Refused technical drawings

Ellcee

Hello all,

I have purchased a flat (off-pan) that is due for completion in Aug.
The developer is refusing to give me a copy of the technical drawings, is this normal?
I've been told I can make an appointment with the sales team and "look" at the drawings, it's not practical to copy them down.

warwick2001

Could you take photos on your mobile phone of the drawings when you go to look at them?

Section62

Ellcee said:

I have purchased a flat (off-pan) that is due for completion in Aug.
The developer is refusing to give me a copy of the technical drawings, is this normal?
I've been told I can make an appointment with the sales team and "look" at the drawings, it's not practical to copy them down.

It is common, but I wouldn't say 'normal'.

You'll be spending a very large sum of money buying a product, IMV it would be normal to want to understand how it is built and what the services/features are.  The cost of producing a paper or digital copy of the drawings is a trivial amount compared to the sum you'll pay for the flat.

Many developers take a very different view though.  If it were me I'd question why that is, what is it that they wish to hide or conceal?  The technical drawings of a building - unlike say a computer processor chip - are not something that the IP is worth a vast amount of money and needs protecting by strictly limiting access.

Ellcee

warwick2001 said:

Could you take photos on your mobile phone of the drawings when you go to look at them?

They won't let me take photos either! 

Ellcee

Section62 said:

Ellcee said:

I have purchased a flat (off-pan) that is due for completion in Aug.
The developer is refusing to give me a copy of the technical drawings, is this normal?
I've been told I can make an appointment with the sales team and "look" at the drawings, it's not practical to copy them down.

It is common, but I wouldn't say 'normal'.

You'll be spending a very large sum of money buying a product, IMV it would be normal to want to understand how it is built and what the services/features are.  The cost of producing a paper or digital copy of the drawings is a trivial amount compared to the sum you'll pay for the flat.

Many developers take a very different view though.  If it were me I'd question why that is, what is it that they wish to hide or conceal?  The technical drawings of a building - unlike say a computer processor chip - are not something that the IP is worth a vast amount of money and needs protecting by strictly limiting access.

This is my sentiment exactly, I'm spending a lot of money and I want to think about my interior design so I need the measurements. It's not about the cost of sending me a copy, it seems like they are hiding something as they will not give me a reason for why they won't share the drawings or let me take a photograph of them. It seems a bit ridiculous to me, it's not like I'm going to take the design of this one flat and build my own.

user1977

Go to the building control department at the council and look at them there?

To be fair, it isn't a normal request to make, so difficult to say what the normal response ought to be! Is there something in particular you were wanting to check?

Ellcee

What makes me even more annoyed is when I went to sign the reservation paperwork the sales team told me I could request the drawings through my solicitor, but they have still refused to give them to me.

Deedoodee

Ellcee said:

warwick2001 said:

Could you take photos on your mobile phone of the drawings when you go to look at them?

They won't let me take photos either! 

That sounds more unusual…when friends have bought new builds, they’ve been told that they can’t hand over a copy of the technical drawings because they’re subject to change (which still sounds a bit waffley, because couldn’t they just say ‘here are the drawings conditional to change’) but they’ve all been allowed to take photos of them. I’ve looked over technical drawings in detail with my friends. That’s how we worked out the garden was on a horrendous slope! The sales person had just said she didn’t know what any of the numbers meant 

Ellcee

user1977 said:

Go to the building control department at the council and look at them there?

To be fair, it isn't a normal request to make, so difficult to say what the normal response ought to be! Is there something in particular you were wanting to check?

From interior designers, I've spoken to it is perfectly normal to ask, otherwise, how can you measure up your furniture?

GDB2222

You are buying a pig in a poke, and the developer likes it that way. 

Perhaps they know that it’s not being built in accordance with the plan? 

user1977

Ellcee said:

user1977 said:

Go to the building control department at the council and look at them there?

To be fair, it isn't a normal request to make, so difficult to say what the normal response ought to be! Is there something in particular you were wanting to check?

From interior designers, I've spoken to it is perfectly normal to ask, otherwise, how can you measure up your furniture?

With a measuring tape once you have access to the built property? I wouldn't hold out too much hope for them building exactly in accordance with their technical drawings...