Problems with your new build home
When purchasing a new home, the promise of problem free home-ownership should be a given. Unfortunately, that’s not always how the case turns out. Anthony Gold have been working with numerous clients who’ve had problems with their new build homes. In some cases, this involves the house builders cutting corners and not meeting the specifications that our clients expected or were promised.
Marketing for newly built homes focuses on their energy efficiency standards; how they will be warmer and cheaper to heat than the equivalent older property. But why are new home buyers finding the opposite to be the case?
Insulation
Insulation is there to keep the heat in and the cold out and so it is only as good as how it is fitted. If it’s missed out or fitted badly its useless because the cold air can get behind it, and hot air can escape around. Badly fitted, and it’s like wearing a coat cut into ribbons, nice thick insulation, but pointless.
Door and window frames
Failure to seal around the door and window frames and other openings and to fit the plaster boards correctly will let cold air in, cooling your home. You can’t feel the draughts necessarily – because it’s going straight behind the plaster, cooling the house. Upstairs, by failing to seal the top of hollow partition walls cold air can come down from the cold loft space. Solving the problem is not straightforward. The windows and door frames need proper sealing. Then the plasterboard itself needs sealing to stop cold air getting behind it.
How do you know what the problems are?
In many cases home owners have obtained thermal imaging reports. There will always be minor variations, but good reports done using depressurisation will show clear areas where cold air is coming in leading to significant temperature discrepancies.
Armed with such a report showing missing insulation, unsealed windows and doors etc. you would think the developer or the National House-Building Council (NHBC) would accept the fault and do the work. Unfortunately, all too often this is not the case. In many cases the house builder or NHBC ignore these investigations or attempt to discredit them. They refuse to do any work or do only a tiny part.
If you’ve brought from one of the large national housebuilders your contract with them is likely to require them to build in accordance with good workmanship and practice, use proper materials and comply with various standards. These insulation issues are likely to be a breach of that contract, entitling you to make the developer fix them and pay compensation.
If you have purchased a new build property and are experiencing problems with things such as defective floors, structural movement, heating or insulation/coldness and or defective brickwork or mortar do get in touch as we may be able to help fix the problems.
Specialists in the New Build Housing Issues
Timothy Waitt has been advising residents regarding repair issues for many years. Timothy was recently appeared on the BBC and Sky outlining the issues faced.
BBC News: Growing complaints about new-build houses
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47826166
Sky News: Persimmon Homes launches review into faulty homes
https://news.sky.com/story/persimmon-homes-launches-review-into-faulty-homes-11686454
LBC Radio: New Build Housing with Clive Bull
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/clive-bull/
Broadcast on 6/4/19 with Clive Bull 18:00-22:00 Timothy features at 1:54 to 1:58
Hi I was wondering if you could help me I moved into a new built about a year ago and when I moved in I had problems with my front window not been level, they tried to fix the problem but I later noticed when I had my curtain poles fitted last week that the problem isn’t solved, my window is still an inch out on one side, I’ve reported my defects to the company along with other defects I have and they are getting back to me about everything apart from my window I would just like to know where I stand and what could be done the house comes with a 10 year warranty with HBC but a 2 year warranty for defects with the company I bought the house off I would just like to know if anything can be done thank you.
Hi Terri,
Thank you for your comment. We have passed this on to the relevant department who will be in touch with you via email.
Kind regards,
The Anthony Gold Team
2 years and still job repairs to my floors in every room in my house, tiled floors are lifting. Stairs are not fixed nuke post is loose noggins are too high, leak in the en-suite. Damp in the walls and en-suite shower room. Many more issues but these are the major ones and still with the NHBC my builder has not repaired a thing. The house is now 3 years old. I’m at the end of my teather
Dear Ms Marshall
Thank you for your comment on our blog: https://www.anthonygold.co.uk/latest/blog/problems-with-your-new-build-home/. If your developer is not dealing with an issue than it is certainly worth making a formal complaint and or reporting it to NHBC.
Good luck.
Yours sincerely
These are some great things which gives us clear information regarding the problems with your new home. I really loved it and thank you very much for sharing this with us. You have a great visualization and you have really presented this content in a really good manner.
Hi, having bought a brand new house from Avant in 2019 after just moving in we found our garage was flooded destroying precious and irreplaceable items from our childrens school days after contacting Avant they said there contractors hadn’t followed the plans on the block paving hence causing the flood which they have tried to put right I got in a independent surveyor and he brought to my notice more defects concerning my garage saying the drainage was wrong down pipe was fitted wrong and the screed floor of the garage had no fall in it to stop any water running away the screed floor we had paid for as a extra Avant have put the drainage concerns right but not the screed floor I have asked Avant for compensation over this matter but all they keep saying is we don’t do compensation so I want to take them to court as I have tried everything in my power to get a resolution . Kind Regards
Dear John,
Thanks for your comment. A member of the team will get in touch with you shortly. Kind Regards