We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Long list of problems with New Build
Options
cheekymonkey20
Posts: 203 Forumite
I have had serious problems after purchasing our property, and we are just about fed up with it all now, we are writing a letter to the builders complaining. Were not sure what we want out the builders as compensation, we WOULD like them to purchase the property back from us as compensation but we know what the the response will be. starts with f ends with f. Any help or ideas, or similar expereinces.
To whom it may concern,
We have had a serious number of problems with our property purchased in June 2007, which have caused us to write this letter to you in complaint.
After purchasing and installing a dishwasher for the property we discovered that the dishwasher pipes installed the incorrect way. This was advised to us by Bosch, who came out to “fix” the dishwasher after we believe to be a faulty appliance, he fixed the pipes for us but charged us for his call out fee.
We have had many problems with the en-suite bathroom, the shower pressure has completely gone and is now at a drizzle despite it being a power shower, also the knob which to turn the shower pressure on is completely broken, with the tread/grips used to turn it on have completely ground down, therefore does not work, we are having to turn the shower on by using a pair of pliers, this went approximately a year ago. When phoning up about this we were told there was nothing that could be done and we would have to get out own plumber out. We have searched for a replacement knob for the shower but as it is fitted we have been advised that we would have to purchase a brand new complete system at our own expense. The back panel holding the pressure and the heat controls to the wall are not properly screwed in and we can actually pull the screws out without unscrewing them to release it.
Also in the en-suite bathroom we have found that the toilet suddenly blocked itself. This has been ongoing for the past year, we have now managed to clear the blockage ourselves but again was told that there was nothing that could be done and we would have to solve it ourselves. But after seeking advise we found out that it was a problem with the drains not the toilet itself. It was not pleasant as old excrement and waste kept on creeping its way back into the toilet. Our neighbour directly above us has mentioned that he had a similar problem and called a plumber out to look at the problem, again on his own expense, the plumber discovered that the cover sheet that the toilet would have been delivered in before installation had been flushed down the toilet causing the block. He also discovered a problem with the shower before we moved in, that the back panel was held into the wall by a piece of wood, therefore leaked down through the floor onto our ceiling, during the final inspection we advised the site manager about this and all that was done was that he painted over it 3 times with white paint. We still have a water mark on the ceiling.
In the main bathroom we have had problems with the door handle, where it has just come off the door in peoples hands, and we have had to repair this ourselves countless times. During our final inspection we pointed out to the site manager that there was a cap missing off the towel rack, which covered the screws, we were advised to just put a towel over it and it would be fine. We have also noticed in the bathroom that the bath taps are wonky, with a 1.5cm gap between the tap and the edge on one side and a 2cm gap between the tap and the edge on the other.
Upon moving in we found that the front door was uneven at the bottom and had not been cut properly causing the door to scrape the carpet and not open properly, this was fixed by the site manager by shaving the door down at the bottom to make it level, there is now a gap at the bottom of the door that allows a draft to come through.
Also above and around our front door as well as other places throughout the property (near windows and door frames) there is an unacceptable level of shrinkage. We were advised about this when we first moved into the property and took all the recommended measures to avoid it, keeping windows, vents at all times, and had the balcony door open whilst we were in the property.
We have also found that when putting up pictures or changing light fittings the plaster is crumbling around the fitting or screw hole, despite only using the drill bits and wall plugs that the site manager advised us to use, obviously we are not builders or plasterers therefore the repair work on these areas are not up to professional standard and have made the walls look a little shoddy, however it looks better than having massive holes of missing plaster in the walls.
In the hallway we discovered there to be a crack in the door which we expected to have happened within instillation or delivery, when reporting this in our final checks to the site manager he sent out one of his team to file down the door so that the crack was no longer visible. We have had countless problems with the intercom system breaking down, and the maintenance company have sent someone out to fix this problem, which we were satisfied with until we received a bill from them.
Solitaire Management Company are absolutely useless, the overcharge for things that never get done for example we are being charged for window cleaners, when we have never had one in the 21 months we have been here and a ridiculous amount of money spent on cleaners who come once in a blue moon, light bulb replacements for light bulbs that have never been replaced.
