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I bought my dream newbuild home but couldn’t move in for YEAR after horror discovery…now I’m being blamed & £20k in debt
The newbuild was crawling with unwanted creatures
A DEVASTATED couple say their newbuild home dream has become a nightmare after they made a horrific discovery.
Diane Jackson, 62, and her partner Mark, 60, are now £20,000 in debt - and say the developer is blaming them for the ordeal.
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The pair had poured their life savings into the brand-new £320,000 four-bed in Lancashire.
But when they went to move in in April 2023, they were horrified by what they found.
Thousands of tiny insects had bred in every corner of the house, while entire walls had rotted with black mould.
Now, after costly repairs, a year’s worth of alternative rent and an unsuccessful battle with the housing developer, Diane said the couple had been left in financial ruin.
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She told The Sun: “Everything went into the house. I had to sell my car and get rid of my business unit afterwards because of the debt.
“And I’ve got a massive mortgage until I’m 72.”
Diane recalled how the bugs, which are known as plaster beetles and thrive in damp environments, amassed behind the walls and underneath the floor boards.
She said: “We noticed these little black creatures appearing. Maybe ten or so a day.
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“But when we came back on the bank holiday it was a major infestation. Hundreds and thousands of these little black bugs everywhere.
“I just cried. You should be showing your house off, but instead it was embarrassing.”
We live on 'nightmare' new-build estate that's still unfinished after 5 YEARS - it'll cost £1000s to fix but we WON'T pay
Meanwhile, emergency building work revealed layers of damp, rotten-through plaster.
She added: “The mould behind the skirting boards was unbelievable. Absolutely disgusting. I was in a bit of a state.
"We got a damp expert in who did readings on the walls and it was off the scale, off its meter. It just came up saying ‘saturated’.”
The couple didn't move back into their home until a full year later, in April last year.
By this point they had racked up the whopping bill of £20,000 - which didn't even cover replacement fittings, according to the mum-of-one.
She said: “We were paying £950 a month in rent, plus £1760 on our mortgage.
“I couldn’t afford everything. I’m in a load of debt now because of it all.”
Diane added that she was even forced to switch to an interest only mortgage as "things were that bad" - and close the offices for her 20-year-old water cooler business.
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She said: “During that time, I felt that my business started to take a hit as well. It was hard to concentrate on anything.
“I’ve had to get rid of my 1000 square-foot unit that I worked from because I couldn’t afford it. I work from home now.”
When Diane and Mark approached the housing developer, Applethwaite Homes, for compensation, bosses allegedly blamed them for the ordeal - saying the mould was a result of the house lying unoccupied for so long.
“I got a response basically saying ‘it’s your own fault, it’s because you didn’t move into the house that this has happened,’” Diane said.
“'Everybody else on that estate has been fine. Nobody else has any problems. Everybody’s happy.’”
She claimed that neighbours on the estate were equally unsympathetic because “they're all happy”, adding: “No empathy whatsoever.
“A lot of them don’t even speak to us because it’s been a bit of an embarrassment for them.”
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From ongoing financial pressures to indifference from neighbours, Diane's mental health has been left in tatters, she said.
“I’m a bit paranoid, if I see a little something somewhere in the house.”
“It was heartbreaking. It was very very stressful. I think a lot of that was because we were getting the blame.”
After failed efforts to claw back some of their cash from Applethwaite Homes, Diane and Mark filed a claim with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).
However, in October, Diane received the news that the claim had been unsuccessful.
This has left the couple with a choice - of spending even more money on lawyers, or selling their dream home.
Diane said: “The only way that I could get everything is to go through a solicitor and I haven’t got the money. I can’t afford it now.
“In fact I'll probably have no option but to sell when I can.”
Applethwaite Homes has previously said: "We are a small housebuilder with a dedicated team, who take great pride in creating high quality homes.
"We go out of our way to meet our customers' expectations and help them settle into their new homes. We have been disappointed to hear of this homeowner's experiences and have been engaging with them throughout this process.
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"We are of the view that all issues brought to our attention have been dealt with appropriately and are now resolved. We have also been liaising closely with the NHBC and, where reports have been recorded, we have acted promptly on any recommendations contained within."
The Sun has contacted the developer for further comment.
What are your rights?
All new build homes come with some form of warranty.
Most often, this is a builder warranty of around 10 years, against structural issues, and a shorter developer warranty against issues with fixtures and fittings.
Registered builders are bound by a Consumer Code, which sets out quality standards.
If the house is not complete at the time it was promised, the customer can cancel the purchase, with a full refund of any deposit or reservation fee.
Complaints can be resolved privately with builders/developers in the first instance.
However, if the buyer and the developer cannot reach an agreement, the buyer can raise a dispite with the Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme (IDRS).
This must be submitted from 56 calendar days after the complaint was first raised - and no later than 12 months after the builder’s final response.
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