industry. The HPF Board of Trustees will consider applications at its meeting on August 17 in Carmel. August 3 is the deadline to submit an application.
To request an application or of you have any questions about the funding process, the particular litigation in question or other legal services we can provide, please contact IBA CEO Rick Wajda at (800) 377-6334 ext. 204.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
IBA Accepting Applications for Indiana Remodeler of the Year
|
|
| |
IBA is now accepting applications for the 2015 Indiana Remodeler of the Year. The application process has been streamlined to make it applying easier and less time consuming. This is a great opportunity for remodelers to showcase their great work and can be a great marketing tool. IBA will also nominate the winner for NAHB's Remodeler of the Year. If you are interested in applying, you can request an application by emailing or calling IBA's Governmental Affairs Director, Tom Havens, at: Tom@Buildindiana.org or (800) 377-6334 ext. 205.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Indiana Builders Association Celebrates Homeownership Month
|
|
| |
Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority Executive Director Jacob Sipe (left) and Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann (center) join IBA members Brett Harter, Brad Persohn, Doug Miller, Andy Place and Ed Mehringer at the Statehouse to celebrate Homeownership Month. Lt. Gov. Ellspermann presented a proclamation from Governor Pence declaring June as Homeownership Month in Indiana and praising home builders for their contributions to the affordable homeownership opportunities available to Hoosiers today.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
LEGISLATIVE
|
|
| |
New Laws Take Effect July 1st
|
|
| |
Many of the laws passed by the legislature during the 2015 legislative session will take effect next Wednesday, July 1st. Following is a summary of select new laws that could impact your business. Please contact IBA's Governmental Affairs Director Tom Havens at (800) 377-6334 ext. 205 if you have any questions or would like more information about any legislation passed this session.
• Repeal of the Common Construction Wage (prevailing wage): Unless required by federal or state law, a public agency is prohibited from establishing, mandating, or otherwise requiring a wage scale or wage schedule for a public works project. Provides that the following apply to all public works projects, except public-private, design-build, and construction manager as constructor agreements: (1) Provides that a public works contract may not be structured other than in four contractor tiers. (2) Provides that each prime contractor on a public works project must perform at least 15% of the total contract price, as determined at the time the contract is awarded, with its own labor, services, or materials. (3) Requires each contractor in each contractor tier to maintain general liability insurance. (4) Requires each contractor in each contractor tier to be qualified by the department of administration or the department of transportation before doing any work on a public works project. Requires: (A) a contractor on a public works project that employs 10 or more employees to provide access to a training program applicable to the tasks to be performed by the employees in the normal course of their employment; and (B) a tier 1 or tier 2 contractor that employs 50 or more journeymen to participate in an apprenticeship training program that meets the standards established by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. (9) For a public works contract awarded after June 30, 2016, requires that the payroll and related records of a contractor in any contractor tier must be preserved by the contractor for 3 years after completion of the project work and be open to inspection by the department of workforce development (DWD).
Please click here to read the complete law.
• Performance bond requirements for land developers: Prohibits a unit of local government from adopting or enforcing an ordinance, rule, or other policy requiring a land developer of Class 1 or Class 2 structures to do the following: (1) With certain exceptions, obtain a performance bond or other surety before an approved secondary subdivision plat is recorded. (2) Obtain a maintenance bond that has an effective period of greater than three years. Authorizes a unit of local government to require the land developer, as a condition precedent to recording the secondary plat, to obtain a performance bond or other surety for incomplete or unfinished streets, sanitary piping, storm water piping systems, water mains, sidewalks and ornamental landscaping in common areas, and erosion control. Provides, that an ordinance, rule, or policy requiring a land developer to obtain a performance bond or other surety must include a provision for: (1) the release of the bond or other surety upon completion to the satisfaction of the local unit of the subject matter upon which the bond or other surety was obtained; and (2) the partial release of the bond or other surety on an annual basis in accordance with a partial release schedule.
Please click here to read the complete law.
• Patent enforcement demand letters and lawsuits: Prohibits a person from asserting a claim of patent infringement in bad faith. Provides that a court may, upon motion, require a person to post a bond if the target establishes a reasonable likelihood that the person has made an assertion of patent infringement in bad faith. Establishes remedies and damages. Exempts certain: (1) approved postsecondary educational institutions; (2) technology transfer organizations owned by or affiliated with approved postsecondary educational institutions; and (3) licensees holding patents from postsecondary educational institutions or technology transfer organizations owned by or affiliated with postsecondary educational institutions; from the provisions regarding bad faith assertions of patent infringement.
Please click here to read the complete law.
• Local ordinances requiring disclosure of delinquent property taxes: Authorizes a county fiscal body to adopt an ordinance to allow political subdivisions and local agencies within the county to use a uniform property tax disclosure form. It specifies the information that must be disclosed on the form. The bill provides that if an ordinance is adopted, the county and other local governmental entities in the county may require a person applying for property tax exemptions, property tax deductions, zoning changes or zoning variances, building permits, or other locally issued licenses or permits to submit a disclosure form. It authorizes a county and other local governmental entities to include policies for ensuring that an applicant's property taxes are paid in the process of approving applications for property tax exemptions, property tax deductions, zoning changes or zoning variances, building permits, or other locally issued licenses or permits.
