Lennar Reviews in Sarasota Bradenton, FL

Lennar has no control over Holiday Pool. We closed on July 1st and our pool heater does not work and pool control panel is not hooked up inside our house. 3 Lennar construction managers, warranty service manager, and virtual service manager have not been able to get Holiday Pool out here to complete the job.

In this market, we were too far in to be able to back out when we realized we had made the mistake. From the Sales Side: We've learned that there are so many in our community that were lied to from the beginning with regards to what was being offered and to what degree Lennar could change those terms through the course of construction and there's nothing you can do about it. Personally we were told that when we got on the "list" for this home we were good to go and would not be bidding on this home. Calling sometimes daily over 2 months we were reassured by the Lennar sales team that we would have first notification when the home was ready to enter into contract. Without warning from Lennar we were then told by our real estate agent that Lennar had scrapped the list (something that the other builders with integrity in the area did not do) and everyone would have to bid. Luckily Lennar botched the bidding process (no one bid) and we were able to get a home. The number one complaint amongst the community is that many were sold on maintenance free yards. This is not the case, as somewhere along the lines Lennar only contracted for lawns to be maintained, not the landscaped areas. We now have to either hold a second contract for the maintenance or do it ourselves. They may have finally updated the signage as you enter to reflect this, but for the longest time they maintained that this was always the case while they had signs and documentation that clearly stated otherwise. From the Construction Side: Being in construction its hard to watch the process of a home that you've paid over a half million dollars for be constructed by subcontractors spread far too thin to meet unrealistic deadlines without an ounce of forethought or quality control being addressed. For example, the electrician still puts the boxes off-center and lower than the mirror knowing hes going to get a change order to come back and move them later, because that's what the plans show Subcontractors included families and children (yes, the subcontractors used their kids to complete things such as tile, etc.). We hired a 3rd party inspector during the framing inspection. When the major items of the report were ignored; one of which later required removal of ceilings to fix, we realized having a 3rd party inspector did nothing and did not use one for finishes. When it came to finishes, the punch list on the day we were supposed to move in was well over 150 items. After the 3rd walk they threatened to start taking our deposit and sell the house out from under us (a tactic that was confirmed to have been used on neighbors as wells). The day that we had to be in the house (2 months after the estimated completion date) they were still fixing the uneven wood sheathing on the second floor. They had torn the carpet up for the 2nd time and due to the carpet taking longer than expected, we had to accept that we would not have the carpet running down the stairs (covered in liquid nails) replaced in time. We chose a carpet runner and exposed wood stair treads so that we could get moved in. At least they removed the tack strips. From having to relocate openings (doorways) so that they didn't interfere with the cabinets, light switches relocated so they weren't behind doors, ceilings torn out and replaced to correct the 1.5" dip in the master bedroom (that they could have fixed in the framing phase), the second floor that feels like you're walking through a fun house room at the county fair that we will never be able to put anything other than carpet on without major remediation, exterior paint that is only the primer, a constant line at 4' above the floor around the house because they couldn't finish the joint in the drywall.....the list goes on and on. Some things we will have to live with others we will muddle through the warranty claim process and hopefully get a repair that isn't worse than the original problem. This will not be an exciting 1st year. The automation items are another up-sell for Lennar. When we moved in, they were incorrectly installed (alarm sensors mounted over door trim not inline with the sensors on the doors) or not at all. While most are easy enough to do for most people, if it were my mom trying to get it done, she would have had to hire someone outside to finish the install. Here's another great instance of Lennars thoughtfulness in the construction of the home.....We have a rear sliding door that has three sections and opens from either side....Where do you think they put the sensor for the alarm? (hint: only one side). The door in the mother-laws suite? nothing... We've been without a dishwasher for over a month thanks to the quality appliances installed and we just now received notification that the repair they came to do today didn't work so again here we go with brand new appliances that don't work for another 2 weeks. Regarding HOA: The community as a whole has noted as a whole is that we don't know what we will end up with in the end for a community center. This is a big up-sell for Lennar yet the more we see the less we believe it's going to be what they talk it up to be. An example right now is the playground the size of my living room with 2 swings and a slide. This community is supposed to have between 1300 and 1500 homes and one playground smaller than a kindergarten school yard. What else are they going to cut corners on? The HOA won't be under control of the home owners for 3-4 years. Until that time the company in charge of things has no interest in entertaining the request of the home owners for items such as additional lighting around the lake. This isn't a good review and I doubt it will get posted but we have very little positive to say about Lennar. Even when they come through on fixing things, they often should not have been an issue in the first place and the repair is 50/50 on whether it will be completed or of a quality equal to or worse than the original issue. ... More

