new build-smaller than showhome

fallgirl

A friend has exchanged contracts but when she looked at the property the rooms, particularly the kitchen are much smaller than the showhome. She has arranged a meeting with the developers. What options.does she have for negotiation?

Mallotum_X

Is the property acurately described as per the contract she signed? A show home is just a tool used to give an example and unless she was told it would be exactly the same size then chances are she will have got what she signed up for.

PasturesNew

Show homes are always nicer than the rest, a bit bigger, using 3/4-sized furniture to make them look bigger too. She'd have had the room sizes before she bought it - and would have been able to look round the place again (probably several times) before she exchanged.

Exchanging is the final commitment.

Maybe it just looks smaller?

jennifernil

I noticed they sometimes remove doors in showhomes, that really makes rooms look/feel bigger.

The other week, we had to take the door off our smallest bedroom to get a new bookcase in (was easier than moving the beds etc out of the way), it was amazing how much bigger the room looked!

pinkteapot

Do the room dimensions match those on the property particulars she was given?

If so, she doesn't really have a leg to stand on.

Does she have anything in writing to say that the house she was buying was exactly the same model (layout/sizes) as the showhome?

neas

I think you will find she got fooled by the specs. Always assess the metrearge in my opinion.

PasturesNew

I know somebody who recently bought a new build - and they had the "standard room sizes leaflet" from the glossy pack. When they went into the big bedroom they said to me - "hey, measure this, it looks bigger" and it was, it was about 2' longer and 18" wider than the marketing pack leaflet.

spud211

Is it the same housetype?
Did she look at the plans, and check them regularly when visiting the site?
What does the contract say?

Sadly housebuilders always make a point of saying "the showhome is only a representation of housetype X, and your actual house may be different".

They have to stick to the plans within reason, and inform you of any major difference, but things like room sizes will always vary a little (within a foot or so).

My advice would be to go back and measure the showhouse rooms and compare, see how big the difference really is, and then take it from there. Her solicitor would be the best person to talk to about this though.

fallgirl

She was not permitted into the house before exchange and she was not supposed to have seen it this week. Can't compare specifications until meeting. There is a change to room width caused by a change of stair design. Unfortunately her solicitor is the one recommended by the developer -looking for another one now.

Judith_W

So are the differences between the spec and the actual house or between the showhome and the actual house / spec? As said before, if she has what was detailed in the spec then she has nothing to argue.

RAS

fallgirl wrote: »

She was not permitted into the house before exchange and she was not supposed to have seen it this week. Can't compare specifications until meeting. There is a change to room width caused by a change of stair design. Unfortunately her solicitor is the one recommended by the developer -looking for another one now.

Do the dimensions on the plan match the dimensions of the rooms in the house?