We paid £300k for newbuild homes but builders left cracks in fences, our gardens a mess & eyesore shed ruins our view | The Sun

FURIOUS homeowners who paid up to £300,000 for their new builds were left with foul smells and dodgy electrics.

Broken fences, trashed gardens, floods and an eyesore container also feature among a "catalogue" of blunders on the flawed development.

To add insult to injury, homeowners on Broad Lea Close at the edge of Worcester say more than two years of complaints have changed nothing.

Homeowner Shaun Barnes, 35, said: "We have been fobbed off at every turn after complying with everything they have asked for at every turn.

"It has been horrific.

"We are well and truly fed up, it has been two and a half years of being lied to."

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United Living opened the 13-home estate in 2021, offering shared-ownership across the estate.

Since then residents have recorded pictures and videos of issues.

One clip shows water gushing from under the sink of a home which caused the entire ground floor to flood.

Another shows a bungling workman emptying a cement mixture down a drain – fuelling fears a foul sewage odour is caused by blockages.

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Other pictures show a floor being covered with a carpet which is too short, leaving the lethally sharp grippers rods exposed.

While another snap shows uneven exterior brickwork and clumsily fitted hinges on a garden gate.

Dodgy plumbing regularly causes residents' bathrooms to flood leaving them with damp patches on the ceilings downstairs.

Bad drainage in the back gardens also means that when it rains "craters" fill will water leading to huge flooding.

Exasperated homeowners also say the roads outside their properties are unfinished and peppered with potholes.

The homeowners were given a 12-month defect period where they raised issues with the development.

They claim that in this time, barely anything was addressed, and after a 24-month defect period they are in the same situation.

'WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE'

Another resident said: "Buying this property was the worst mistake of my life. I was sold a dream but I actually bought a nightmare.

"The smell started in the bathroom but now fills every room in the house. It's an absolute joke.

"Our shower screen was incorrectly fitted so our bathroom floods every time we use it.

"More than two people's boilers have had to be replaced because they broke."

The residents' association are now taking legal action against United Living.

Before legal action was sought, a formal complaint was submitted on behalf of the homeowners on April 21.

A spokesperson for United Living said: "We are aware of the issues that have been raised by the residents and continue to work with our client, Platform, to resolve these issues."

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Paula Heatley, New Homes Delivery Director at Platform Housing Group said: "We understand their frustrations and are committed to working with them to try and resolve the issues raised.

"A plan is already in place to complete the agreed outstanding work, which has been shared with our customers."

YOUR RIGHTS

Consumer website Which? say you can get help if your new build is falling apart

It will usually come with a 10-year warranty:

• Years 0-2: the developer's two-year warranty covers structural issues and minor defects found within the first two years of living in the home.
• Years 3-10: the developer's warranty is replaced by an insurance-backed warranty. This only covers structural issues with the property. It doesn't cover cosmetic issues or minor defects.

You should receive details of both the developer's warranty and the insurance-backed warranty as part of your reservation agreement.

This should also contain guidance on what is covered by the policies and how to make a claim.

Source: Which?

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