In the living room, again under final inspection we reported that the electric heater was not working and not emitting any heat. David Wilson sent out an electrician to investigate the problem and we advised by him that the heating cable was loose and not on its correct holsters, therefore if it had gone undetected it would have caused a huge fire hazard and could have set on fire.
When we arranged to get sky installed, due to us not having the option to have cable installed which was our preferred choice, we again were advised this could be done by the sales agent Carole White, we were advised by the sky technician that there was no signal being received, which was strange as there was a sky dish installed on the roof of the block. He charged us for his call out fee, and said that we would have to contact the management company, upon contacting them they sent someone out they then advised us that there was no problem and we would have to contact sky, they too charged us for a call fee. Upon calling sky back, and them sending an engineer out, and paying yet another fee, they told us that the fitting was atrocious and that it was not even wired up inside, he fixed this for us. But at this point we were £90 down.
In the living room amongst other plug sockets in the property we have found that they are all uneven, some of them not screwed in properly and hang off the wall slightly. In the kitchen we also had problems with the down lighters not being secured properly, and when utilising the space above the cupboards we have found that the top of the cupboards to be a mess with wires and wood.
None of our windows stay open properly, when pushing them open they will only hold at a certain level, there are scratches on the glass from before we moved in, on the balcony windows, and the seals around the windows are done to such a poor standard, it is not level or tidy, we only found this out when we painted the living room and kitchen.
Also upon our initial inspection after purchase we pointed out to the site manager Andy that the walls were marked, some with some unacceptable marks, all he did to ease the problem was give us some white paint in a coffee jar so that we could do it ourselves.
The washer dryer that was provided as a fixture is not very good at all, no matter what we do, we have washing come out like a crumpled up piece of paper, which is not acceptable, had I have purchased this myself, which I wouldn’t have, I would have sent it back due to it being such a bad appliance.
On the fitted wardrobe in the bedroom we have found that the handles have come off in our hands and again have had to repair this a number of times on our own accord.
The communal, exterior doors to the building are not up to an acceptable standard, they do not close properly causing a lot of worry for the residents of the building that intruders can enter the building at ease. The doors when opened have not got enough room to open properly therefore causing serious dents above the door.
(then not sure what to put)
To whom it may concern,
We have had a serious number of problems with our property purchased in June 2007, which have caused us to write this letter to you in complaint.
After purchasing and installing a dishwasher for the property we discovered that the dishwasher pipes installed the incorrect way. This was advised to us by Bosch, who came out to “fix” the dishwasher after we believe to be a faulty appliance, he fixed the pipes for us but charged us for his call out fee.
We have had many problems with the en-suite bathroom, the shower pressure has completely gone and is now at a drizzle despite it being a power shower, also the knob which to turn the shower pressure on is completely broken, with the tread/grips used to turn it on have completely ground down, therefore does not work, we are having to turn the shower on by using a pair of pliers, this went approximately a year ago. When phoning up about this we were told there was nothing that could be done and we would have to get out own plumber out. We have searched for a replacement knob for the shower but as it is fitted we have been advised that we would have to purchase a brand new complete system at our own expense. The back panel holding the pressure and the heat controls to the wall are not properly screwed in and we can actually pull the screws out without unscrewing them to release it.
Also in the en-suite bathroom we have found that the toilet suddenly blocked itself. This has been ongoing for the past year, we have now managed to clear the blockage ourselves but again was told that there was nothing that could be done and we would have to solve it ourselves. But after seeking advise we found out that it was a problem with the drains not the toilet itself. It was not pleasant as old excrement and waste kept on creeping its way back into the toilet. Our neighbour directly above us has mentioned that he had a similar problem and called a plumber out to look at the problem, again on his own expense, the plumber discovered that the cover sheet that the toilet would have been delivered in before installation had been flushed down the toilet causing the block. He also discovered a problem with the shower before we moved in, that the back panel was held into the wall by a piece of wood, therefore leaked down through the floor onto our ceiling, during the final inspection we advised the site manager about this and all that was done was that he painted over it 3 times with white paint. We still have a water mark on the ceiling.
