With reference to the Barratt property, I do not or have never worked for Barratt. I work independently as an assessor, I review reported 'snags' and assign them to the correct party i.e. contractor, manufacturer/supplier or tenant. I have visited this development on a number of occasions and found that it is built to an acceptable standard.
The apartment shown on the programme DID have an issue with the saturated wall, damp and mould but as the 'real expert' stated, he could not find any leaks within the apartment and was in fact caused by a problem in an adjacent property. This does not make the problem any less of an issue for the tenant and if was in her position I would be just as unhappy but other factors such as frequency of problems, mechanical failure etc. should have been highlighted. In a development of this size it is inevitable that there will be a problem or two no matter how stringent the quality control process is. How the problem is resolved it the important factor here. Labelling it a 'Nightmare New Build' is unfair, one sided and extreme.
During construction of apartments throughout the country, it is common for plasterboard to get damaged during the build, whether it be from water or whatever, as long as it is replaced in line with the manufactures guidelines and recommendations there will be no further problems and any decent manufacturer will give warranties to cover this. There should be no effect on the quality or value of the property.
I'm sure the solicitors letter would not have been issued without good cause. This would not be good for any developer and would only be done as a last resort. The programme did not show enough about why it was issued.
I think we are all used to this type of programme nowadays. Giving a balanced view doesn't make good viewing!
I will watch the next episode but expect much of the same.