There Are 28 Responses So Far. »

1. 

   Comment by Zenia on 10 July 2009:

   We are in the process of buying a Redrow home in the South West. We are very skeptical about it. Every time we have visited their office we were informed of extra hidden costs that we were not made aware of at the time of paying our reservation fee. We had a look at the house and noticed a few defects and poor quality of work. The site manager has assured us that this is not the finished product and everything will be fixed before we move in. He also said that they will send us a decorator a month after we move in for touch ups. We don’t feel that we can trust them. Any advice for us please?
2. 

   Comment by Tony on 10 July 2009:

   Hi Zenia, these problems are not uncommmon and it is not just Redrow, but that is hardly a defence. You want all the defects fixed before you move in, you need to manage the whole snagging process by keeping immaculate records and always confirm any verbal promises in writing and ideally ensure that there is someone to witness such promises. CC everything to the head office, site managers can change frequently.
3. 

   Comment by frank on 8 August 2009:

   how far can redrow be pushed with their incentives? So far they have offered 5%. Has anyone got more?
4. 

   Comment by Tony on 11 August 2009:

   Hi Frank, it really depends on whether you are prepared to walk away and whether they have other buyers interested. The builders in general are often more likely to throw in extras like flooring, turf etc rather than discounts. The problem is these are often poor quality.
5. 

   Comment by paul on 30 September 2009:

   hello i bought a redrow home in norden rochdale !!!! everything was ok a few snags here and there which got sorted at first sighed the snagging list book after 4 months not a problem!!! but when thing start 2 go wrong after that you have no bloody chance….. they won’t finish the fences off at the back of my house and others still haven’t fixed the door and haven’t finish some of the rubbish pointing and 2 top it all off some of the neighbours and i can’t get a bloody tv or sky reception and they won’t do anything to sort it out… and when i asked redrow when i bought the house that we have heard that the telly reception is poor or not working they said it was fine!!! what a loads off fibbers i can live with the crap finishing in the house but not live for 9 months with rubbish signal AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
6. 

   Comment by matthew on 2 December 2009:

   I too have purchased a property in Norden, Rochdale. I Have been thoroughly displeased with redrow throughout the whole process. As mentioned above there have been hidden charges and numerous defects including the no tv / sky. I have been living there 5 days, my shower wasnt plumbed in correctly and have been having cold showers. they told me i had to contact the manufacturer!!! whats he going to do other than tell me Redrow have done a Sh!t job at connecting it to the wall! absolutely useless if you have a problem post completion, as long as they have your money they are happy and dont care about anything else!
7. 

   Comment by Gerry on 25 December 2009:

   Anyone thinking about buying a leasehold property from Redrow should ask them which company will be handling the management and maintenance of the development. In the past Redrow have handed these responsibilities to Solitaire/Peverel Property Management. DO NOT buy a property if it is in any way connected to Solitaire/Peverel Property Management – you will save yourself a lot of anguish and a lot of money.
8. 

   Comment by spence on 15 January 2010:

   my wife and i bought our new redrow home back in july 09, the snagging list was fairly large we were given a month to identify all snaggs,which to be fair were sorted out very quickly,such as windows and doors not working properly, carpets not fitted correctly,light fittings not working, gas hobs not working, finding holes in plastering,etc..etc
   but 6 months down the line we are still finding faults over xmas our boiler stopped working we were told that there was debris in the pipes which jammed the pump, then we had a minor flood just last week appears that our shower basin was not sealed correctly also that it was not installed correctly, so we had water pouring through to the kitchen through light fitting, the ceiling now looks awefull, yes we contacted the site personnel which do assure me that the work will be carried out properly but i am still with out a shower this week and still have dirty great screws all over my ceiling .
   i am now getting very angry with all this! surely it should’nt be like this when you buy your first new house it’s bloody crazy.

   and we were told we were going to get electric secruity gates when we viewed the site before we bought the house now they say it’s not happening ? you should see the abortion that they have put in it’s place NOT HAPPY
   Ironically Redrow rang last nite to see if we would like to go on live TV and tell the world how “wonderfull our experience is with Redrow”
   good job my wife answered the phone.

   the houses look nice but i’m afraid the poor workmenship lets it down and i’m not the only one with similler stories

   Regards
   GUTTED
9. 

   Comment by Rerowsufferer on 18 January 2010:

   Hi Gutted

   Won’t bore you with details here as it will take up too much space, but your not alone with suffering Redrow’s poor workmanship and and lack of customer service.

