I bought a new house in December 2021 from Barratt and since day one, I have flooding issues in my garden around an inspection chamber within 3 metres from my external wall.
I started emailing Barratt in the Spring of 2022 and they didn't do anything because they were saying that the water was draining within 72 hours and the soil needed some time. After several emails, I had given up since it seemed to improve over time.
In 2023, I called a landscaper to install some slabs and they found out the manhole was full of water. When the landscaper removed the soil around the outlet pipe, we could clearly see the pipe was going upward and thus the inclination was wrong. At this point, Barratt accepted to rectify the issue and as a solution, their groundworkers raised the manhole few inches. The flooding close to the house stopped but it started flooding at the end of the garden (lowest point) close to the fence. This means my fence is constantly under water and thus the wood is rotting.
This year, out of curiosity, I opened up the manhole and noticed that the inlet pipe is lower than the manhole and thus it doesn't drain any water. I contacted Barratt and they came back with the same story of the 72 hours; they also pointed out that since I have installed slabs all along my fence now the flooding is my fault.
Now, I thought about fixing the issue on my own, however I have requested the utilities drawings of the garden since I don't know where the french drain runs. Barratt has refused to share the drawings, is it normal?
I am out of the 2 years warranty but the issue was initially raised within the 2 years warranty. I am sure their "fix" is what caused the new flooding, so hopefully Barratt agrees to come and fix their mess.
