Our £300k newbuild homes are riddled with hundreds of faults and freezing cold – it’s a nightmare
RESIDENTS are up in arms over their newbuild homes which they say are riddled with hundreds of faults and freezing cold.
More than 140 homeowners say they’re living in a “nightmare” after years of complaining about “shoddy” building work.
They say their newbuild houses in Warwickshire are plagued with wonky windows, unlockable doors, mould, cracked walls and freezing rooms.
The massive group are now taking action against Persimmon Homes, demanding the company urgently correct the list of estate’s issues.
Persimmon says it’s now working to put “right any issues” Cotswold Vale development.
Robert Fung, 68, who lives in the estate near Stratford-upon-Avon with his wife Mary, says they’ve had issues since moving into their three-bedroom home at the beginning of 2019.
The retired Royal Navy serviceman said since shifting into the home, which they splashed £315,000 on, the couple have had eight new doors installed.
He said the doors either failed to lock, or were fitted incorrectly.
The dad-of-two said: “The whole development is a nightmare when it comes to windows and doors.
“The site management do not seem to care and there is a lack of quality and no duty of care.
“They know what the issues are, but nothing gets done.
“People are suffering with mental fatigue.”
Neighbour Mike Hobbs, 52, who moved into his £320,000 four-bedroom detached house in July 2019 with wife Charlotte and their three teenage children, has had similar issues.
Mike, a Tesco delivery driver, said: “Our front and back doors were warping out of shape and started to not lock.
“Persimmon kept replacing them but then the same thing would happen.
“In the end, I had to get a professional in to solve the problem.
“When we moved in, we also noticed the three back upstairs windows were not square, so we complained about this too.
“We eventually had them replaced last December but they have been replaced with windows that don’t match all the other windows in our property.”
Mike said his house is also freezing in winter – and he believes this is because the home was never insulated properly.
He added: “At the moment we are trying to heat a house that might not even be heat efficient.
“I want my kids to be comfy and warm and not have to put jumpers on to watch the TV because they are freezing in their own home.”
Others are worried about the health and wellbeing of their youngsters, too.
‘FALSE PROMISES’
In the Cotswold Vale estate, there are also 52 social housing properties governed by Platform Housing.
Katie Biddle, 29, rents a two-bedroom home and lives there with her four-year-old son Tobias.
She said: “I spent my first Christmas bathing at mum’s house because the bath leaked two days.
“I now have mould on my bathroom floor and damp patches on my living room ceiling.”
Katie said she has “been given so many false promises”.
She continued: “I physically have to kick the door open, and the windows and doors don’t lock properly.
“In the area recently, we have quite a few break ins and I’m just waiting for my property to be next.
“My son is constantly coughing, and I am always congested, because of the drafts and mould in our house.
“You can literally hear the wind whistling through my house.
“My son was so closed to being hit by a loose roof tile from the neighbour’s property.
“I get scared about my son’s health in this house.”
‘ABSOLUTE FORTURE’
Dad-of-three Kris Street, 32, moved into a three bedroom detached house last summer with his partner, Hannah Johnson, 27, and their three young children.
He’s also concerned about his children – one of which he says has already ended up in A&E.
Kris, a customer service operator, said: “By Christmas we were having to block up our front and back door with draft excluders and towels, and eventually our sofa to keep in the heat.
“We found ourselves spending an absolute fortune on gas and electricity and by the end of January we were in £600 debt of our energy bills.
“I dread to think what we be in by the end of this winter as we are already £500 in debt because our house is so cold due to the faulty doors and windows.
“My youngest two who are aged two and three are always coughing and in October this year I had to take my three-year-old to A&E.”
The sad said one day he walked into her room and she was “stone cold”, adding: “I had to shake her.
“I got a lump in my throat and thought the worst but thankfully she was okay.”
‘PUTTING RIGHT ISSUES’
A Persimmon Homes spokesperson today told The Sun Online they were “sorry to hear” about Kris’ daughter.
They continued: “We have replaced the doors and remedied issues with the windows in this house.
“In response to the customer’s on-going concerns we are arranging a thermal survey to identify where any further works might need to be done.
“We continue to liaise closely with the relevant housing association.”
Speaking to the action group’s concerns, they said: “When we first became aware of some issues relating to doors and windows on our Cotswold Vale development, we immediately wrote to all residents urging them to get in touch with any concerns.
“We have also been working closely with Platform and the local action group.
“Since that time we have established a dedicated email address and telephone number for this development and have increased the number of customer care staff we have available to assist residents with these matters.
“We have carried out surveys on all homes where residents have contacted us and are currently in the process of putting right any issues identified.
“A number of residents have thanked us for the work we have completed.
“We pride ourselves on delivering quality homes for our customers and we apologise that the high standard of service we set ourselves has fallen short in this instance.”
Lisa Johnson, of Platform Housing, added: “After discovering the complexity of issues on this site, Platform took the decision to create a dedicated team to support and engage with customers at Cotswold Vale.
“We set up an event to meet those customers earlier in November and since then have also held meetings with Persimmon, involving the National House Building Council, to take customers’ issues to them and fine resolutions.”
What to do if you need to raise a complaint about a new build?
Newbuild homeowners who feel that you have not been treated fairly after they move in may be able to raise a complaint via the Consumer Code’s
Their supporting home warranty bodies require certain standards of finish and issue technical guidance to their registered builders and inspection staff to help explain what is acceptable and what is not.
These standards cover things such as brickwork, internal plaster, render and paintwork.
It is recommended homeowners should always speak to the home warranty provider first so that they can deal with any issues that might fall under a home warranty policy and/or offer support or through their own dispute resolution service.