   But to point you in the right direction Redrow do not like bad publicity so the direct approach is the best way. If they still have a site sales office then take photo’s of your problems paste them on cardboard park your car outside the office and display the photo’s in the window espescialy at weekends when the punters come along.

   You wil be surprised how quickly Redrow will take some notice, it worked for us have a look at our blog site http://redrowphotoalbum.blogspot.com.

   All the best
   Redowsufferer
10. 

    Comment by Lynn on 22 January 2010:

    I am currently having to persue redrow through the courts because of the pure lack of customer service and horrific workmanship and pure lies which come from the directors right down to site agents i would not trust a word redrow say as most of the time its a fob off, all i can say is when my time comes i will be exploiting them for what they are they have caused myself and my family very much distress, my advice always double check your house has all the certificates they say it has: say no more; good luck everyone because you will need it with this company.
11. 

    Comment by Tony on 24 January 2010:

    Hi Lynn,

    I would be interested to know more about the process you have been through taking Redrow to court. The problem is many have done it before, but they sign gagging orders preventing them from telling others how to do it successfully.

    Tony
12. 

    Comment by Lynn on 25 January 2010:

    Hi Tony

    I bought my Redrow home on Renfrews Riverside Point site (Scotland) and had 1 problem to another the main problem being a large gap between the roof and the external wall back and front, i asked the site agent why this was his reply was dont worry the gap will close, i took his word then one night the loft hatch blew down and both myself and husband began to worry something didnt seem right, so i called redrow again and was told not to worry they sent the construction director to me who looked at the gap and said he couldnt say why it was so big and he would have to check tolerance levels. One week later he told me they would put a plate round the house and issue me with a letter of comfort VERY STRANGE I THOUGHT THIS WAS A NEW HOUSE I WAS IN so i deceided to call the council whom issue habitatation on the houses and to my alarm i was told my home that cost £175000 had NO habitation certificate the council said not to worry he would come out and look at my home and issue one but to my alarm the council REFUSED to pass it because the gap was EXCESSIVE NOT WIND OR WATER TIGHT, Redrows response was that the house did have a certificate even although the council had no record of it redrow said they would plate the gap which to me is a patch up job and i never bought my house looking different from everyone elses, we started persueing them a year ago and its still going the next court date is due soon its a long hard stressfull process but i am determined not to let them away with the lies and upset they have caused my family, if they put a gagging order on me it will have to be well worth my while and a hell of a good offer say no more, please see a list of a few other faults that are wrong with my home which have been confirmed in writing threw nhbc windows faulty paint work, air vents in property most of them back to front swelling of the bathroom wall due to flooding when the waste pipe gave way redrow maintain this was not there fault another claim small claims court the list is endless , Redrow also maintain my lawyer is at fault for my home not having habatation but the lawyers work on word of mouth and its very strange how there was another 3 homes on my estate that never had certificates so somethings wrong somewhere i just want what i paid for and all this pain and upset to stop i will never buy a new build again its your worse nitemare, hope this fills you in abit watch this space and the papers : lynn
13. 

    Comment by Tony on 26 January 2010:

    Hi Lynn,

    Thanks for sharing this, so you are using the small claims process for each set of defects?

    Tony
14. 

    Comment by Lynn on 26 January 2010:

    Hi tony ,

    We are using the small claims for the the flood due to defective work and the sheriff court for the other the small claims only settle claims under £5,000 .

    Lynn
15. 

    Comment by Charlotte on 1 February 2010:

    Hi Lynn and Tony

    I found your comments interesting. We have exchanged on a Persimmons property and had the inspection last week. I took a snagging inspector along and we found that the house had a large gap between the roof and the external brickwork front and back. The builder had also cut the top row of bricks in half with what looks to be an angle grinder. They have done it very unevenly. We have asked why they have cut the bricks in half in the first place because that is really not normal and why there is a big gap. They fobbed us off with an excuse that the house needed to settle. However, the gap is huge and if it settles that much, there will be something seriously wrong! We are due to complete on Friday and want some written confirmation from Persimmons that this will be rectified. However, they are saying that it has its certificate so the NHBC think it is fine. We haven’t seen the certificate – so I have asked our solicitor to confirm that they have seen it to avoid your troubles. Nonetheless, we are not convinced that it is safe to have such a large gap. To try and galvanise Persimmons into action we are considering witholding some of the completion monies to cover the cost of the repairs. However, we are worried that they will not hand over the keys on Friday if we do this. I would like to try to agree something in writing with Persimmons before completion to avoid (if possible) a lengthy battle. Like Lynn, we are paying a lot of moner for the house and we are not going to let Persimmons get away with it.

