New Persimmon Home!

webmasterpolo

Hi I bought an excellent snag list from snagging.org, and I completed it, over 280 snags, some very serious.

It is now 18th February 2006 and I am still chasing them daily to finish the work to complete the snags.

They are becoming increasing difficult now refusing to come and do the work at the weekends, even though they also declined my offer in September that I would make myself available at home every day to allow them to complete the work during the week.

Currently I have plumbing problems reported on the 30th August 2005.

I have a new problem of damp spreading down a wall from a velux window, they inspected from the outside and said it's all fine and just condensation.

HOW? There is a damp path the size of a broadsheet newspaper to the left of the window. There is not and never has been any condensation on this window (it is above the stairs).

I am at a lost as to what to do now, I am fed up of constantly chasing them and I just want to take them to court and fine them for millions for the loss of enjoyment of my brand new home, and all the hours of my life I have eben forced to waste chasing them.

ARRGGHH!!

A very unhappy Persimmon customer

Webmasterpolo

RedOnRed

The last new house we bought I made up a snagging list and it was at that time that I found out that they're not actually obliged to do snagging, unless it is included in your contract that is. If it isn't, you may find that they do it out of goodwill and will consequently just get round to it when they're ready.

I think the overall standard of new house building has nose dived. We've certainly been put off buying a new house for good. The last house was a complete disaster.

Since we've been living in our current house (which was a used one) loads of workmen have said that they avoid working on building sites nowadays as they would earn less now then they would've 20 years ago! The solution for those that do choose to work on sites now is to cut corners.

Tom_Jones

Have to agree I no longer take on new build contracts on large sites as the work is just shoddy that's what you get putting labour on pricework.

In answer to the original question put all your gripes in writing and send a copy, recorded delivery, to the Customer Service dept, give them a reasonable time to correct these faults at an agreed appointment with you, and threaten legal action if the faults are not put right. Contact the NHBC after the agreed time has expired if the faults are not rectified stating your complaints against the company and if you think your faults are serious request an inspector to survey your building.

Don't hold your breath though the large building compaines and the NHBC have appalling customer relations.

BTW the problem you metioned could well be condensation, if possible try to open the vent on the top of the velux window.

Good Luck

Tom_Jones

Just re-read your original post, another bit of advice just concentrate on the major snags in your home, plumbing, heating, kitchen, plastering, electrics, no cracks in exterior walls etc, if you went to most site agents with 280 snags for one house they would give you very short shift in my experience.

webmasterpolo

I have given up on a number of smaller snags, and now have these two (plumbing and roof) major issues left.

How would condensation cause a large area of damp (yellow round pathes with paint bubbling up) to the left of a velux window?

I can't open it as it is above the stairs and my arm isn't 5 meters long....and they provided no pole. I didn't think I#d ever need to open it anyway. It is also strange how it suddenly appeared during a lot of wet weather.

Appreciate the advise.

-Web

-=Mr-J=-

RedOnRed wrote:

The last new house we bought I made up a snagging list and it was at that time that I found out that they're not actually obliged to do snagging, unless it is included in your contract that is. ...

Was it the Housing company that said they were not obliged to carry out snagging by any chance?

I would not have put up with it myself.

When you buy a brand new house, you did not specify to them, for example, I would like a brand new house with all the skirting boards having a series of knife marks. Or I would like a house where the ceilings have nails protruding. Or in the case of the OP, I would like a house that collects condensation / leaks at an unreachable window.

No, you are buying a brand new house, which in a perfect world, would come perfect. We put up with some minor defects, but if we identify them the housing company has a duty to correct them, or compensate for the failure.

All IMHO of course.

Edit: Apprently not All IMHO, if your house is under NHBC Warranty, then your housing company is bound to correct defects.

See NHBC, Your Home Warranty Explained - Cover during the first two years.

-=Mr-J=-

webmasterpolo wrote:

I have given up on a number of smaller snags, and now have these two (plumbing and roof) major issues left.

How would condensation cause a large area of damp (yellow round pathes with paint bubbling up) to the left of a velux window?

I can't open it as it is above the stairs and my arm isn't 5 meters long....and they provided no pole. I didn't think I#d ever need to open it anyway. It is also strange how it suddenly appeared during a lot of wet weather.

Appreciate the advise.

-Web

Whether it is a leak or it is condensation, it does not matter. At the end of the day, neither should be happening.

If it is a leak, something is not fitted correctly.
If it is condensation, something has not been designed correctly.

Either way Persimmon should be sorting this out as either causes can eventually lead to structural decay if left untreated!

webmasterpolo

It is the standard procedure to collect a snag from everyone within the first month of each house being inhabited, they claim to sort it in a month....been 8 months now.

I have taken legal advice today from Which Legal (excellent service btw) and they said try and get them to agree to appointment a joint structual engineer to access the damage, if they refuse do it myself and then take them to court to claim back the cost, also take them to court to claim back the repair if they do not perform it in a reasonable time.

Would be satisfying to beat them in court, but no doubt take more time and money, I just want it all fixed now! arggh!!

-Web

webmasterpolo

Oh and I have been careful in keeping an uptodate snag list which shows the dates reported and fixed and I repeatedly email this list to Persimmon stated what is outstanding.

I also call them almost daily trying to get action, they rarely even answer the phone.

-Web

RedOnRed

-=Mr-J=- wrote:

Edit: Apprently not All IMHO, if your house is under NHBC Warranty, then your housing company is bound to correct defects.

I think a lot of people have found th NHBC to not be worth the paper they're written on when dealing with them.

Tom_Jones

The NHBC are useless and are mostly in cahoots with the builders anyway.

From your second description webmpolo it does sound like you have a small leak on the velux, get a roofer to give you a report and costing, then forward this onto the Cust Services saying you will employ the roofer if the fault is not fixed within a certain timeframe and seek to recover the costs from them via the small claims court.

It used to be policy with most builders that a snag list was done after 6 months as it takes a period of time for the house to settle and dry out, by doing it after 1 month they are cutting corners by not allowing a lot of the minor faults to appear.