Recent Posts

41

General discussion / Re: Advice needed

« Last Post by New Home Expert on December 09, 2023, 12:01:13 pm »

First of all don't link drop again or you will be banned.
Secondly this is a new homes forum not an employment site.

Thirdly, take the job, if it doesn't work out what have you lost?
I doubt this post was intended for no other reason than to link spam the forum.

42

General discussion / Re: Help! BDWH Part Ex

« Last Post by New Home Expert on December 09, 2023, 11:54:11 am »

Why not contact the agent yourself and get the price set to £275k?
In the current market you can expect offers of over 10% less than any stated price.
You would be very unlikely to get a viewing let alone any offer in 6 weeks too.
BDWH guaranteed offer price is good, saves you Estate Agent fees and means you don't have the hassle of last minute cancelled sales, delayed Exchange of Contracts etc.

In a nutshell, it is a silly mistake, probably not even of BDWH making.

Be sure to have your new home professionally snagged and inspected before you legally complete as I have a feeling that you will not be entirely happy.

43

General discussion / Help! BDWH Part Ex

« Last Post by Cameron1590 on December 06, 2023, 06:31:53 pm »

We agreed with Barratt David Wilson Homes (BDWH) to do a part exchange "extra".

We signed the sales agreement which stipulated that BDWH would market our property at £275k for six weeks. If no buyer was secured in six weeks, then they would become our guaranteed buyer at £260k.

Any sale agreed in the first six weeks above the part ex price of £260k would be given back to us as if the transaction was a traditional sale. (Subject to EA fees of £3k).

Unfortunately, one Estate agent has put the property online today at £270k. We have spoken to someone at BDWH who are "looking into what went wrong" and said they would "get the price amended to reflect the price in the agreement (£275k)" however we are concerned that if the property does sell in the next six weeks, there is a potential for people to have seen the property at the lower price and make a lower offer as a result.


Surely BDWH have broken some form of consumer code or regulation here? I am not really sure what legislation to look at in order to bolster my argument for compensation.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Malty

44

General discussion / Advice needed

« Last Post by mariagreen on December 05, 2023, 08:43:26 am »

I'm very glad I joined you
I have been working as a professional independent home cleaner for almost 5 years, and recently I was offered a job as a general cleaner at but I’m confused, I’ve been hearing both positive and negative reviews about them, so any advice? shall I accept the offer or continue as an independent cleaner?

45

NHBC Warranty / Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim

« Last Post by Caz37 on November 28, 2023, 05:19:10 am »

Update.

This was their reply

"Thank you for your email of 23 November 2023 about no corespondence from the builder since our joint visit

As the original builder has failed to contact, we will take back the claim our policy is to cash settle

If you want to you can obtain quotes for the necessary repairs to your roof and send them to us for a review.

In the meantime, I will send you a cash offer with Schedule of Works for consideration based on what we believe repairs involve

Contact us

If you need any more information, you can reach us on 0800 035 6422.

You can send an email to mycase@nhbc.co.uk. Make sure you include the NHBC reference in the subject field so that your email is directed to the right case file Alternatively, you can write to NHBC Claims, NHBC House. Davy Avenue. Know Knowihil, Miter Milton Keynes, MKS REP"

46

NHBC Warranty / Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim

« Last Post by New Home Expert on November 21, 2023, 06:22:35 am »

I don't believe that a cash offer from the NHBC even if refused fulfils their obligations under the warranty.
They can offer it, but under the warranty the obligation is to rectify defects covered by the warranty, not pay-off claimants. 

That said many new home buyers do take the NHBC money, especially when it is minor defect for example, unsightly poor workmanship brickwork, where the buyer takes the £2,500 and has the money and lives with the brickwork.

The warranty lasts until rectified, if the defects are notified before the warranty period expires.
This means that even if the defects are addressed and not done properly, the NHBC still on the hook.
But, be aware they can play the "it's a maintenance issue"  "storm damage" "erosion" "normal wear and tear"  to avoid paying out!

At the end of the day you can complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Services as NHBC warranty is insurance.
But the FOS take a long time, with first an assessor who after six months, will try and fob you of with a few hundred and you then insist on an actual ombudsman which will be 3 months before they even allocate it to an Ombudsman and another 3 months before they reach a decision.
I know this, as I am a year into this process with a complaint about Nationwide Building Society.

47

NHBC Warranty / Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim

« Last Post by Caz37 on November 20, 2023, 04:02:21 pm »

Thanks for the response.

I was talking to someone else in the estate who has similar issues & apparently the NHBC said if they don't accept the payment then there's nothing else that can be done as the NHBC has agreed to settle but he would be refusing to accept the payment. Essentially the NHBC has fulfilled their obligations.
My 10 year warranty has run out but the problems started within the cover period & were accepted.

Wondering if that is also going to cause any issues?

48

NHBC Warranty / Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim

« Last Post by New Home Expert on November 20, 2023, 07:44:34 am »

Do not accept any cash settlement from the NHBC.

Instruct the NHBC in writing to arrange for the works to be carried out.
Everyone (housebuilder/Roofer and now the NHBC) is avoiding the cost of a scaffold in the hope you will accept cash and go away.

You are correct, the £2,500 may not even cover the cost of scaffolding and re roofing could be as much as £10,000-£15,000.

49

Snagging and defects / Re: Scary looking hairline crack across the ceiling

« Last Post by New Home Expert on November 20, 2023, 07:40:01 am »

First of all, any crack is a defect. Secondly it is not due to "settling" it is due to movement or drying out.

Your ceiling crack is strange as it is continuous. Ceiling boards should be staggered.
Secondly, the joint should be taped and jointed and they are unlikely to crack.

So what is the cause?  My guess is the water tank in the roof space may not be correctly supported and positioned. Another reason could be the board edges do not line up with a ceiling joist or noggin.

Youi really must insist this is looked at and the cause addressed before you legally complete. Do not be pressured into completing for Christmas!
Aa always my advice is to have your home professionally snagged and inspected before you legally complete. You now have a legal right to do so!

Who is the housebuilder?

50

Snagging and defects / Re: 6 Month Bathroom Repairs

« Last Post by New Home Expert on November 20, 2023, 07:33:07 am »

Firstly, I am amazed that Storey Homes are not signed up to the New Homes Ombudsman Service I couldn't see then on the register among the 500 housebuilders that are either active or "pending"
https://www.nhqb.org.uk/register-of-developers.html

You have been very patient and given them more than enough time to respond.
The NHBC will be another lengthy process, which may or may not be successful.


For anyone reading this post please see what buying a Storey New Home could mean for you!

"We Wont Forget You
We have a dedicated customer care team who are on hand to help once you have moved in. You can get in touch with our customer services team if you have any problems. We will also visit you once you have settled in to make sure you are happy."

The above statement taken from Storey Homes website!  beware!

What to do?
Persist with the NHBC. Ultimately they can bring pressure on Storey Homes to fix the defects but I doubt that it will be done either quickly or properly.
Write to your local MP (he/she will want your vote next year!) as the New Homes Ombudsman should have been Statutory and therefore a legal requirement. What we have currently is an industry-led Ombudsman, yet it is still far better than the useless Consumer Code for Home Builders which should be gone by now.
Write to your local paper and the nationals. Defective new homes have gone off the agenda in recent years due to Covid and the goings on at Westminster, but defective new homes have not gone away.
Finally, you could post on social media. Twitter is good.