Put deposit on new build and now considering pulling out, advice?

shop-to-drop

All newbuilds i've looked around have the boiler in the kitchen or utility room. We have ours in the attic but only as we had the heating system installed and didn't want to take up the space or have noise from it in the kitchen. We had to find an engineer prepared to install it there as the likes of british gas would only put it in the kitchen. It is pretty much standard to have the boiler in the kitchen OP. I think you have not understood the plans you saw of your house. Sounds like you can back out if you want though but if you are still intending to buy a newbuild i think you will continue to be disatisfied.

comeandgo

Have you not been able to view your house as it was being built? There is usually a clause in the contracts to clear the builders of late entry dates as they usually are late. I will agree with your point regarding the boiler though, in all the houses they have been in the airing cupboard which is under the stairs. Regarding the extras they are expecting you to pay, what are they, did you agree to them verbally, if you dont agree to pay and they take them out, away, what will that do to your moving date?

hankkosovo

thedalmeny wrote: »

I have to say, i find it quite shocking how little research you've done on a house you're purchasing. It's quite common for a kitchen to have a boiler and upstairs to have the water tank, judging by the amount of houses i've seen i think the vast majority have that setup. Every single house i've lived in my entire life has had this...

As for cancellation... Consumer code for builders state

I understand this is quite common, but it is not what was suppose to have been installed in the house, hence the issue. If I agree one thing, I do't expect something else, just because something else is more common.

And I have done a massive amount of research on the house, hence why I'm on here asking advice, because what was delivered is not what was sold.

Only one house I've lived in has had this setup, and the boiler was under the stairs, not in the kitchen. The other ones I've lived in have had the boiler and tank in the same room, and some have had no tank at all, just a boiler that made hot water on command.

I find it quite ignorant of you that just because you have experienced a certain thing you're whole life, you assume others to have experienced the same thing and additionally should expect the same thing.

And thanks for the quote/link by the way, it was very helpful.

jacques_chirac

My boiler is in a cupboard at the top of the stairs

OP, I would cut your losses and run - buy an older house where you know what you are getting. In terms of what your losses may be, you'll have to check what the developer is willing to give you back, and what the solicitors fees to date will be.

Even if taking a loss now, remember that new builds tend to be overpriced, so you may lose even more by going ahead with the purchase.

What additional fees is the developer trying to charge you?

Dan-Dan

hankkosovo wrote: »

And I have done a massive amount of research on the house,

Yeah , we can tell , you did that much research and question asking , that you must have just forgotten to ask what heating system the house would benefit from!

hankkosovo

thedalmeny wrote: »

Absolute rubbish.

I've lived in properties built in the 1950s in every decade upto houses built in 2012, every single one of them has had a boiler in the kitchen and hot water tank on the next floor. You're talking 12 different houses, range from 2 bedroom semis to 5 bedroom detached.

Why is my preference for a position of a boiler rubbish?

Just because you've experienced one thing your whole life doesn't make it absolute, thats confirmation bias. I've lived in 5 houses my life and only 1 has had a the boiler and tank in a separate room and none of them have had a boiler in the kitchen.

It's fair enough to put a boiler in a kitchen but not when it was agreed it would go in a different place, and this is my issue.

hankkosovo

Dan-Dan wrote: »

Yeah , we can tell , you did that much research and question asking , that you must have just forgotten to ask what heating system the house would benefit from!

Jesus Christ, have you not been reading the thread? I know what heating system was suppose to be installed, and what has been installed is different, hence my issue.

Dan-Dan

hankkosovo wrote: »

Jesus Christ, have you not been reading the thread? I know what heating system was suppose to be installed, and what has been installed is different, hence my issue.

Ok , simple question , as your obviously quite agitated

WHERE DOES YOUR PLANS SHOW THE HOT WATER TANK BEING INSTALLED


?

hankkosovo

lord_tyrannus wrote: »

This would mean you haven't exchanged contracts so I guess you would just lose your reservation fee

strange that you haven't even exchanged and they gave you a move in date normally developers are really keen to exchange as quickly as possible to lock you in

who's the developer?

Yeah it is strange, it took us a while to find out what was holding the process up, but it turned out that the developers had simply just not exchanged the contracts, they haven't even sent an introductory letter to our solicitors.

scottishblondie

hankkosovo wrote: »

I've only ever seen a boiler in kitchen in poorly planed houses.

It might not be something to get in a tizzy about for you. But is for me, when it was suppose to be on a completely different floor, it's a really big deal for me.

My boiler is in the kitchen and my hot water tank is upstairs, where I would fully expect it to be. Most houses have them in the kitchen or utility room, especially new builds. Depending on the size of the house, it should not really have been a surprise - combi boilers are often not suited for family homes, especially if there is more than one bathroom. Plus it is much easier to fit a boiler on an outside wall due to regulations about flues etc.

The chances of them fitting a new kitchen for you are slim to none, and there is nothing to be done about the boiler placement and the hot water tank. You might get them to install a shower in the bathroom with a bit of persuasion. However, from the builders point of view it would be easier to sell the house as is to a new buyer than to spend more time and money on it for you.

Overall it sounds like you are not at all happy with the house as it is and do not want to live there. Since you haven't exchanged contracts I think you should just pull out and ask for your reservation fee back on the basis that the house is not what you had discussed with the sales agent. You might not get it, but it would be a small loss compared to buying the house and hating it! Chalk it up to experience and move on.