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Only you can decided if the level of compensation is agreeable as only you can put a value on the inconvenience and cost.
It will depend on a number of factors such as the total duration which is unknown until work has finished and the standard of your alternative accommodation. (If you have a Mercedes and crash it, your courtesy car might only be a Vauxhall  Corsa!  It will still get you where you wnat to go but not as nice!)

Remember you are paying for:
1) Mortgage
2) Insurance
3) Services Electricity Water Gas and Broadband.
4) TV Licence

You will need your post re directed.
Your garden might get trashed during the works too!

As you are asking for information, perhaps you should "pay it forward" and tell the forum who the housebuilders are, the works involved and the amount of compensation you have been offered!
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Snagging and defects / MAJOR drainage issue- moving out and compensation
« Last Post by Frustrated on August 07, 2024, 08:11:35 pm »
Hello
Just looking for a bit of advice… we have a new build house that completed over a year ago. We got a call out of the blue from the builders to say that our neighbours have been having issues and we both need some MAJOR remedial work doing. These repairs involve us being moved out of our home for 8+ weeks. The builders are covering alternative accommodation, removals and storage. We have had a figure through for compensation but have no idea what is a fair sum. Has anyone had any previous experience with this situation and can give us some idea of figures they received for both compensation and alternative accommodation costs?
Thanks
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General discussion / Re: Cracked Foundations on new build!
« Last Post by New Home Expert on July 06, 2024, 10:12:18 am »
The NHBC does indeed stand for National House Building Council.  They are the same as Premier Guarantee and offer warranties on new homes and nothing else. They will only act when the home has an NHBC warranty.

The Premier Guarantee Warranty is a structural warranty.
https://www.premierguarantee.com/our-services/structural-warranties/new-homes-warranty/
They may be trying to fob you off by implying that it doesn't cover subsidence caused by non-construction on issues (storms, tree roots etc) but if standards have not been followed, a claim is justified.
It's a long process, but you could make a claim using the Financial Ombudsman Services as The Premier Guarantee is an insurance product.  Be sure to have independent valuations of your increase in insurance premiums and reduction is market valuation due tot he underpinning history.

Again I suggest that Linden buy the house from you as the easiest option and you walk away.
The alternative is many years of battling both Linden and Premier.
see Tweet below!  Worth your while you contacting Yvette.



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General discussion / Re: Cracked Foundations on new build!
« Last Post by aliceh on July 05, 2024, 12:23:50 pm »
Thanks for your reply. Yes I did go to Premier. They advised as its structural its not covered by them. I contact NHBC as they are supposed to be the National House Builders Council, so thought they might offer some help/advice.

Yes I understand the underpinning is the proposed method. However this reduces the house value by 20 -25%, so a huge loss to myself. Many mortgage lenders will not offer of mortgage on a under pinned property. Unless at a high rate.

My current house insurance will not insure the house if it's underpinned and most companies have also refused. Even if proof of what has caused the subsidence is given. Underpinning houses seem to be a huge unwanted problem. Part of my buying contract was not that the house would fall down after 5 years and lose value.

Hence why I was trying to establish some assistance/advise as why should I have to suffer huge losses financially due to the developer's mistake of not actioning this and the emotional impact.

The inside of the property is completely damaged, to the extent the floors are wonky as it was left for 5 years to fall, but no survey has been done to establish if the internal structure can even be salvageable.
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General discussion / Re: Cracked Foundations on new build!
« Last Post by New Home Expert on July 05, 2024, 12:12:08 pm »
First of all you say the new home warranty is with Premier Guarantee. 
So it is they who you should be contacting, not the NHBC unless you have two warranties!
Your new home should be covered by a ten-year structural warranty and this is certainly a structural defect.
Premier Guarantee (I presume) are only not dealing with this because it was reported within the first two years and it is for Linden/Vistry to rectify.

Linden have offered to underpin the foundations which is the usual method of sorting out subsidence caused by nearby trees.  However, I would suggest that the trees that have caused the problem should be removed. Tree surgery would make little difference to the effect the tree roots have on the ground.

Only when the works to the foundations have been completed, will the internal repairs be carried out.

Given the extent of the work involved, which may even require a demolish and re build, I would think the best situation all round is for Linden/Vistry to buy the house back from you at a fair current market price to enable you to walk away.

Whilst a history of subsidence and flooding can affect future market value of a home this can reduce over time.  As for home insurance, quite rightly your premiums will increase to reflect the now known risk, unless that is reduced by the removal of the trees.




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General discussion / Cracked Foundations on new build!
« Last Post by aliceh on July 03, 2024, 04:28:19 pm »
I am hoping someone might be able to help me or offer me any advise as I have tried everything.

The foundations are cracked on my house purchased in 2019. I had indicating cracks of this as soon as I moved in. I reported this to the developer. However they told me it was normal settlement, and literally painted over it. Last December the whole wall moved and cracked in the front room of the house, This then provoked Linden to investigate by digging trial pits around my house. The foundations were found to be cracked in half down the middle.

I reported this crack on my 14-day snagging list, the 2-year warranty and the 10-year warranty. The 10 year warranty provider, Premier, wanted nothing to do with it and told me it wasn’t covered and that I had to go back to Linden/Vistry. NHBC have told me they can't help.