(NOTE: This provision was mistakenly included in a bill that passed in 2015. It most likely will be repealed during the 2016 legislative session; however, until then it is possible for a county to adopt a related ordinance. Please contact IBA as soon as possible if you hear of any county that proposes to adopt an ordinance under this new law)
Please click here to read the complete law.
• Homeowners associations (HOAs): Requires a homeowners association or a member of the board to retain for at least two years after receipt, and during that period to make available to a member of the homeowners association at the member's request, any written or electronic communication received by the homeowners association or board member that relates to a financial transaction of the homeowners association and that is not otherwise excepted from disclosure under law. Requires that the minutes of a homeowners association board's meetings be made available to a member of the homeowners association upon request. Provides that if a homeowners association initiates communication with any member about another member's lot, the association must give a copy of the communication to the member whose lot is the subject of the communication. Requires that the governing documents of a homeowners association contain provisions allowing the homeowners to amend the governing documents. Provides that the percentage of the votes required to amend the governing documents may not exceed 75%. Provides that certain requirements must be met in order for a proxy to be used at a homeowners association meeting. Establishes a procedure for the resolution of grievances involving a homeowners association through negotiation, mediation, or arbitration, and requires that an attempt be made to resolve a claim through this procedure before legal proceedings can begin. Requires the inclusion of grievance resolution provisions in a homeowners association's governing documents.
Please click here to read the complete law.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission to Meet July 7
|
|
| |
The Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission (Commission) will meet on Tuesday, July 7 at 9:00 a.m. at Indiana Government Center South, Conference Room B in Indianapolis. Click here for meeting materials.
The 11-member Commission adopts the code of building and fire safety laws that affect all buildings classified as Class 1 or Class 2 structures in the state of Indiana. The Commission also reviews applications for variances, appeals of state and local orders, and reviews local building ordinances.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
IBA Staff Met with State Fire Marshal
|
|
| |
IBA staff met with State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson to offer feedback on the state's building plan review process. Jim has been instrumental in the smooth implementation of HEA 1301, which became effective in July 2014. Jim was appointed Indiana State Fire Marshal by Governor Daniels in May 2008 after retiring as Chief of the Indianapolis Fire Department after thirty-eight years of service to the citizens of Indianapolis.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
New Settlement Rules Delayed Until Oct. 1
|
|
| |
In a victory for consumers, builders, lenders and other industry stakeholders, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced that new mortgage lending rules originally scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1 will be delayed until Oct. 1.
Under the new procedures as a result of the Dodd Frank Act, four documents will be merged into two. The Good Faith Estimate and Truth in Lending disclosures will be eliminated and combined into a new single Loan Estimate form, or "LE", which must be delivered to the prospective buyer no later than three business days after receiving the application. In addition, the final Truth in Lending Disclosure and HUD-1 Settlement Statement are being replaced by the Closing Disclosure, or "CD", which must be provided to the consumer a full three days prior to the closing.
Mortgage Bankers Association President & CEO David H. Stevens says "The complexity of this rule, which impacts not just mortgage disclosures but also the business processes behind the entire real estate transaction, warrants the additional time to get it right and ensure that consumers are not adversely effected by the transition."
TILA/RESPA Training Provided in Indianapolis
Indiana Builders Association has partnered with the Indiana Mortgage Bankers Association to offer TILA-RESPA training. Training will be held on July 8, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., in Indianapolis. Please contact Barbara Zoderer to register. The training will feature a panel of industry experts and is intended for realtors, lenders, and title companies. Attendees can expect to learn about the new disclosure forms and timeframes, highlight issues/problems that could occur, and discuss best practices and solutions to these changes.
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Skilled Workforce Development Resources
|
|
| |
NAHB is creating a growing collection of tools to help raise awareness about the skilled labor shortage that is impacting our industry and to spread the word about careers in the construction industry.
Highlights of the Skilled Workforce Development Resources include:
- New brochures and posters to encourage careers in the construction trades and management.
- A new video that highlights the great career opportunities available in the residential construction industry, including carpentry, electrical, painting, masonry and HVAC.
- Customizable op-eds to help policymakers understand the real-world impacts of the labor shortage.
- Sample social media posts to spread the word about the impact of labor shortages and the rewarding careers the industry provides.
These resources can be found on nahb.org/skilledlabor. Please contact communications@nahb.org or call 800-368-5242 x8447 if you have any questions. |
|
|
Top
|
| |
Download Business Management Presentations
|
|
| |
New, free, business management Power Point presentations are available to help you provide home-building services more efficiently and profitably. Download these members-only toolkits directly from the NAHB website by clicking on the links below.
The Real Cost of Late-Stage Change Orders
Help your customer understand the cost of their purchase and the services
How alterations create a domino effect
What's the impact of soft cost and hard cost changes
Defensive Estimating
Include everything from set-up to clean-up
Factor in your overhead labor cost
How to calculate your labor burden and slippage to the penny |
|
|
Top
|
|
Sponsored by
|
|
