A furious couple who say their £286,000 new-build is like ‘Fawlty Towers’ have hung a giant sign from the front of their house to warn off other buyers after discovering over 30 defects in the property.
Mother-of-two Faye Douglas, 40, and husband Neil, 38, bought the four-bedroom home on the Persimmon development in Droitwich, Worcestershire, last June.
They made the purchase after the birth of their twin boys to give them a ‘forever home’ to grow up in.
But Mrs Douglas claims their lives have become a living nightmare after the house was allegedly left strewn with 30 faults – including wonky walls and doors, and windows that don’t open properly.
The fed-up couple decided to take matters into their own hands and hang the 6ft by 2ft sign on the property.
It reads: ‘Don’t buy a home here until you’ve spoken to us. Huge snags and appalling aftercare!’
Mrs Douglas, a part-time teacher, said: ‘We wanted to enjoy a family home but it’s just been an absolute nightmare. We’ve been here for nearly a year and they’ve done nothing. The house should never have been signed off in this state. We regret buying it, it’s got so many faults. We bought the house as a family home. The idea was after all the stress of the boys being born we wanted to move forward and have positivity but it’s been anything but. The house is like Fawlty towers. It would be a lovely house if it was put right. We haven’t even been able to put a picture up. We’ve had sleepless nights, arguments and loads of stress.’
Mrs Douglas alleges that the house has 30 different faults including walls that aren’t adequately plastered, none of the doors or windows being able to open, and some of the walls being misaligned. The couple decided to put the sign up earlier in April to make a point to the company behind the site, Persimmon.
Mrs Douglas said: ‘I’m not trying to wallow. The reason I got the sign is to make a stand and make a point. They probably think I’m bonkers. I did it to get one up on them. I’m frustrated and angry and I feel like they’re like cowboys.’
She said: ‘When we stopped to look we saw that the wall was misaligned and that there were other things wrong too. Some of the brickwork is as straight as a pensioners tooth. The whole house needs re-plastering and decorating. Even the paint is starting to flake. We paid £1,800 to have flooring put in and it’s been badly cut. The woodwork and timber-work is poor quality and the workmanship in general is careless.’
A spokesman for Persimmon Homes said: ‘We tried our very best to address the customer’s concerns over a number of months. However Persimmon felt it would be better for the customer to have an independent NHBC resolution and we are more than happy to comply with their findings.’
- Window sill misaligned
- Left fence is at least a foot inward/ misaligned
- Drain on roof is pouring with water when it rains at the back/side of house
- Granite joint misaligned
- Kitchen cupboard doors/gaps uneven
- New kitchen interior door needed
- Bumps in ceiling above cooker hood
- Complete repaint of kitchen needed after patching
- Misaligned stud-work and reveal between kitchen and hallway wall
- Wall is bulging and is 20mm out.
- Front door hinges popping
- Redecoration of patching and redecoration in downstairs toilet
- Eight more walls throughout the house are bowed/not straight
- Complete re-plaster and redecoration of lounge
- French window door is stiff.
- Shrinkage causing cracks in lounge
- Redecoration and further patching in places in lounge
- Loft hatch is uneven
- Plug socket in top floor bedroom wall not working
- Further patching or complete re-plaster needed of top floor bedroom
- Full redecoration needed of top floor bedroom
- Plug socket loose on landing
- Patching and redecoration of en suite bathroom
- New flooring as badly cut and finished
- Possible re-plaster and patching
- Complete redecoration of other bedrooms
- Windows stiff upstairs
- Connector tap/shower keeps coming loose and needs replacing
- Misaligned wall on the stair case
- No keys issued for any windows in the house
This highlights the need for a home snagging inspection to be undertaken as soon as possible when purchasing a new build property. A quality snagging inspection report would have shown all of these defects and probably more which gives power back to the homeowner to ensure the defects are corrected with no expense or delay. Book your snagging inspection today!
Article Source: Daily Mail