Recent Posts

1

Snagging and defects / Impact noise from flat above

« Last Post by DC001 on October 21, 2018, 01:36:11 pm »

Hi

I've recently bought a new build flat constructed by William George Homes, and there's consistent impact noise from above - I can hear loud footsteps, internal doors closing/slamming, loud bangs etc. and it's very disruptive to my sleep/quality of life.  It seems as though there's some kind of vibration problem as at times the noise causes glasses in cupboards to shake etc, and is definitely much louder than would be considered 'normal'.

I've not got too far with the site manager so far; I was originally quoted the Robust Details compliance (E-FT-3), and although I've kept pushing the issue and he's acknowledged the sound is louder than expected he's only looking to make minor changes (i.e. change the doors so that they don't slam, ask neighbours upstairs to take off shoes etc).  The flat is not covered by NHBC but by Checkmate, and is just over 1 year old.

From reading through the forum it appears as though my next step would be to request an independent acoustic sound test, however I'm unclear how to do this, as most of the companies offering this online seem to do so for construction companies.  Are there any firms that anyone would recommend?  And would I be expected to pay for this, or is this considered something that the building company are legally required to provide?

Are there any other steps that I could take to try and resolve this?

Many thanks for any assistance

Dave

2

House Builders / Re: Macbryde Homes and Homes by Esh inquiry

« Last Post by Jen09 on October 19, 2018, 10:34:04 am »

Thank for the reply. We will keep calling them until the work is satisfactory.
Just extremely disappointed. Our first home, was a new build with a developer who has a not so good reputation. But we can honestly say that their customer care and speed at which jobs were completed were exceptional.
Let's see how we get along over the next six months.   

3

House Builders / Re: Macbryde Homes and Homes by Esh inquiry

« Last Post by New Home Expert on October 19, 2018, 08:12:12 am »

Mots people buying a new home don't get what they expected!

According to the industry's own, highly questionable, in-house "Customer Satisfaction Survey", 99% of new home buyers report a problem to their builder within a few weeks.
41% reported more than 10 defects!

I hope you can get your defects sorted before Christmas.
Remember "the squeaky wheel gets the oil"

4

House Builders / Re: Macbryde Homes and Homes by Esh inquiry

« Last Post by Jen09 on October 18, 2018, 09:12:43 am »

Our experiences with Macbryde.

Well don't expect them to stick to any timescale.
Pay a professional snagging company to inspect your home before legal completion.
Had a gas leak, all toilets leaked, front garden still has a channel off rock/mud running through the middle and is on two different levels (been in house now over 2 months).
And quality of internal finish not as expected.
Front door not the best quality and internal doors have not been sanded down before painting (rub past with your bare arm at your own risk!)
Trying to get all snagging jobs completed takes forever, dates booked in for workman, but countless no-shows.
Certainly not what we expected.

5

Grumpy Corner / CurrysPCWorld Data Breach

« Last Post by Banjo on October 15, 2018, 10:41:11 am »

On 13 June 2018 CurrysPCWorld advised it's customers:

"I am writing to you as a precaution after we discovered during a review of our systems that some non-financial personal data held by Currys PC World and Dixons Travel had been accessed in the past using sophisticated malware."

So following a  Subject Access Request it transpires that CurrysPCWorld potentially hold and use a substantial amount of data about its customers.

Confirm to me whether my personal data is being processed?

"We collect personal information about you when you visit one of our stores, use our Websites (“Websites”), or use our web or mobile device applications ("Mobile Apps") or if you communicate with us by phone, e-mail and social media. We refer to our Websites and Apps collectively as “Online Services".
 
The types of personal information we collect includes:
 
• Personal details such as your name, address, date of birth, email address, phone number and other contact information Transaction information, such as the product you purchased, its price, your method of payment and your payment details.
• Information about you like your employment details, financial position and information taken from identification documents like your passport or driving licence when we review your application for insurance or loans offered by selected third parties partners
• Your account information – such as dates of payments owed and received, the subscription services you use or any other information related to your account
• The phone numbers that you call/send messages to or the phone numbers that you receive calls/messages from.
• The date and time of the calls and messages you send or receive through our network, and your location at the time these communications take place.
 
