Serious gas leak in new build property

kylel1210

Hello, 
first time posting so apologies for any formatting error etc.

TLDR at the bottom 

I brought a new build property from countryside properties in February 2020 and apart from the usual snags and massive delays in completion it has been plain sailing so far.

However yesterday I had my first boiler service which was slightly delayed due to covid. I used a small independent firm that was local and had good reviews. Whilst completing the service they discovered I had two pretty serious gas leaks in the property. They couldn’t track them down easily and was forced to cut off my supply and issue paperwork. On the paperwork it states the problem as being ID (Immediately dangerous) which means by law they have to cap my gas. This I don’t argue with as it’s down to safety at the end of the day so agreed for them to do what is needed.

Upon finding this out I tried to contact countryside homes so that they can sort it with it being a new build property. After trying all the phone numbers I could find none of them were being answered. This was at 15:30 on a Wednesday so was expecting at least someone to answer. I then tried the emergency out of hours number on the voicemail. That number did get answered but was told the company no longer worked with countryside and hadn’t done so for over a year. The plumbers who were subcontracted said they couldn’t do anything till they were given the go ahead from countryside which was understandable and said they only have been responding to them via email. So I gave that a go and finally got a response with some more hoops I had to jump through and quite poor customer service. I eventually got the go ahead to organise an emergency plumber.
The plumber spent yesterday evening and all day today trying to locate the leak. During the process he has made numerous holes in my kitchen and living room walls, had to pull out all my kitchen cupboards and oven, dig two holes in the kitchen floor. He eventually found the source of the leak as being a nail from the skirting board going right into the pipe behind the sofa. The skirting boards were fitted prior to the completion of the house. This means the gas has been leaking way before I moved in and been going on for around 16 months. 

The plumbers have been extremely helpful during the past day and say everything will be patched up to how it was before which I hope it is but my question is am I entitled to do anything else apart from having it repaired. Since having a gas leak surely could of meant a fire or other unpleasant outcomes. along with the inconvenience of being without gas for 3 days and paying for gas which has just been venting into my house. I have taken photos of all the damage and also the cause of the leak etc in case it’s needed further down the line.

If I am entitled to get some kind of compensation what would be the way to go about it.

Thanks for reading through all my waffling 

TLDR: house builder causes gas leak prior to moving in. Gas leak is found during annual service of boiler over a year later. Plumbers cause a lot of damage trying to locate leak but state that will get repaired. Am I entitled to compensation for having the gas leak for over a year? 

JamoLew

You are entitled to be compensated for your actual losses not hypothetical situations or where no loss has actually occurred

If you have legal cover as part of your homeowners insurance - that would be a good first port of call

Aylesbury_Duck

You're entitled to have the damage put right.  It will be impossible to work out now how much gas you've "lost" as a result, but once you've got some new readings over a period to compare it to, you'll have an idea as to how much leaked and you could then ask for the difference.  You don't get anything for what might have happened.

David713

Mickey666 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

You're entitled to have the damage put right.  It will be impossible to work out now how much gas you've "lost" as a result, but once you've got some new readings over a period to compare it to, you'll have an idea as to how much leaked and you could then ask for the difference.  You don't get anything for what might have happened.

But what about the house builder's obvious negligence?

He eventually found the source of the leak as being a nail from the skirting board going right into the pipe behind the sofa. The skirting boards were fitted prior to the completion of the house. This means the gas has been leaking way before I moved in and been going on for around 16 months. 

If the OP's first gas service revealed the problem, why did the housebuilder's gas safety inspection not also reveal the problem when it was handed over?  Presumably the house DID come with a gas safety certificate didn;t it?

I get your point about no compensation for what might have happened (ie an exploding house and many deaths) and it's fortunate indeed that the obvious negligence DIDN'T cause any problems, but it doesn't seem right that the OP has no come-back on the developer for this negligence, or that the developer isn't sanctioned in some way.

Perhaps a bit of Twitter publicity might get some reaction

It's possible that a gas inspection and certification was carried out before the interior of the building was finished and if so, the damage to the pipe could have occurred after the system had been signed off.
It's easy enough to find out if there was a certificate issued and you can find out the completion date without having to pay anything:

Order your replacement certificate here - Gas Safe Register - Gas Safe Register

davidmcn

Mickey666 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

You're entitled to have the damage put right.  It will be impossible to work out now how much gas you've "lost" as a result, but once you've got some new readings over a period to compare it to, you'll have an idea as to how much leaked and you could then ask for the difference.  You don't get anything for what might have happened.

it doesn't seem right that the OP has no come-back on the developer for this negligence

They do have come-back - to get the problem fixed and compensated for their actual losses. You don't get anything for whataboutery.

born_again

Did no one notice a gas smell while sat on the sofa?

greyteam1959

Also a good job they were not having a fag on said sofa.
😁😁

Alter_ego

Aylesbury_Duck said:

why did the housebuilder's gas safety inspection not also reveal the problem when it was handed over?  Presumably the house DID come with a gas safety certificate didn;t it?

Because the nail was blocking the hole at that stage = no leak detected on the check.

macman

The gas leakage was obviously minimal or non-existent, since no odour was detected in the living room. If so, how did a boiler service detect the leak? 

jefaz07

greyteam1959 said:

Also a good job they were not having a fag on said sofa.
😁😁

A fag won’t ignite gas  

jefaz07

You’re allowed a gas escape in a property with appliances connected. Provided there is no smell of gas. 

If it has previously been tested it may have passed. 

I have seen a fire surround screwed to a wall for 10 years with no issues, when the surround was removed the gas escape started as it had the nail in all along. 

You would been a decent amount of gas to be escaping into your property to get any money back.