New build buy - loss of enjoyment?

owllady

I've previously posted on this forum about our troubles since buying a new build.
Will try to keep this brief but after some advice/opinion

We bought a house after seeing an identical show home at a small site with 60 privately owned homes. We've used the help to buy scheme.
- Originally told the end of Nov but was pushed back till 19th Dec
- Moved in felt very rushed, workmen still here, paint tacky, work unfinished
-Heating system wired in back to front (now sorted)
Toilets have never flushed properly
Lots of minor errors needing putting right i.e garage door needing treating/painting, turf missing, sealant missing on bathroom etc
-Site manager aware but have said to leave keys at site office or leave garage door open is the only way we'll get this done - we feel this isn't right, who's liable if things go wrong/theft etc?
- Downstairs w.c. blocked for a month, site manager aware of this
Said drains were jetted tuesday
-Wednesday after a bath the blocked toilet overflowed and filled the downstairs with raw sewage.
- Initially site manager very aggressive saying drains jetted and they found cooking fat so our own fault. (this was the first I heard of this) .
Firstly if it was cooking fat it shouldn't have blocked the drains so quickly and secondly I don't use cooking fat I'm on slimming world
-It transpires that they jetted wrong drains
-Building company have agreed to do repairs and replace damaged items.
-Neighbour has said week before we moved in the drain was filled with building rubble he knew this because it overflowed and went into his garage. He looked under the drain cover and scooped handfuls out.
- Our downstairs is now just concrete flooring, has been sanitised but it absolutely stinks still.
-I've had to defer a a degree module as a result of this.

I am relieved that the company are replacing our stuff but feel this shouldn't be the end of it, this should be an exciting time and we can't even sit and enjoy a bit of rubbish tv for the smell. Couple this when the terrible after sales I just feel a form of compensation should be made.

Before when I posted alot of replies were that we should get it done ourselves and move on. But why should we, we (or our bank) have just handed over a huge sum of money for this and the company prides themselves on a five star rating after sales service but feels at the moment it's not even 1.
What would you do in this situation?

phill99

Firstly, stop talking to the site manager and sales girl. Write (yes WRITE) to their MD at the head iffice listing your issues and giving him 21 days to rectify everything or you will take legal redress. Or suggest that the local papers maybe interested in your story.

You need to get the problems resolved before you think of any form of compensation.

Its bizarre that the minute something goes wrong, people always think of compensation first and getting the problem sorted second.

owllady

My asking for advice was not just about compensation. Of course we want this problems rectified first I am just thinking in the long term too. This is supposed to be an exciting time for us, new chapter and all that and now we're just sat on a concrete floor that smells of excrement.

eddddy

Maybe get a "Snagging Survey" done by an RICS surveyor. (Google 'snagging survey' for more info.)

You will get a complete formal list of problems for passing to the developer. They should take this more seriously than your complaints.

And the surveyor will be on your side (rather than the developer's side), so they will give you friendly advice about how to take things forward etc.

If you're thinking about making a compensation claim at some stage, you will probably need a report from an RICS surveyor anyway.

But expect to pay a few hundred pounds for a snagging survey.

owllady

Thank you for replying .
I was under the impression snagging was something we did as we moved in, but with it being December the 19th and so much other stuff going on we didn't get around to it and just thought lessoned learnt.

makeitstop

owllady wrote: »

I've previously posted on this forum about our troubles since buying a new build.
Will try to keep this brief but after some advice/opinion

We bought a house after seeing an identical show home at a small site with 60 privately owned homes. We've used the help to buy scheme.
- Originally told the end of Nov but was pushed back till 19th Dec
- Moved in felt very rushed, workmen still here, paint tacky, work unfinished
-Heating system wired in back to front (now sorted)
Toilets have never flushed properly
Lots of minor errors needing putting right i.e garage door needing treating/painting, turf missing, sealant missing on bathroom etc
-Site manager aware but have said to leave keys at site office or leave garage door open is the only way we'll get this done - we feel this isn't right, who's liable if things go wrong/theft etc?
- Downstairs w.c. blocked for a month, site manager aware of this
Said drains were jetted tuesday
-Wednesday after a bath the blocked toilet overflowed and filled the downstairs with raw sewage.
- Initially site manager very aggressive saying drains jetted and they found cooking fat so our own fault. (this was the first I heard of this) .
Firstly if it was cooking fat it shouldn't have blocked the drains so quickly and secondly I don't use cooking fat I'm on slimming world
-It transpires that they jetted wrong drains
-Building company have agreed to do repairs and replace damaged items.
-Neighbour has said week before we moved in the drain was filled with building rubble he knew this because it overflowed and went into his garage. He looked under the drain cover and scooped handfuls out.
- Our downstairs is now just concrete flooring, has been sanitised but it absolutely stinks still.
-I've had to defer a a degree module as a result of this.

I am relieved that the company are replacing our stuff but feel this shouldn't be the end of it, this should be an exciting time and we can't even sit and enjoy a bit of rubbish tv for the smell. Couple this when the terrible after sales I just feel a form of compensation should be made.

Before when I posted alot of replies were that we should get it done ourselves and move on. But why should we, we (or our bank) have just handed over a huge sum of money for this and the company prides themselves on a five star rating after sales service but feels at the moment it's not even 1.
What would you do in this situation?

This is utterly shocking OP.

The first thing you should do is name and shame the developer here, so people are aware of what they may get buying from them.

A LOT of bad press might get them to pay a bit more attention and stop bull5hitting people into swallowing whatever they tell them

chanz4

The big developers even barratts md's don't give a poo, you wont get compo only things put right

Peter333

Can't offer any more advice than you have already had, but I do feel sorry for you. I would not go for a new build for all the sand in the Sahara!

makeitstop

chanz4 wrote: »

The big developers even barratts md's don't give a poo, you wont get compo only things put right

Exactly, which is why they should be named openly for all to make their own judgements.

If people don't make it public, then we as buyers just go on and on, gobbling up the cr4p they produce and put up with being fobbed off with B.S excuses.

Let's face it, it's not as though the knowhow and technology isn't there to be implemented is it. It shouldn't be so difficult to get a quality product from these developers, but time and again we hear horror stories of how they sell junk and do nothing about the issues their products throw up.

eddddy

owllady wrote: »

Thank you for replying .
I was under the impression snagging was something we did as we moved in, but with it being December the 19th and so much other stuff going on we didn't get around to it and just thought lessoned learnt.

Yes - it can be done when you move in, or it can be done later.

I guess the main risk of doing later could be that the developer accuses you of causing the damage after you moved in.

owllady

David Wilson homes is the builder which is owned by Barratt. The thing that makes it more of a horrid situation is that before this we were renting a listed cottage with a good awful landlady and letting agency. Maybe I'm cursed with blocked toilets but we had a blocked toilet 6 times in 3 months before they actually sorted the problem. We honestly thought we were were through with problems like this and waiting on people to get things sorted.
The only way we can describe how we are feeling is deflated and let down. Naturally we can't fault the sales side but through to the other side we feel as though we are an inconvenience asking for things to be sorted.
I think this will be our first and only new build property.
Our neighbours on both sides also feel the same. It's a shame as they are lovely houses.