When you’re online the information we collect includes:
 
• Account information, like your username, password, and other identifiers or credentials you use to access our online services or to buy our products and services, details of your shopping preferences, such as your favourite brands and products, as well as which of our stores you prefer to shop in
• Details of your visits to the Website, in-store WIFI or App and the resources that you access. Examples include ads that you click, device information and your location
• IP address and cookie data
• Information that you provide in your dealings with us. This includes when you register to use our online services, or when you subscribe to our services or request further services and/or information from us.
 
The situations when you provide personal information could include when you:
 
• Purchase products at our stores or through our contact centre
• Register or use our Online Services
• Request to receive marketing or other communications
• Use our Wi-Fi networks or other in-store tech
• Enter one of our competitions or when you complete one of our customer surveys
• Submit information when you’re providing feedback
• Use interactive features of our Online Services.
 
Which countries my personal data is stored:
 
From time to time we may transfer your personal information to our suppliers, service providers and other company offices based outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) for the purposes described in this privacy policy. If we do this your personal information will continue to be subject to one or more appropriate safeguards set out in the law.
 
If we do transfer information to our agents or advisers outside of the EEA, we will make sure that it is protected in the same way as if it was being used in the EEA. We’ll use one of these safeguards:
 
We'll transfer it to a non-EEA country with privacy laws that give the same protection as the EEA. Learn more on the European Commission Justice website. We'll put in place a contract with the recipient that means they must protect it to the same standards as the EEA. Read more about this here on the European Commission Justice website.
 
Who we share your personal information with:
 
We share personal information within the Dixons Carphone PLC Group. Members of the Dixons Carphone Group that receive this information are not authorised to use or disclose the information except as provided in this privacy policy.
 
Our service providers
 
We work with partners, suppliers, insurers and agencies so they can process your personal information on our behalf and only where they meet our standards on the processing of data and security. We only share information that helps them provide their services to us or to help them provide their services to you. For example, some of our service providers place advertising for us online, about our products and services and those of our retail partners, suppliers and third parties. As a result, where you have indicated you are happy to receive marketing from us, you might see online advertising that we have placed on the web sites you visit, or the interactive services you use.
 
Other organisations and individuals
 
We may transfer your personal information to other organisations in certain scenarios. For example:
 
When you apply for credit or purchase an insurance product we’ll pass on your information to trusted third party partners responsible for these products. Please note we act as a credit broker and not as a lender in respect of our insurance products credit facility within our UK and Republic of Ireland stores
If required to by law, under any code of practice by which we are bound or we’re asked to do so by a public or regulatory authority such as the Police or the Department for Work and Pensions
Information may also be shared with fraud prevention agencies to prevent fraudulent claims If we need to do so in order to exercise or protect our legal rights, users, systems and services
In response to requests from individuals (or their representatives) seeking to protect their legal rights or the rights of others.
With emergency services (if you make an emergency call), including your approximate location

Credit Reference Agencies
 
In order to process your application we’ll supply your personal information to credit reference agencies (CRAs) and they will give us information about you.
 
This will include information from your credit application and about your financial situation and financial history. CRAs will supply to us both public (including the electoral register) and shared credit, financial situation and financial history information and fraud prevention information. We will use this information to:
 
Assess your creditworthiness and whether you can afford to take the product
• Verify the accuracy of the data you have provided to us
• Prevent criminal activity, fraud and money laundering
• Trace and recover debts
• To make sure any offers provided to you are appropriate to your circumstances.
 
We'll also continue to exchange information about you with CRAs on an on-going basis, including about your settled accounts and any debts not fully repaid on time. CRAs will share your information with other organisations. Your data will also be linked to the data of your spouse, any joint applicants or other financial associates.
 
The identities of the CRAs, and the ways in which they use and share personal information, are explained in more detail at www.equifax.co.uk/crain
 
How long you store my personal data?
 
