Issues with our new Taylor Wimpey Home

[Carol36]

Having seen posts about Taylor Wimpey I thought I would share my experiences.
I went through the purchase process on a 3-bed new build from them last year, moving in in late November.

Initially we were told we *might* be in sometime let September, but to their credit never promised this.

We paid regular visits to them throughout the process. We almost didn't buy, as the price we saw (£244,000) in a brochure was wrong. The brochure had a 'misprint' on the Estate Agents part, and was in fact £265,000, taking the property from 1% stamp duty to 3% Stamp Duty which was too much.

I had a phone call a few days later from Taylor Wimpey to offer to pay 2% if we paid 1% which was great for us. Then when they noted we were using Help to Buy, realised that it wouldn't go down so well with Help to Buy.
Instead they calculated what 2% of the Stamp Duty Land Tax was and allowed us that value in extras free.
This was put in writing up front, and we had no issues whatsoever in getting this out of them.

As the build progressed, we visited the site, and noticed very minor things.
The outside water tap was on the side of the house - with an open driveway. I wasn't happy at it being so open, and said seeing as the plans show it on the back, can it be moved? And it was, with no fuss.

We moved in, and had nowhere near the range of problems described.
Little niggles - the thumb catch on the front door stopped working within a day - called the girls in the sales office and the sent someone down within an hour.

Any snags have all been fixed to a good standard. Had a handful of problems over time - shower leaked badly, radiator leak and front garden hedges died. All were rectified well. With the shower we had some trouble, but not with Taylor Wimpey, only the contractor which Taylor Wimpey helped resolve. Same again with the hedge.

As for other small issues, the site staff or customer care supervisor have come and fixed no quibble without needing to log a call.

In conclusion, we have had issues, but expected this - knowing a few people who have had new-builds we were told that while all will look great initially, things come up with settling for one thing. We have settling cracks, but are waiting for the house to have a full year to settle then will get that done.

Relatives bought a Persimmon property, new build, a few years before us in the same town and had infinitely bigger problems. One included a contractor bringing a small digger on to the back garden to rectify landscaping issues. The operator crashed it, topping it through the neighbours fence.

So it looks like all companies suffer problems from time to time, not just Taylor Wimpey, but wanted to share my experience which has been largely positive. We are very happy in our new home, and loving life there.

[New Home Expert]

I am pleased that your home hasn't been the disaster that other buyers of Taylor Wimpey new homes have suffered. It is very rare, indeed you are in a minority to be actually happy with your new home and the after sales service from the housebuilder.

I would however give you with a few words of caution:

Report all defects in writing to the housebuilder
All defects and snags, no matter how small, minor, or quickly sorted out, should be notified and recorded in writing to the housebuilder. This preserves a written record should the problem re occur or cause another problem. For example your floor joists could twist or deform or you may get mould or even wet rot after a plumbing leak! It would also mean that it would remain under warranty as the issue was first reported within the two-year period.

"Free" extras
Taylor Wimpey have not given you free extras. For a start housebuilders optional extras are always over-priced. All the major housebuilders make a great deal of money from these.
What Taylor Wimpey has managed to do is get you to pay £21,000 more (8.6%) for your home than the incorrectly advertised price. The additional Stamp Duty due on the new higher price was £5,510 so all in all you have paid £26,510 more, but have had this amount in "free extras"?
Whether it was Taylor Wimpey, the Estate Agents or the printers for that matter that are responsible for the "Error" - you have clearly been misled.
This is not allowed under the Consumer Protection Regulations 2008 and is a clear breach of the Consumer Code for Home Builders.

Low expectations
You should expect a new home to be perfect. If enough time and care is taken and it has been properly inspected at every stage there will be few if any issues.
The fact that you have had issues and expected them, shows how bad this industry is. At least you have managed to get them put right with minimal fuss. Not all Taylor Wimpey new homebuyers are as fortunate as you!

"Settling" cracking
Regarding the mythical "settling" - this is shrinkage cracking.
This is caused when the wet shrinkable material, most notably timber or timber based product, dries out after having been allowed to get wet during construction. Whilst some is due to adverse weather and unavoidable, most timber can and should be kept dry - chipboard flooring for example. There is absolutely no need to wait 12 months. Indeed I would suggest that it would highly unlikely that Taylor Wimpey would attend to cracking after a year. More likely is that the site will be built and the site manager long gone after 12 months. In any case, "normal" cracking,  anything under the thickness of a 10p coin, is not covered under the NHBC warranty, so housebuilders are not required to fill and redecorate them although some of the better, perhaps smaller builders may do.

I would agree, buying a Persimmon home would have had the potential, with a degree of certainty, to have been far worse.