David Wilson Homes Dispute

Golden_Glow90

I am posting here as I have no idea where to go next. I am in a dispute with David Wilson Homes over the unvented water cylinder in my home. It is 2.5 years old and one of the expansion vessels needs replacing (according to an engineer, the only reason it would need replacing so soon is if it was faulty). Firstly, I never got it serviced. My fault, I know but I actually tried at the time but I couldn't find anyone who would service them - most people I contacted said they wouldn't touch unvented. I completely accepted that I would have to pay to get it fixed, until I spoke to the gas engineer who came out. He asked me if I had my buildings regulations compliance certificate. I did not, not did I have one for my boiler. He asked to see the installation manual. It turns out that the benchmark compliance checklist at the back is meant to be filled in when it is initially installed. It isn't. Upon the advice of the engineer, I have contacted David Wilson Homes with this information and they keep passing it off, saying they have forwarded it to someone else but no one ever gets back to me. It has now been 28 days since I initially contacted them. What should I do now? How can I take this further? I know it was my fault for not getting it serviced, but according to the engineer, the warranty would have been voided anyway since the checklist was never filled in and I never received a compliance certificate.

madeinireland_2

NHBC perhaps? I found them useful in helping resolving an issue I had on the building - but they may not cover anything outside the structure.

If it was me I'd put a few things in writing to them and give them an opportunity to respond - always helps to have that evidence if you need to take it to the next stage - they can't then deny knowledge or say they were not given an opportunity to fix.

Chanes

I suspect that the compliance would be automatic on a new build and as such certification and compliance would be taken for granted?

You could get a formal report from an engineer and see if that had an affect on them. You could also speak to a solicitor to see if you have any legal argument.

But it could run into quite a cost that you may not be able to recover. What would be cheaper.

Golden_Glow90

Chanes wrote: »

I suspect that the compliance would be automatic on a new build and as such certification and compliance would be taken for granted?

I don't think so as the checklist in the manual for the boiler has been filled in. My father in law is a builder and he says he has to do them for all of the houses he builds so I don't think new builds are exempt.

Chanes

Golden_Glow90 wrote: »

I don't think so as the checklist in the manual for the boiler has been filled in. My father in law is a builder and he says he has to do them for all of the houses he builds so I don't think new builds are exempt.

So, when your Father-in-law builds a new house he certifies them, every newly built house would be certified in that way then I guess.

Golden_Glow90

How would I go about finding a solicitor? Also, how much does it tend to cost? The quote I had for the replacement was £179 and £50 excess on my home insurance to cover the cosmetic costs of the leak and the replacement so if it's likely to me more then it's not worth me doing is it? The other thing though is that without a building regulations compliance certificate, will this affect the sale of the house in future? Will I then have to pay for someone to certify it?

brightontraveller

You didn’t get it serviced which is solely your responsibility its immaterial if certificates etc were issued in respect of liability for repair even if they had your inaction would have voided warranty anyhow as spare’s are available you would assume so is manufacture and there approved / recommended installers, maintenance men etc so inability to find them sounds like piffle….
You can pursue builder/contractor for not issuing certs, notifying appropriate authorities , meeting there legal requirements etc that you can prove and they should accept that and rectify (possible get compensation for that) But repair side onto a loser with that route .. The only possible thing is that they David Wilson don’t know is wasn’t serviced how you use that is down to you...?

Furts

A typical scenario is the builder is only liable for the first two years so the costs of repair are down to you. It is pointless involving NHBC over this. But do check out your particular sales details and warranty - I recall seeing a David Wilson site flying flags saying they offered a longer warranty.

The greater concern is do you have a Completion Certificate for your home? Your situation is fundamental in complying with the Buildings Regulations and should not have slipped through. You really need to look into this, because if you do not have this Certificate you are in deep problems when trying to sell your home, and in deep problems with any future NHBC claims.

stator

Write a formal letter of complaint and see what they say.
Don't telephone