We will keep your personal information for as long as you’re a customer. If you haven’t made a purchase or engaged with us for 3 years or more, then we’ll remove you from our marketing mailing lists. After you stop being a customer, we may keep your data for up to 7 years after the last time you interacted with us. This could include one of the ways specified in ‘How we use your personal information’ and for one of these reasons:
 
• To respond to any questions or complaints
• To show that we treated you fairly
• To maintain records according to rules that applies to us
• To establish, bring or defend legal claims.
 
We may keep your data for longer than 7 years if we cannot delete it for legal, regulatory or technical reasons. We may also keep it in order to help support product recalls or safety notices. If we do, we will make sure that your privacy is protected and only use it for those purposes. We do not retain personal information in an identifiable format for longer than is necessary.
 
What safeguards have been put in place?
 
• Data encryption during transfer and rest
• If data is transferred we will use a secure approved method to do this
• Access control
• No physical transfer of the data to the 3rd parties network but rather keeping it within our secure network and only providing access
• Ensure that those that have access to the data have completed Information/GDPR training
• Right to audit 3rd parties
• Audit trail of access and changes to personal data
• We can obtain data destruction certificates from 3rd parties to ensure that they follow our stipulated retention periods
 
Our Policies and Standards are in line with ISO27001
 
Collecting personal data about me from any source other than me
 
In order to process your application we’ll supply your personal information to credit reference agencies (CRAs) and they will give us information about you.
 
This will include information from your credit application and about your financial situation and financial history. CRAs will supply to us both public (including the electoral register) and shared credit, financial situation and financial history information and fraud prevention information. We will use this information to:
 
• Assess your creditworthiness and whether you can afford to take the product
• Verify the accuracy of the data you have provided to us
• Prevent criminal activity, fraud and money laundering
• Trace and recover debts
• To make sure any offers provided to you are appropriate to your circumstances.
 
We’ll also continue to exchange information about you with CRAs on an on-going basis, including about your settled accounts and any debts not fully repaid on time. CRAs will share your information with other organisations. Your data will also be linked to the data of your spouse, any joint applicants or other financial associates.   
 
The identities of the CRAs, and the ways in which they use and share personal information, are explained in more detail at www.equifax.co.uk/crai
 
I would like to know whether or not my personal data has been disclosed inadvertently by your company in the past, or as a result of a security or privacy breach.
 
No All companies within the Dixons Carphone Group use technical and organisational security measures to protect the personal information supplied by you against loss, destruction, and any unauthorised access by third parties. All of our employees complete mandatory GDPR and Information Security training.
 
We have extensive security measures in place which naturally includes encryption where appropriate but specific details of our security measures are confidential in order to preserve their purpose. As per our answer above we align our security standards to ISO27001 which should provide you with the assurance you are looking for."

6

Snagging and defects / Re: DPC under external ground level

« Last Post by New Home Expert on October 15, 2018, 07:18:15 am »

Who is the housebuilder?

It does look like the bottom dpc is "the proper one" and would be obviously 150mm too low.
However, it is normal practise to have a dpc tray over the airbricks which will extend beyond the air brick each side, but not be all the way round the house.
It could also be the case that having realised the dpc was too low they put in another at the correct height above finished ground level.

So chip out a bit of mortar on this course away from any airbricks and see if there is a dpc there.

Regarding the patio you had installed, It was the contractor's responsibility to do it at the right height. No housebuilder would pay for it to be lowered.

7

Snagging and defects / DPC under external ground level

« Last Post by concerned new home buyer on October 11, 2018, 10:34:15 am »

Hi, looking for advice please. 

We bought our new home and moved in last October.  A couple of weeks ago our kitchen was flooded after I accidentally left the hose on outside.  It turned out to be a good thing, because we have now discovered that our DPC is actually about 1-2cm below our external ground level, virtually the whole way round the house. 

Unfortunately, we have just spent a fortune having a new porcelain patio put in at the back (sticking with the original ground level from the developers).  We're waiting for a response, but from what I've read online, the who external ground level will need to be reduced? Am I right?

Also, does anyone know where we stand with them replacing our patio if it has to be lowered?  Will they have to replace it like for like?  Thanks.

I've attached a couple of pics.  There appears to be two levels of DPC but the builders said the bottom one is the proper one. 