In the main bathroom we have had problems with the door handle, where it has just come off the door in peoples hands, and we have had to repair this ourselves countless times. During our final inspection we pointed out to the site manager that there was a cap missing off the towel rack, which covered the screws, we were advised to just put a towel over it and it would be fine. We have also noticed in the bathroom that the bath taps are wonky, with a 1.5cm gap between the tap and the edge on one side and a 2cm gap between the tap and the edge on the other.
Upon moving in we found that the front door was uneven at the bottom and had not been cut properly causing the door to scrape the carpet and not open properly, this was fixed by the site manager by shaving the door down at the bottom to make it level, there is now a gap at the bottom of the door that allows a draft to come through.
Also above and around our front door as well as other places throughout the property (near windows and door frames) there is an unacceptable level of shrinkage. We were advised about this when we first moved into the property and took all the recommended measures to avoid it, keeping windows, vents at all times, and had the balcony door open whilst we were in the property.
We have also found that when putting up pictures or changing light fittings the plaster is crumbling around the fitting or screw hole, despite only using the drill bits and wall plugs that the site manager advised us to use, obviously we are not builders or plasterers therefore the repair work on these areas are not up to professional standard and have made the walls look a little shoddy, however it looks better than having massive holes of missing plaster in the walls.
In the hallway we discovered there to be a crack in the door which we expected to have happened within instillation or delivery, when reporting this in our final checks to the site manager he sent out one of his team to file down the door so that the crack was no longer visible. We have had countless problems with the intercom system breaking down, and the maintenance company have sent someone out to fix this problem, which we were satisfied with until we received a bill from them.
Solitaire Management Company are absolutely useless, the overcharge for things that never get done for example we are being charged for window cleaners, when we have never had one in the 21 months we have been here and a ridiculous amount of money spent on cleaners who come once in a blue moon, light bulb replacements for light bulbs that have never been replaced.
In the living room, again under final inspection we reported that the electric heater was not working and not emitting any heat. David Wilson sent out an electrician to investigate the problem and we advised by him that the heating cable was loose and not on its correct holsters, therefore if it had gone undetected it would have caused a huge fire hazard and could have set on fire.
When we arranged to get sky installed, due to us not having the option to have cable installed which was our preferred choice, we again were advised this could be done by the sales agent Carole White, we were advised by the sky technician that there was no signal being received, which was strange as there was a sky dish installed on the roof of the block. He charged us for his call out fee, and said that we would have to contact the management company, upon contacting them they sent someone out they then advised us that there was no problem and we would have to contact sky, they too charged us for a call fee. Upon calling sky back, and them sending an engineer out, and paying yet another fee, they told us that the fitting was atrocious and that it was not even wired up inside, he fixed this for us. But at this point we were £90 down.
In the living room amongst other plug sockets in the property we have found that they are all uneven, some of them not screwed in properly and hang off the wall slightly. In the kitchen we also had problems with the down lighters not being secured properly, and when utilising the space above the cupboards we have found that the top of the cupboards to be a mess with wires and wood.
None of our windows stay open properly, when pushing them open they will only hold at a certain level, there are scratches on the glass from before we moved in, on the balcony windows, and the seals around the windows are done to such a poor standard, it is not level or tidy, we only found this out when we painted the living room and kitchen.
Also upon our initial inspection after purchase we pointed out to the site manager Andy that the walls were marked, some with some unacceptable marks, all he did to ease the problem was give us some white paint in a coffee jar so that we could do it ourselves.
The washer dryer that was provided as a fixture is not very good at all, no matter what we do, we have washing come out like a crumpled up piece of paper, which is not acceptable, had I have purchased this myself, which I wouldn’t have, I would have sent it back due to it being such a bad appliance.
On the fitted wardrobe in the bedroom we have found that the handles have come off in our hands and again have had to repair this a number of times on our own accord.
