A well-known national snagging inspector recently told me that the standard of new homes is getting worse, not better especially over recent times. This due in part to the artificial bubble-demand created by the government's "Help to Buy" scheme. This is creating shortages of both materials and labour causing major problems.
House builders are selling off-plan more and more, resulting in many not being able to meet completion dates, with chains falling through and mortgage offers expiring. This is nothing new I hear you say, but not on the scale he is seeing! It all leads to houses being accepted without being finished and the buyers have no choice because of the external pressures.
But house builders do compensate buyers who have serious defects in their homes.
He knows of:
"quite a few clients get compensation up to 18,000 from Bovis homes in Hemel Hempstead, two persimmon new home buyers have been in hotels for several months and two Fairview buyers were sent on holidays, one to Mexico for a fortnight while the work was carried out"
The squeaky wheel gets the oil!