Vistry's proposal is to underpin the house and move me out for 9 months, This only benefits Vistry, they didn’t even know or pretended they didn’t about the huge reduction in value or the house insurance, or acknowledge the impact this has had on myself for the last 5 years.

I have purchased this house with the help of the government help to buy loan, I have the loan for £50,000 which was due to start to be paid back in November, at a rate of around £50 per month which I have budgeted for and can afford. However if I have to sell the house I need to pay back the £50,000 which I simply cannot just pull that equity? I also got another Job in January to help save to repay my mortgage, as when I purchased the house 5 years ago everything was much more affordable. I am not taking the loss due to Vistry's failures.

Decreases the property's value by 20%, current market value £300,000 - with underpinning £240,000. I will struggle to re mortgage.
House insurance is 6 times what it is now. Re sell potential is hugely decreased.

How can they decide underpinning is the correct thing to do when they haven’t seen how damaged the inside is? You can see in the attached pictures how the flooring has also moved. It would be impossible to straighten the timber within the roofing structure and the roof itself? But they have decided it can all be recovered without looking at the extent of the extra 6 months of damage within and outside of the property, which now runs the length of the whole property. And throughout the garages below. No survey or inspection has been conducted within the property.

Nothing has been checked or the internal damage even viewed. The damaged started in the living room, however it is now throughout the property, again Vistry have let it get to this stage through ignoring me.
I have spoken to mortgage lenders, house insurers, had the house valued by estate agents to understand the impact of under pinning, the 10-year warranty given to customers who buy new builds is also useless as I contacted them right at the start and they want nothing to do with it and said I have to go back to the developer. I have had to try and get legal cover through my house insurance but as the issue was there before the property was sold to me this is also proving difficult.

Vistry advised they will cut the trees down next to the property, however these have not even been maintained in 5 years as promised. I have fought to get this done, however Vistry never arranged for this. I spoke to the council directly regarding the trees and the tree surgeons sent by Vistry, and only one tree was trimmed which has no impact on my property. Pictures attached of the trees.
This company not listening to me for 5 years, when all I wanted was very basic, a house on stable foundations that isn't cracking and falling down.
My house was one of the first 10 of over 400 houses
 
I just don't know what to do, lawyers have advised there is a legal case for misrepresentation and neglect. However this already costs thousands to just take to the court stage. Linden have showed no care or regard for the effect this battle has had on myself for the last 5 years, and the impact moving will have on myself financially, emotionally and physically.

I am a single person and worked hard to be able to buy this house alone, for now this to happen which isn’t my fault at all. If Vistry just listened to me and honoured the contract they could of sorted the issue before the property was left to fall for 5 years. I had no intention of reselling in November, and wanted to re mortgage and stay in my beautiful home in the community we have all built together.

How this house builder can get away with ignoring customers, selling defective houses and having zero regard or care for the impact on peoples lives is not fair or right. How can this developer work with the council to propose houses for our community that fall down within 5 years? I have being diagnosed with depression and Hidradenitis suppurativa because of this developer and they just do not care. I live alone and bought this house alone, and never intended to have to move. Its also part of the help to buy scheme, so I have to pay back that loan also.
I didn’t want this battle, I just wanted my home to be safe and stable and liveable for as long as I had planned.
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General discussion / Re: Checklist For Survey Of New Home
« Last Post by New Home Expert on June 03, 2024, 09:30:07 am »
It appears that neither post is very useful and both are virtually the same.
Be aware this forum does not tolerate link spamming and accounts will be banned if it occurs.
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Quote
Or should I accept my warranty is not worth the paper it's written on, I've made a costly mistake buying a new build from a small developer, and try to find thousands of ££ to rectify this myself whilst crying into my beer?

I think you already know the answer!
 
The work required would need to be done in the flat above and involve taking up their floor.
You could perhaps ask if they could put down thick/thicker) carpets and underlay which may help.
Or try and insulate from your ceiling.

Big plc housebuilders do build shoddy new homes full of defects, but at least they are around to complain to when things are not right.


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Landscaping and Gardening / Re: Garden utilities drawings
« Last Post by Admin on May 11, 2024, 07:03:05 am »
As you reported the issue within two years and it is still not fixed, just moved further away, Barratt are still on the hook to sort it out.

My advice is don't waste time on the regional office, write to David Thomas the CEO. He really does care about customer care and hopefully will get it sorted out. If he doesn't, post about it on social media.

I expect the "fix" isn't going to be easy as the drainage pipework is falling the wrong way.
And yes, your fence will rot quite quickly as a result of this.
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Snagging and defects / New build brickwork query..
« Last Post by Alexg on May 10, 2024, 04:40:13 pm »
Thanks for viewing, any help is appreciated...
My wife and I are In the process of buying a new build from TW. Completion is around aug/sep and everything so far has gone smoothly and TW have been brilliant. We had the first site visit today and the first thing I noticed was the brickwork. I work in IT so I'm a total nube to this so please excuse any ignorance to this post, but I was under the impression all brickwork had to be the same brick in terms of quality, colour and at least new. Straight away I noticed some of patches of the brick almost looked like rubble, or that there was a mix of new bricks and old bricks. I've attached a picture and circled where I think it's noticeable /bad. If someone could take a look and let me know if I'm right to be concerned or if I'm talking rubbish and it's totally normal it would help us massively in knowing what to do next. 👍
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