Barratt Homes Complaint

mleach101

richard2511 wrote: »

The development site is Woodlands in Corby. We are going to keep trying to push this as much as we can to the public. Everyone should be aware.

So it's Barratts Northampton then, was the solicitor a large local firm beginning with 'S'? If so, then it sounds like I'm not the only to have suffered issues in dealing with them, though it sounds as though I got off lightly. I'm still planning to complain once I've completed about the solicitor's ability to deliver and the wording of the letters received regarding the extensions to the deadline.

richard2511

Oh yes. Begins with an S. We will be reporting them regarding their conveyancing. The stuff they sent through at 5.01pm didn't even read correctly in English. It was like they knew which words were needed but just threw them on a page hoping they would make sense. If we were not so furious we would see the funny side of it.

Seanymph

Sue them for the money it has cost you.

It's the only language these guys speak unfortunately.

mleach101

richard2511 wrote: »

Oh yes. Begins with an S. We will be reporting them regarding their conveyancing. The stuff they sent through at 5.01pm didn't even read correctly in English. It was like they knew which words were needed but just threw them on a page hoping they would make sense. If we were not so furious we would see the funny side of it.

I wonder whether I should submit my complaints sooner to help you establish a pattern of behaviour? I also wonder if it might be the same individual solicitor? Obviously I'm not going to name him here though.

richard2511

I don't think it will do any harm submitting your complaints.

I believe the person dealing with our purchase was a female so it sounds like they have a number of incompetent people working for them.

Gracie1234

Hi just read this as we are in a very similar position to you as our developer has done the same to us. They held back on our agreement reservation date and which had passed a few weeks ago. Then they pushed for exchange on Friday only to find that they made a change of payment to our part exchange and gave us 15 min to decide4.45pm. By the time we wanted to accept the deal, our time ran out . So we didn't exchange. We have had bad customer service and dates that were meant to be met were cancelled in the property developers interest. I really feel your pain too. They have done the same psychological games on us too.

Currently fighting for extension of contract for this Monday. Our developer is Charles Church. We will be following the advice from one of the other posts and contact our local press.

visidigi

Gracie1234 wrote: »

Hi just read this as we are in a very similar position to you as our developer has done the same to us. They held back on our agreement reservation date and which had passed a few weeks ago. Then they pushed for exchange on Friday only to find that they made a change of payment to our part exchange and gave us 15 min to decide4.45pm. By the time we wanted to accept the deal, our time ran out . So we didn't exchange. We have had bad customer service and dates that were meant to be met were cancelled in the property developers interest. I really feel your pain too. They have done the same psychological games on us too.

Currently fighting for extension of contract for this Monday. Our developer is Charles Church. We will be following the advice from one of the other posts and contact our local press.

Hate to say it, but its business. As harsh as that sounds, until you exchange there is limited obligation. The press wont care, these are new houses in places where they are needed. It doesnt surprise me that Charles Church (Persimmon) are also doing this.

Just for clarification....did you use the builder solicitor too?

Really honestly, people should always use an independent. (I have an unfortunately they havent been that good either!)

AdrianC

richard2511 wrote: »

We reserved a Barratt Homes plot and received the standard 28 days to exchange contracts. Our deadline for exchanging was the 19th April

OK...

however Barratt solicitors did not send the correct paper work to our solicitors until the 22nd April.

As a "good will gesture", as they put it, they extended this deadline until the 27th May.

So for a three-day delay, they gave a five and a half week extension.

Barratt Homes then gave us a final deadline of the 3rd June.

Now another week's extension. Six and a half weeks from the original deadline.

Barratt Homes then decided to withdraw our contract and re market the plot.

As, of course, both they and you are perfectly entitled to do at any point prior to contract exchange, subject to any Ts & Cs in the holding deposit paperwork.

Monday 6th June came and we escalated our complaint. We were told that if we could get in a position to exchange by the end of the day, they would speak to the MD to arrange to re instate the contract. We managed to do this, but Barratt Homes, at approx 4.30pm, called to say that they would not be reinstating the contract. Instead they put the property back on the website for about an hour at a higher price of 10 thousand pound and sold it whilst we were preparing to exchange.

Almost exactly seven weeks from the original exchange date.

Could you have matched that higher price? You would, of course, have been ready to exchange (bar the small amendment to price, and getting the lender documentation ready), while the other buyer would have been weeks away.

To make things worse, we know that the plot next to us also missed their 3rd June deadline but were given another week to exchange, even though they were not as close to exchange as we were.

Had their exchange date also already been extended from mid-April to early June?

Thrugelmir

richard2511 wrote: »

Our solicitor discovered that barratt homes do not own the land that they are selling property on.

Some oversight on behalf of the developer. Why wasn't this discovered earlier?

marksoton

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Some oversight on behalf of the developer. Why wasn't this discovered earlier?

I suspect this may be coming....

visidigi wrote: »

Just for clarification....did you use the builder solicitor too?