can anyone offer some advice on a new build about to complete??

marazul79

Hi there
Our new build flat is about to complete or so the developer says - just before Christmas. The journey has been a long and stressful one since Feb and even more so due to the fact that Christmas is fast approaching. Due to our situation where we are currently living, we are also desperate to move out.

We have been offered an incentive which we think is to make sure we complete before Christmas so that the developer can get their money for 1/2 yr end.

We haven't gone through any snagging but we are very unhappy with the seriously poor finishing and quality of the kitchen. It is like a patchwork quilt which mismatching cupboard fronts, carcass and kick board colourings. When we picked our white cupboard fronts, we assumed that the rest would be the same colour. Having seen the other flats in our block, none of them are like this.

The long and short of it is that we don't want to complete without them committing to changing the kitchen. They are leaving it close to the wire now as building sites come to a standstill around 20th Dec and they have to give us 10 days notice to complete. My question is, are we within our rights to delay if we so choose and also, can we delay longer than this so that it goes over until Jan? Would this be enough for them to pull their fingers out and get our kitchen fixed?

Appreciate any advice from a very stressed and frustrated ftb who will never buy off plan again!
Thanks

geoffky

hold out m8 getting them to snag once you are in is a nightmare .years ago i still had a list of 40 after six months with barrets...

cats!

Get a professional snagger to go through the property - and do not complete until you are happy. It is your money!

Which developer is it? Check out inspectorahome.co.uk for customer satisfaction comments.

Do not be bullied in to completing until your are 100% happy. It will be a nightmare getting anything out right once they have your hard-earned money!

Jonbvn

You really must get a professional snagging inspection done before completion. I assume you have exchanged already? The mismatched kitchen sounds terrible. Generally speaking, minor defects cannot be used as a basis for refusing to complete (check with your solicitor on this issue). However, you builder sounds truly awful. As such, ask any inspector to look for serious defects to prevent completion, until things are sorted to your satisfaction. You will find that once they get your money, things are much more difficult to get fixed.

Check out https://www.snagging.org for further details.

dunstonh

Can only agree with everything already said.

Also, dont be afraid to be strong on this and dont be bullied. Even if the end result means you lose the property. After all, new builds and flats are the two things which lose money first in a house price correction and you have a new build flat which is the worst. With things as they are, you have all the cards.

macaque_2

The builders will be desperate to get the property off their books and the money into their bank. You want a roof for christmas. Could you not get an estimate for snagging list and knock this off the price of the house? Then you could get the snagging list done under less pressure.

marazul79

Thanks to all who have responded so far. In answer to your questions, the developer is Barratts and we exchanged back in March.

I would love to go to our solicitor with this but they were recommended through developer so that we didn't pay legal costs. Big mistake - as much as the sales staff keep telling us they they work for us the client, at the end of the day they're being paid by developer and don't really care!

I've been looking at the snagging sites - seen and read some horror stories and to be honest, they all seem the same whatever the developer.

You've all confirmed my suspicions that once we're in, they will not be inclined to do anything so I'll definitely go down the route of professional snagging. Worth every penny!

Thanks again

cats!

Why not get another solicitor to take over from here? You need impartial advice, surely it would be better to spend a few hundred now rather than thousands on a house with outstanding snagging items??

A fresh pair of eyes could be a real bonus!

space_rider

I bought a Barratt propery which was 11 months old. Barratts came back and put right all the things the first owners either didnt see or weren`t bothered about. I never had any problems with them at all. They even replaced bulbs that had blown, changed a lock which had jammed but wasn`t even the lock they initially fitted. They replaced all the tiles on the floor in the bathroom because the grout had cracked. I had no problems with them at all. Just make sure you get the problems corrected before the first 2 years.