Completion Date of New Build flat

niceguyed

Bunking off, if I'd have had 200 unresolved snags when I moved in I'd have been tempted to threaten the site manager with menaces mate . Seriously though, I wouldn't wish the level of service and build quality you experienced on anyone :eek:

However, your experience does sound extreme and I suspect not everyone will be dealing with "wild wild west builder inc" as you seem to have had to.

On your point of the first two years being covered by the builder that does not portray an accurate picture of what happens if the OP did experience problems with unresolved snags.

As part of the NHBCs resolution service, if it goes beyond the "resolution investigation" then a techical report is produced detailing the remedial work required. An interesting quote for you here from NHBC guidance notes on the resolution service.

"If the builder does not do the remedial work required by our report , we will investigate why. If we are satisfied that the builder has no legitimate reason for delaying, then we will have the work done". Obviously NHBC stand this cost.

I must admit i'm not ofay with regs as they were a few years ago but I suspect the OP is only concerned with the facts to date. With buildmark and the NHBC now having some teeth most builders are compliant. From my experience most new builds will not be of such a poor quality as you are describing bunking off. But before you blow me away with tales of builders from hell I appreciate there will always be a rogue element and of course they don't make em like they used to;)

In summary my point to the OP is this (I hope we haven't scared him). You have good insurance through NHBC and they have a compentant resolution service. If you have concerns don't start off with a full blown survey as some may suggest as this is a consequential cost which you won't get back. Try to resolve with the builder and if not then go through NHBC. However, if its the same muppets who built bunking offs pad then you will need a survey and you have my sympathy.

Regards

Niceguyed

bunking_off

Hi niceguy. Wish I could say my experiences are isolated, but unfortunately they're not. Incidentally, it wasn't a fly-by-night outfit either...Wilson Connolly, now part of Bryant - and my complaints did go as far as the CEO. In saying this, however, I'd be clear that eventually I did get everything resolved - it just took time (and had the nice side effect of building me a good network of tradesmen!). Was it difficult? Yes. Would I buy a new build again? Yes, but with eyes open next time. E.g. buying the first of a new design, off-plan, for completion in winter & completion scheduled just before financial year end when they'd be desparate to legally complete on any basis isn't the best idea....

I'm not a great fan of NHBC...to be honest I haven't involved them myself, but experiences with friends who've had to has shown them up to be what they really are : a trade association for the builders. Don't be fooled into thinking that they're any form of ombudsman or regulator (apologies if you turn out to work for them and I've offended you!). I did once own a flat where the management company had to invoke the NHBC warranty, and the issue was finally resolved in the courts as water gushing in through top floor ceilings wasn't deemed to be structural by them (luckily the judge thought otherwise).

One final thing...it is possible to make the "2 year survey" approach work in your favour. My mortgage rate is determined by property value versus loan amount. So, getting a valuation which crystalised the double digit houseprice inflation sufficiently reduced my mortgage rate that it paid for itself over a couple of years. "Gold Moneysaving Star" eh?

Advice to the OP though; don't start panicking due to any of the comments on this thread. DO spend a dispassionate couple of hours going over your new place with a fine tooth comb listing everything you can find wrong, and don't put up with any BS about not fixing anything you find.

marcovan

Thanks guys for the above advice and we will take your comments on board. Don't worry about scaring me off either as I am not under any illusion that we will move into our new flat and live happily ever after with no problems what so ever!

As money is already gonna be tight I think we will carry out our own snagging (as oppose to paying someone else). But I am quite confident that the both of us will go over the place with the finest of tooth combs to identify any snags.....as at the end of the day we've both worked really hard to get onto the first rung of the property ladder so we're gonna make sure that everything is to our satisfaction. Neither of us are one to lie down easily either so we are prepared to fight our case to get things fixed......even if that means pestering them till they are sick at the sound of our voices.....whatever it takes!