Builders urinating on the walls inside new build house

makeitstop

Faye125 wrote: »

All i wanted was for it to be put right. I wanted to work with the site manager to fix the problem as i would like to think that i am a reasonable person.

Now, as time has passed and things have not happened that he promised would happen, and i have had my time wasted waiting around at the office to be taken on an inspection that i don't believe he was ever intending on me having, i feel that i need to take further action.

I am not clear on what i want exactly, and that is what i started this post for. To ask what i would be entitled to. For example, could i ask for the bricks to be replaced where this has happened? Could i arrange for a company to come and clean the house myself and pass the bill to them?

While I understand your distress over this issue, there's no way in a million years that they will remotely contemplate replacing blockwork. No chance.

It's not even likely that they will clean it, as it will be plastered over, and nothing will ever be known of the state of blockwork underneath. (not that there is anything wrong with this blockwork)

However, by NOT making a noise, you will show that you are willing to accept whatever they give you. That's not on. You SHOULD make a noise about it and state very clearly that you do not expect your new home to be used as a toilet. I would also strongly suggest you inform the SM that you WILL be writing to the CEO or whoever it may be from the developer that you are unhappy at the treatment you have received, and especially of the SM's dealing with your complaint. Maybe that will get him to sit up and take notice.

Make it clear that unless something gets sorted, you will splash it over social media (excuse the pun) and wherever else anyone is interested to hear about it.

They should be ensuring you are happy with your purchase, not dismiss you like you're irrelevant.

davidmcn

makeitstop wrote: »

No that's true but she has suffered some distress, which is far harder to establish the effects of.

The bottom line is that it's not great practise and should be clearly stated to all on site that it isn't done.

It isn't exactly customer confidence building stuff is it.

I agree it's poor practice, but there's certainly no legal remedy. All she's entitled to is a house built to the specification in her contract, and I presume it doesn't contain a "no peeing during construction" clause.

makeitstop

davidmcn wrote: »

I agree it's poor practice, but there's certainly no legal remedy. All she's entitled to is a house built to the specification in her contract, and I presume it doesn't contain a "no peeing during construction" clause.

Ha, yeh I'm not sure that is going to be writtin into the contract either.

It's shoddy though, and fobbing a buyer off with crap excuses is simply a !!!!! way to run a business. They would get all they deserve if she splashed this (oops again) everywhere if she is not treated with some respect.

Christonabike, she is buying a house (at God knows what cost), it's not a £500 second hand car is it.

Faye125

margaretclare wrote: »

Normally on a building site there is a unisex 'portaloo'.

The toilets are at the other end of the site, where the offices etc are. I don't imagine many builders would make the trek there every time they needed the toilet, however like i said, i wouldn't have had a problem if they had relieved themselves in the garden. Its the fact it was inside the house... And there was an opening to the garden metres away!

Marktheshark

Hepatitis can be spread via urine.

DUTR

Faye125 wrote: »

I am not disputing that a brick is porus! I am questioning how the urine would "dry out". Surely the water content of the urine would evaporate into the air, but the rest of it would be left on the bricks. So being reassured that there is no problem due to the bricks pourousness seems strange.

Bricks last years as shown by all the buildings around you.
Like you say you didn't see them doing the deed, does your torch differentiate between human fluids and other animals?
I can understand the annoyance, but I do think there is some element of making a mountain out of a mole hill or having a power struggle over the builders. Their work will be completed and be gone soon enough and the building will remain long after all the readers here.

Davesnave

The site of the occurrence needs disinfecting, as there is no other way to 'clean' the inside of blockwork. If that is done thoroughly, then there will be no bacterial growth to create smells, which is what the OP is probably most worried about.

She could also ask that the area then be rendered and plastered rather than having something like dot & dab plasterboard. That would seal the site more effectively.

Those are practical measures I can think of which might help.

moneyistooshorttomention

Davesnave wrote: »

If it gets out of hand, they could be in deep water....

Indeed:D:T

You won't be the only people they are doing this too. Everyone else buying one of their houses would start getting rather concerned too...

What have you got to lose after all? Make sure you keep it factual/with evidence/no personal comments (ie like calling them "louts" - even though they obviously are).

domcastro

yuk. You can buy Urine neutralisers from Pets at Home. Amazing stuff. I had a tenant who let their male cat and puppy urinate all over the house. The smell was so bad that it burnt my nose and made me gag. You can buy it for hard floors or carpets - mine was on wood floors. It was £8 and I couldn't believe how well it worked. Within 24 hours, I couldn't smell anything

Thrugelmir

Faye125 wrote: »

I have thought about the media/ social media but my priority is to try and get the problem sorted first. The builder told me that the urine wont have soaked into the breeze blocks due to it being porous... It will have "dried out"... He is just trying to say anything he can to play this down.

I don't know what is reasonable to ask for, since he assured me a proffessional company was going to be called in to "deep clean the whole house". In reality he got some bleach and squirted it in the corners of the room i found the urine in.

My worry now is that it could be anywhere, and cleaning the one area i saw it in will not settle my mind. I have bought a torch that shows urine (designed for pet use!) but he only gave me a 3 hour window in which he said i could go and inspect the property... Knowing i wouldn't be able to make it as i work in a school and his offer was between 12 and 3 yesterday (Friday).

The plasterboards are due to go on on Monday, and i feel like he is stalling me so that they can be put on and then the problem in his eyes has gone away. this is despite us agreeing on an inspection before they go on.

I have tried to sort this directly with the site manager and have not kicked up a huge fuss, made any demands about compensation/ upgrades, threatened to go to the media at all. I think i have been pretty fair in all of this. But now i am starting to feel like my good nature is being taken advantage of, and maybe being cooperative is an invitation to be walked all over.

What sort of damage would a story like this do to a well-known builder? Would i be within my rights to demand to be compensated?

Thanks

I empathise with you totally with regards to your complaint. Though unsure what you hope to achieve by posting to social media. After all you are talking about the actions of certain individuals not the Company itself. The Company quite rightly will deal with the actions of these individuals behind closed doors.

Do you eat out much , travel abroad, use public facililties? As the real world is full of things that you cannot see. Yet are daily occurrences. Try and keep matters in perspective.

Your comments about rights and compensation sum up the sad nature of the culture of the UK today. In that the people that complain are rarely perfect themselves in their own lives or field of work.