No trustworthy communication between sales and construction staff as to building delays, realistic settlement dates, or other updates. Each side blames each other when you talk with them. If materials are short due to supply chain, so be it. Just tell buyers the closing date is X and not hold to old and now out dated schedules just so Lennar can report sales and home closure progress for investor news. Then on top of all that blame the homeowner for wanting to know updates. Pressuring anyone who will listen for an update. Then be told a song and dance to get rid of me on the phone or in person in the sales office ... More

That their buying/building process excludes updates and input from the buyer. Other similar developer/builders in the area DEEPLY INVOLVE the buyer...to make the new home experience a joy....NOT what we stepped into

Poor redponse time and act to completion

Don not rely on homebuilder or workers as you have to watch and inspect everything they build or try and correct.

We closed on our home on August 30th with three pages of items that still needed to be done on our home. Now seven weeks later, we still have atleast 2 sheets of items still not complete. There has been very little follow up. I do work from home as an real estate appraiser and realtor, but I still have appointments and things I need to do. I have had to stay home atleast 10 days for people to come do things on my home. I have also had contractors knock on my door without any advance notice given at all. The post closing experience has been a disaster and a headache. The warranty department is a joke!! The quality is poor. I have even had the contractors from the warranty department tell me honestly certain areas of my house just looks ugly. If this is what you get from Lennar for $600K I will never give Lennar another dime of my money. We were a cash buyer and this was just a stepping stone for us to get into a home. We planned to go into on of Lennar's golf and country clubs, but they do not deserve my hard earned money. ... More

Very disappointed in Lennar and the volume of issues needing to be fixed after move-in, including lanai flooding, garage keypad not working, water not connected for dishwasher, sloppy workmanship. The sales rep (not Art) and Oleg (construction manager) did a hasty walk-through prior to close — Oleg was completely disinterested and made offensive remarks about this home not being “custom construction.” The pair essentially lied in telling us the repairs we were requesting would be completed “in the next few weeks.” That was May 5 and many of the repairs are yet to be made as of August 3. It is difficult to understand why Lennar wouldn’t do finishing work correctly, rather than sending out multiple vendors to do repairs. Have also found odd engineering such master bath blinds that operate only on the left side, which requires the homeowner to climb into the soaking tub to adjust/open the blinds — who is going to do that every day? The towel bar is also above the soaking tub, making it unusable, and the kitchen sink does not get hot water unless you run it for at least 5 minutes, and then it is “warm”, not hot. The repair person told me this is due to the tankless water system which does not accommodate the island kitchen sink. We have turned temp up but it is a marginal improvement — not right for a $600+K home. Additionally, the Genie garage door opener apparently cannot be programmed for temporary codes as Liftmasters can be — Liftmaster was listed on the original design sheet for the home, and the Lennar “smart home” kit includes a Liftmaster Ring product, so not sure how one is supposed to connect that to a Genie opener. Also a dead-end from Lennar regarding water run-off from gutters in front of garage that is causing deep holes to fill with water and all the mulch to be washed away. Lennar says the gutters are up to spec and they cannot fix further, but clearly having holes filling with water is an issue. ... More

Poor communication. Changed CSR reps 3 times. Multiple delays mixed with the horrible communication required multiple moves and overlapping rent on multiple locations. Then gave estimate of 6 months, so we signed a 7 month lease, just to find out 2 weeks later they wanted to rush the close within a month so they could hit financial targets for the quarter. Several issues due to rushed close causing dealings with about a dozen contractors post closing. Various issues around the house still unresolved. Too many to go into detail, but a few; garage door misaligned, bathtub badly damaged, crack in cabinet molding, missing pool automation box. Escalated to management multiple times with poor excuses and not a single apology for issues and financial impact caused by their team. Love the house, but would never buy from Lennar again. ... More

Quality of workmanship/materials used are very low

built to fast home was not ready to be moved into

Not a fan. Did not deliver on time, poor job management, many failed inspections. Not the experience I had hoped for from a reputable builder. Subs unreliable and poor workmanship.

Very sloppy work. On final walk thru, resistance to repairing damaged issues. Poor quality appliances, dryer broke down after 1 week. It took 1 month to have it repaired.

