Barratt Homes

okborednow

Hi,

We're currently looking at a new Barratt Homes development for our first home. I know they had a truly dreadful reputation a few years ago but i'm finding far fewer complaints recently and they seem to be winning quite a few awards. Has anyone bought a Barratt home recently and if so can you tell me how you found the process and the house itself?

Thanks

OddballJamie

I bought one in October 2011, had a few issues but overall very pleased with it. Best advice I can give is have a professional snagger go over the house before you move in and try everything.
Even things like brimming the bath tub to check for gaps by the tiles and running the shower for a while to check for leaks from the shower tray.

The five year guarantee has so far been excellent.

Another nice thing was after we moved in a decorator/handy man came round to fill and paint any marks we made on the walls and left us a tin of each colour. My SIL bought a Miller Home and just got given a small pot eventually.

okborednow

Thanks for your response, it's good to know there are some good experiences out there. As people don't tend to post that they're really happy with their new home and the service they received all the reviews are a bit one sided.

Fire_Fox

I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, after care leaves something to be desired. They settled with residents in Stratford in 2007/8 after a decade of wrangling .... when it was financially advantageous for them to do so (close to olympic village).

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/683448.cancercausing_contamination_in_houses_still_unresolved_after_four_years/
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-37936325.html

david29dpo

Leopards never change there spots.

OddballJamie

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, after care leaves something to be desired. They settled with residents in Stratford in 2007/8 after a decade of wrangling .... when it was financially advantageous for them to do so (close to olympic village).

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/683448.cancercausing_contamination_in_houses_still_unresolved_after_four_years/
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-37936325.html

TBF those houses were built in the eighties. Not that I'm agreeing with what they did, just I haven't, nor have none of my neighbours (that I speak to) had problems with their aftercare.

kinh

Barratt reputation has improved ten folds compared to a decade ago.

martinsurrey

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, after care leaves something to be desired. They settled with residents in Stratford in 2007/8 after a decade of wrangling .... when it was financially advantageous for them to do so (close to olympic village).

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/683448.cancercausing_contamination_in_houses_still_unresolved_after_four_years/
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-37936325.html

david29dpo wrote: »

Leopards never change there spots.

Skoda built some terrible cars in the 70's and 80's, but that was 30+ years ago, now they are some of the most reliable, best value for money and enjoy the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the world (in fact they have 3 of the top 6 cars for customer satisfaction).

As said, there are some terrible stories about new builds, but there are also thousands of unreported very happy customers.

FYI Barratt regularly gets a 90%+ recommendation rating, so 90%+ of its customers would recommend them to friends and family.

http://www.hbf.co.uk/policy-activities/customer-satisfaction-survey/2013-results/

check the development before yuo buy...

OddballJamie

kinh wrote: »

Barratt reputation has improved ten folds compared to a decade ago.

The five year guarantee shows they are improving, I don't know of any other developers that do this.

HildaM

Only moved in 3 weeks ago, so my opinion is only based on a short period of time, but for what it's worth......

We've been very happy with the customer service, the process of buying, the treatment we've received on the day of completion and since. The site manager couldn't have been nicer or more helpful.
We were a bit naive and didn't even ask for a discount (and in this area they are selling fast anyway), but we were given 5% towards deposit and £1000 off solicitors costs without asking. Also included were all carpets and tiling, garden laid to lawn, washing line, shed and a higher-spec kitchen.

I am aware that my opinion may change if we ever have a problem but for the time being - we are v v v v happy. :T

Fire_Fox

OddballJamie wrote: »

TBF those houses were built in the eighties. Not that I'm agreeing with what they did, just I haven't, nor have none of my neighbours (that I speak to) had problems with their aftercare.

They had major problems with aftercare and not in the eighties but recently as you can see from the article, I know enough about the case not to touch them with a bargepole. Some of those properties were uninhabitable, could neither be sold nor let but mortgages still had to be paid. Even being featured on Watchdog didn't get progress and the developer refused to negotiate with the residents as a group, divide and conquer. Then the olympics effect kicked in ....