8

Landscaping and Gardening / Avoid Suttons 'Rapid Green' Grass Seed

« Last Post by Greenfinger on October 08, 2018, 10:18:04 am »

I bought a pack of Suttons 'Rapid Green' Grass Seed on 4 September 2018 from a local garden centre. Like many, my front lawn had gone to straw in the summer heatwave and although most had recovered there were bare patches with no grass at all.

So I decided to buy Suttons "Rapid Green" with a stated  "Germination in 7 to 10 days" even though it was more expensive because I wanted it to germinate quickly and establish before the temperatures dropped. 

I first used a lawn rake to take out the dead grass. Added Westland bagged topsoil to the bare patches to bring them level. Then added the grass seed as per Suttons instructions, raked the seed in and watered it in and then re watered every other day which cost me a fortune in water. 

The first attempt was in the afternoon on 4 September. I tried again on the 20 September and as you can see from the photos the seed has failed.  Not only have I wasted £9.99 buying the seed but also the cost of water, around £8 and a few hours of my time.

So I wrote to David Robinson e mail David.Robinson@suttons.co.uk the managing director of Suttons seeds as I thought he should know about this issue. I even offered to return the pack to them with the remaining seed for analysis if they sent me a stamped addressed envelope!

At the very least I expected a garden centre voucher to cover the cost of the seed.
This is his reply:

Our Head of customer care was unaware of any recent complaints on Rapid Green but I have nonetheless also checked our complaints log and over the last 12 months I can confirm that we have indeed received none at all..

It has been a popular product for a number of years, both via garden centres and direct to Suttons own database of online customers, so if there was a problem with the formulation or quality of seed, it really would have been expected that we would have received further complaints beyond yours.

Whilst I can sympathise with your disappointment I’m afraid that your complaint really should be directed to the retailer of the product which in this case, is the garden centre from whom you bought it.

I’m sure that you will have done everything required and followed the instructions, however you will notice that the back of the pack states that germination should be within 7-10 days in ideal conditions, so it is still just possible that with adequate watering over the next few days you may still see the grass start to germinate. If not, then as I previously mentioned, please do speak to the retailer of the product.

Kindest regards

David

Well as of today it has now been 34 days and it is still not germinated. Just because no one else has taken the considerable time to complain about the seed,  does not mean it perfect Mr Robertson.
I wholeheartedly suggest everyone boycotts Suttons seeds products!

9

Landscaping and Gardening / Plant trees as soon as you can

« Last Post by New Home Expert on October 08, 2018, 10:03:07 am »

With so many new home developments having houses all crowded in close together (so housebuilders can maximise returns on their land) planting trees near the boundary has never been more important.

This is not for now, it is a plan for the future - 5 to 10 years ahead. 
A time when that nice considerate first neighbour at the back fence or next door who  bought new has moved on and a neighbour from hell has taken his place. 
A time when you are perhaps retired and want to spend more time in your garden and want or appreciate more privacy and not having to look at their messy unkempt gardens.

More importantly, a time when you are looking to sell and move on and will be more likely to sell with a private secluded garden, not overlooked by neighbour's windows.

So get planting trees along the boundary as soon as you can, in positions that will give you peace, seclusion and privacy.

We are not talking fast growing conifers, but species such as Silver Birch, and Hornbeam.

10

General discussion / Re: Incorrect roof pitch with new build

« Last Post by New Home Expert on October 08, 2018, 08:47:05 am »

Is your house the only one like this?
I would expect that every house of your house type would also be the same, unless the roof is lower in just your house.
If there are others you should consider a class action.
The £6,000 "compensation" is not enough to compensate you for the loss you will suffer in selling price when you try to sell. However, it is probably about right for nuisance and inconvenience compensation.

In my opinion you are correct it is a breach of contract.

I would suggest you avoid all firms on this list - they work for housebuilders!

and recommend you contact:
Timothy Waitt
Solicitor & Partner

Anthony Gold Solicitors
The Beehive Coffee Tavern
496 Streatham High Road
London SW16 3QB

DD 020 7940 4090
T 020 7940 4000
F 020 8664 6484
DX 58604 Streatham
Website  anthonygold.co.uk
Twitter @Anthonygoldlaw