Lennar uses 100s of contractors, so there is no accountability for work that will require follow-up once you actually own your home. The walls are thin and provide no sound proofing, this includes the thin aluminum windows that seep air/moisture. They use matte paint throughout, even in the kitchen and bathrooms. "Upgraded Cabinets" means they are white in color- they are made of soft wood that will show even slight dings from regular use. The bathtubs are made of plastic and carpet will look worn and tired after less than 6m, even if you do not have pets or children. However, I live in a beautiful home and cost was based on the desired location. ... More

Quality of workmanship poor. Attention to detail poor.

Dylan, our sales representative, has been a huge failure since sales contract was signed. Either does not reply to our text messages regarding questions or concerns or responds days later. Ray, the construction manager present at our second walkthrough since our first walkthrough was a major waste of time, failed to address many issues identified again and the ones that were addressed, especially as it relates to painting, he allowed poor quality work to continue. Had I known all this jnformation in October when contract was signed I would never have purchased from Lennar. This whole experience has left an extremely bitter taste in my mouth. ... More

The sales and finance teams are awesome. The warranty team has been good to work with. The overall construction, workmanship, oversight and quality are absolutely terrible. The trade workers have no regard for the way they perform their jobs. When the home was completed and turned over to me it was a disgrace. Please take some pride in what you do and give people a home they can be proud of from day one.

It. Has been a disappointing experience from sales, orientation, communication, follow through to correct. deficiencies in the house a landscaping. . I am guessing you have too few staff to provide the qualities you promise. The delays in getting to closing I.e. simple repairs and/or replacements made it extremely costly and frustrating arranging shipping, transport etc all of which was easily easiily solveable.

Workmanship of all grouting was terrible. All shipping plastic on the shower basin was not removed and was caulked over the top and peeling off. Overspray of white paint on black cabinets. Many door trim finish boards were cut over an inch short and just caulked at the floor. Garage door floor area had to be floated because there were 1/2 gaps on both far left and far right sides of the door when the door was closed. Alot of mortar was spilled on the garage floor and front porch which all needed to be chipped off. Paint and stains on the carpet. We had the carpets steamed cleaned before we moved in. A number of items that were to be fixed between the initial walk through and closing were not completed. During the final walk through several workers were still in the house working on the issues. We closed 2/28/23 and as of 4/11/23 our yards sod is not complete. Many issues were not addressed in the timely manner that the CM stated they would be. The evening before the down payment was to be made, we were notified of a price increase. ... More

Unfortunately, when it came to our salesman it was a poor experience. When you re spending well over the amount the house is worth just do to the market you expect professionalism atleast. We had a wonderful experience with our project manager who really was attentive but when it came to customer service provided by sales contact it was extremely poor and unprofessional.

Our Lennar home-buying experience can be summed up in two sentences… Lack of communication!!! Poor attention to construction detail!! From the moment we signed the agreement to purchase our new home build, to settlement, we felt like we were left in the dark and unvalued!!! NOT ONCE during the nine month construction did we hear from our sales person with a construction update. We felt fortunate that we lived close by so that we could stop and monitor the progress. Several times we stopped by and noticed issues. We brought the issues to the attention of the Project Manager only to fall on deaf ears. Now all those issues are being handled by the warranty department. I am happy to report that the warranty department has stepped up, listened and is addressing our issues. They are on task and handling the pre-settlement construction flaws (of which there are many). While Lennar chooses to do business this way is puzzling. One would think Lennar cared about their reputation and would handle the issues prior to settlement so that they had happy customers. I would be surprised if the CEO of Lennar would except such poor communication and construction standards on the build out of their home. My guess is that they would, like us, not feel valued and heads would roll if they receive such poor treatment. ... More

We were forced to close on our new home, and the home was not complete. Lennar had our money, and we were closing virtually because we were located out of state. It was clear that the construction team had not completed the house and had no plans of delivering a finished product. They were pushing as much as they could on the warranty team. I have worked with other competing builders in the area and the Lennar experience was by far the worst I have seen. I'll be buying more homes in the area and most likely not from Lennar. I also won't be recommending Lennar to anyone else who asks me.

A huge thank you to Chris customer care manager who helped me a lot with scheduling post closings repairs. Very upset with Tremayne construction manager over his response to all remaining issues with construction and very poor workmanship.

Lennar is a low end builder so materials will be low end. That said the communities are very nice.

Get everything fixed before you move in.... landscaping is a mess....put in for your concernd