The communal, exterior doors to the building are not up to an acceptable standard, they do not close properly causing a lot of worry for the residents of the building that intruders can enter the building at ease. The doors when opened have not got enough room to open properly therefore causing serious dents above the door.
(then not sure what to put)
NatWest Loan - £12,090.06 Mum/Dad - £14,750 TOTAL £26,840.06
As of 01/01/2010 - DFW Date - 01/12/2014 59 MONTHS TO GO
0
Comments
-
I have kept all the documents from when we moved in. We got all the NHBC documents.
As far as i can remember without looking at the paperwork, we were told to jot down any problems when the site manager came round a week after the completion date. I believe that he wrote these down on a sheet and the contractors signed to say they had been out.NatWest Loan - £12,090.06 Mum/Dad - £14,750 TOTAL £26,840.06As of 01/01/2010 - DFW Date - 01/12/2014 59 MONTHS TO GO0 -
Have you got a proper written record of everything youve been told, ie the loose heater cable etc?
It sounds like youve been in touch with them a number of times, cant see what it will do to contact them again, you need to take it further.
Contact your local council's planning/building inspectors, & arrange for them to do a site visit.
Also, get any other tenants in the block who have issues/problems, to detail it all, & if possible be available when the visit is done.
Find out from the NHBC how to make a claim, & then start one.0 -
Ask all neighbours - the more complaints the better.0
-
I wouldnt have thought that NHBC would be able to help as none of the probs are structual.
Will ask around too, I know a lot of people have had a lot of problems
Its getting to the stage where we are resenting the place now really is a new build home from hell.NatWest Loan - £12,090.06 Mum/Dad - £14,750 TOTAL £26,840.06As of 01/01/2010 - DFW Date - 01/12/2014 59 MONTHS TO GO0 -
Can I ask which development company did you buy from?
Thanks0 -
David Wilson HomesNatWest Loan - £12,090.06 Mum/Dad - £14,750 TOTAL £26,840.06As of 01/01/2010 - DFW Date - 01/12/2014 59 MONTHS TO GO0
-
0
-
cheekymonkey20 wrote: »David Wilson Homes
A shame they were taken over by Barretts as David Wilsons were a good company. But I guess David Wilson was tempted by the £733 million proceeds from the sale.A retired senior partner, in own agency, with 40 years experience in property sales & new build. In latter part of career specialising in commercial - mostly business sales.0 -
-
Hello to all, new here and also not happy with NHBC
We moved into our property in Jan 2001 and to date our roof has been leaking (badly) since, and we still have no resolution.
Our foreman on site once told me water can run uphill, now that's a first!
I have found the nohopebuildingconartists to be vague and under an invisible bond with the builders, seeming to agree with their every word.
When inspecting a wall that looked like it was plastered by a goat in my house, he commented "it's just the way you're looking at it". Hmmmmm
With a deviation of 30mm from top to bottom I'd beg to differ.
I have had moisture levels of up to 80% on side and rear elevations, a roof that doesn't have correct overhang -20mm instead of 40mm.
A floor that you can fall uphill and still remain upstanding on et al other niggling and annoying flaws.
The plumber also fitted my new kitchen sink with a monkey wrench, gouging the chrome off it as he went. Wonder who the monkey was.
I think it overall reflects the respect or even recognition of human beings how these maurauding cowboys are allowed to overcharge and operate under the watchful eye of the nhbc. I understand the builder simply subscribes to them at a price per new build ( I may be wrong).
The inspectors are usually retired craftspeople, who in my opinion may not be well enough qualified nor interested in listening to a knowldgeable or even innocent new home owner.
Besides taking the happy side of purchasing a new home a raising a family, it's so annoying to show the state we must live in.
I am awaiting correspondence from said illuminati to arrange another site visit to my house soon, where I will have two friends (roofer and carpenter) posing as interested bystanders. That'll be fun to see who laughs first.
Let's hope we get somewhere soon or I fear my house might sink.
Steve0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 350.8K Banking & Borrowing
- 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.5K Spending & Discounts
- 243.8K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.8K Life & Family
- 257.1K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards