A nightmare that began with the purchase of a brand new home from Charles Church (part of the Persimmon Group, which includes Persimmon Homes, Westbury Partnership). The experience Charles Church gave us has been one we regret every day, we wish we had never seen the house, let alone bought it. Years on, we’re still unable to sell it – they avoid fixing it.
Charles Church: My Little House Horror
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I’ve heard about the many issues surrounding new build properties, one great solution, particularly for couples nearing retirement like us, is to buy a renovated luxury apartment. Me and my wife did just that and there weren’t any structural issues to worry about as the apartments are within an old Edwardian school which has stood for almost a hundred years. It’s a strategy that paid off for us, it may not be right for everyone but well worth considering.
As a conveyancing solicitor, I would add to that that, people buying ‘Luxury apartments’ need to be aware that they may end up paying Service Charges in the region of £3000-£4000 per year! I am amazed at the cost of some of the Service Charges in the ‘luxury apartments’ that some of my clients are buying. Although I point this out to them – often the clients are so ‘in love’ with the apartment that the penny does not drop with them until the first annual service charge account arrives on the doormat.
Further, with retirement apartments – beware of the transfer fees payable to the landlord when you come to sell- these can be as high as 3% of the sale price.
It’s such a shame when a new home is bought and it doesn’t fulfil its promise. You would think that the house builders with all of their property portfolios and experience can get it right, even the simple things. If a home is unfinished, it can potentially cause more problems than a `what you see is what you get’ older property.
You expect the builders to put everything right on a new home. At least when you buy an older property, you have a survey which flags up any problems and you do know what you are letting yourself in for.
Hope you have been able to sell