House Delayed Again

sunshine20

Hello All,

I read the message boards a lot but this is my first post and was wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences or advice they could share?

My girlfriend and I exchanged contracts on a new build in December 2007, we were told completion would be Half way through July. That was delayed until half way through September for no reason. Now it has been delayed again until Half way through November! So it will almost be a year since we exchanged contracts. Yes we bought before the whole housing scare so i think we've lost 15% on it already.

As first time buyers all of this stuff is pretty disheartening. We are now both living with her parents and they are waiting for us to move out so they can begin work on their house - so they aren't too pleased either.

Do I have any 'rights' to try and claim something out of them like free carpet etc. or should I just take it on the chin and accept this is how things in the building business go? The company by the way is Charles Church.

Many Thanks in advance
G

pootle30

Hi there, check the contract you signed with them. We are buying a house off Miller Homes and our contract stated a two month window and said that if wasn't completed within that window then we are entitled to withdraw without penalty and get our deposit back. Mind you, our solicitor thought that was quite unusual as most other housebuilders dont offer you that sort of peace of mind and they can probably move it and you are stuck with it.

I would at least suggest that you contact a Regional Sales Manager and suggest that given the major delays in completion and value lost over this period of time that you want a specific amount taken off the price otherwise you will have to consider now pulling out of the bargain.

Just to give you an idea, Bryant Homes are doing a development in Dunfermline, Scotland and they have just taken 30/40K of all their properties available which is the first obvious one I have seen around here.

Good luck

SquatNow

No. Assuming it's the usual "new build" contract you have no rights whatsoever.

Worse still, most mortgage offers have expiry dates. If you haven't completed by the expiry date, the offer is withdrawn.

When does your mortgage offer expire?

SquatNow

pootle30 wrote: »

I would at least suggest that you contact a Regional Sales Manager and suggest that given the major delays in completion and value lost over this period of time that you want a specific amount taken off the price otherwise you will have to consider now pulling out of the bargain.

He wont care. now you've signed, unless you're lucky enought to have a charitably written contract, you can't pull out.

pootle30 wrote: »

Just to give you an idea, Bryant Homes are doing a development in Dunfermline, Scotland and they have just taken 30/40K of all their properties available which is the first obvious one I have seen around here.

They have no reason to drop the price. If you pull out and they sell the property to someone else for a lower price, you will be liable for the difference.

sunshine20

SquatNow wrote: »

Worse still, most mortgage offers have expiry dates. If you haven't completed by the expiry date, the offer is withdrawn.

When does your mortgage offer expire?

We've just checked our mortgage offer and it doesn't expire until 21st January - so we're safe there. I'm just a bit gutted about paying over the odds for the house - however prices will eventually go up :j

We've written a stropy e-mail to their welsh branch trying to get something from this, but we're not hopeful. I guess threatening to withdraw would not make any difference as we've been told if we pulled out we'd be liable for 10% of the house (which is the deposit we've saved up for it!).

God this house stuff is stressful!

SouthCoast

You are not alone.

A Berkshire couple who paid a deposit for a new home have become caught in a financial trap after developers put building on hold.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7559605.stm

SquatNow

sunshine20 wrote: »

We've just checked our mortgage offer and it doesn't expire until 21st January - so we're safe there.

Unless of course it gets put back again... which is quite likely.

If the builders can't complete by 21st of january you'll be sat being force to complete when they do but with no mortgage offer.

sunshine20 wrote: »

I'm just a bit gutted about paying over the odds for the house - however prices will eventually go up

Yes prices will recover, but it will take 18, possible 36 years, so be prepared to spend the rest of your life in that house.

Davesnave

Yes prices will recover, but it will take 18, possible 36 years, so be prepared to spend the rest of your life in that house.

You don't happen to temp as a red top journalist do you, Squatnow? This is a worst, worst-case scenario, as well you know. You might as well say that we could all be dead from bird flu before prices recover.

The OP has to take a hit, just like sellers are taking a hit, but inflation rates and individual circumstances will play a big part in the way recovery from that will happen, and in ways that nobody can predict.

rugbygirl27

sunshine20 wrote: »

Hello All,

I read the message boards a lot but this is my first post and was wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences or advice they could share?

My girlfriend and I exchanged contracts on a new build in December 2007, we were told completion would be Half way through July. That was delayed until half way through September for no reason. Now it has been delayed again until Half way through November! So it will almost be a year since we exchanged contracts. Yes we bought before the whole housing scare so i think we've lost 15% on it already.

As first time buyers all of this stuff is pretty disheartening. We are now both living with her parents and they are waiting for us to move out so they can begin work on their house - so they aren't too pleased either.

Do I have any 'rights' to try and claim something out of them like free carpet etc. or should I just take it on the chin and accept this is how things in the building business go? The company by the way is Charles Church.

Many Thanks in advance
G

My partner and I are in exactly the same situation as you. We paid our £25k deposit in March for a house by Bellway due to be completed in October. That date has now slipped twice and is currently 12th December. We're wasting £850 a month on rent at the moment and have already lost one mortgage offer and are going to end up paying more because of rates going up.

I honestly don't know what either of us can do. If we could pull out we would but our (frankly useless) solicitor has told us we just have to wait and see!!

Chris2685

All these delays are insane.. No wonder no one is making any money! I am pretty glad right now that we're living with my girlfriends parents, so we don't have to pay too much rent while we wait!

GDB2222

I think it is time for lawyers to think about the Unfair Contract Terms Act. There must be many purchasers who are dying to get out of these contracts, and builders who are putting off building further units until they have achieved an economic mass of buyers on the site. That delay could go on for years,