Family’s £280,000 dream new-build home is really a nightmare with 108 faults
A FAMILY from Stafford has been left "full of regret" when their dream home turned into a nightmare after discovering 108 faults with it.
Louise and Philip Upton paid £283,995 for their new build home from developers Bellway in Mallard Walk in February this year, reports .
But nine months after moving in, the family of six - including the couple's four children aged between two and nine - decided to pay £500 for a professional snagging report after discovering a handful of issues themselves.
Shockingly, the report found more than 100 faults with their home despite the surveyors spending just half a day looking at the property.
The problems ranged from minor to major and included cracked tiles, breaches of building regulations and safety issues like not having sealing around the flue.
Louise, 30, and Philip, 39, chose a new build property over an older building so they wouldn't be faced with any big issues after moving in.
The house was supposed to be their "forever home" where they would spend the rest of their lives but they're already wishing they could move.
Louise said: "It's something that was meant to be an exciting time, but it’s not. The stress that we’ve gone through has been awful. It’s been one of the worse times of my life and it’s reflected on our kids."
Bellway offers two-year warranties with their homes, something the family are relying on to get most of the problems fixed.
The developers have corrected some of the problems highlighted by the report but Louise and Philip have had to deal with a third of the list themselves.
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The family have also had to endure tradesmen coming in and out of their home to sort things out as well as taking time off work to accommodate them.
Now the couple are calling for snagging surveys to be made compulsory to prevent other homeowners going through the same experience.
They feel that some of the purchasing funds should be held back after completion as an incentive for developers to reduced the number of snags before moving in.
Philip says he regrets not pushing for a "snagging retention" when they bought the home.
He added: "We were excited to get in and, don’t get me wrong, we still like the house now, but we are regretting it.
"If we had the money, we would have moved out already."
What is a snagging survey?
FOR buyers moving into a new build home, a full survey may be a bit excessive considering the majority of problems are likely to be cosmetic.
That’s where the snagging survey comes in. Unlike traditional surveys, these pick up minor issues like chipped worktops and doors that don’t close properly.
They normally cost between £300 and £600 and can be carried out by qualified surveyors.
Most new homes come with a two year warranty where they will fix the issues for free so you should carry out your snagging survey before then, although the sooner the better.
If you discover more issues after giving the snagging report over to the developers, you should also let me know before the warranty is up.
A Bellway spokesperson said: "We met with the couple in October, and they informed us of the issues they have experienced with their new home.
"We were naturally disappointed by this, and since then we have been working closely with them to rectify these problems.
"We are now in the process of arranging for the final outstanding work to be completed."
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It's not the first time new build home developers have come under fire from buyers.
A frustrated first-time homeowner shared a stark warning to other buyers - in the form of a huge sign outside his new house.
Another couple living in a different Persimmon estate plastered their windows with posters warning potential buyers to stay away.