    Your comments would be welcome.

    Thanks

    Charlotte
16. 

    Comment by Lynn on 2 February 2010:

    Hi charlotte your house will not settle if its such a large gap i do no that they are aloud a small gap to allow for settlement but if you think it looks large chances are it is, they used the nhbc trick on me bec ause all that happens with nhbc is they would come out and look at and advise the builder to plate it very unsightly and just masking the problem if i were you i would speak to persimmon and tell them you are not happy and will be withholding the money if the gaps within tolerance they should be able to seal it if not they will pack it with a black foam material which can just be taken out and leaves a hole, please do not be fobed of with nhbc thing as they just passn the complaints back to the builder to sort as they please and it is to the lowest uncostly standard possible,Remember if something dosent look right chances are its not and in my experience the builder will say and do anything to get your money then the fighting starts its very distressing please dont make the same mistake as me i trusted there word and its now costing me thousands i would get a second opion from a surveyor.

    please let me know how you go

    lynn
17. 

    Comment by Lynn on 2 February 2010:

    Excuse some of the missed words lynn
18. 

    Comment by Lynn on 2 February 2010:

    Hi charlotte ,

    Forgot to say my home was a redrow home not persimmon most comments ive heard on persimmon have been very good as my friend has one but better to double check everything if your unsure.

    lynn
19. 

    Comment by Livid on 6 February 2010:

    Hi there,

    Sorry to hear about the problems you have all experienced. Thought I’d share mine…

    Briefly, I bought a new build mid 2008, first home, what I thought was my dream home…I am unsure if I can name the developer if I’m starting court proceedings against them? (It’s not Redrow).

    Shortly after completion (during Oct 08 to Feb 09) I noticed damp patches around the ceiling and wall junctions in various rooms of the property. All were reported to the site manager and head office and of course in exchange I was given pathetic excuses such as excess rain water. I was assured that remedial work had been undertaken on the roof and that I would have no further problems.

    In February 2009 I started to notice tiny black beetles in every room of the property. It started off as a few in each room but this got progressively worse…by the beginning of March my property was suffering from a full blown infestation which had affected every single room. The beetles were dropping through the light fittings, dropping out of the plug sockets and had infested all my furniture; bed, sofa, carpets, rugs, cupboards, etc. It was a living nightmare and was totally out of my control. Environmental Health paid me a visit and the beetles were identified as plaster beetles.
    I was told that plaster beetles thrive in any building where there is a water leak, poor ventilation or other sources of moisture that permit the development of molds inside walls or other voids. I was told by EH to check my loft for damp….

    I vacated my property immediately, leaving everything behind. I was put in a hotel for a few weeks by the developer….. however, this was something I really had to fight for.

    I appointed a Chartered Surveyor to visit my property who sure enough found many, many faults on the roof and also in the loft area (vents blocked, insufficient number of vents, tears in the roof material, pools of water, mould on the timber from old leaks, as well as thousands of plaster beetles crawling in the insulation in the loft. All has been documented in an Expert Witness report.

    The developer (who say they are not liable for the infestation as a consequence of the defective property) paid thousands of pounds for a heat treatment company to carry out a ‘thermal disinfection’ on my property in an attempt to eradicate the infestation and dry my property out, however, the heat treatment proved to be too intense and my kitchen cupboard units bowed and melted, my laminate floor buckled, walls cracked, tiles cracked and all my brand new furniture cracked and melted. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the treatment proved to be pointless as the beetles survived the treatment. They also survived a spray treatment a few weeks later.

    I have filed a claim with the NHBC. They have been no use whatsoever. They refused to sign off the property in 2009 due to all the defects on the roof and in the loft…..but how was it passed in the first place in order to be sold to me in 2008?? I have asked this on many occasions but they will not give me an answer. The NHBC said that all the property needed was extra vents in the loft area. This was done by the developer, however, the problems still remain and are getting worse.

    It’s now been just shy of a year since I had to move out. The developer ended my stay at the hotel after only 6 weeks and I had to seek alternative accomodation which I am having to pay for on top of my mortgage on the property and council tax! The infestation is still in the property and the damp/condensation patches are still appearing in various rooms of the property and are getting increasingly worse…. And the NHBC say that no further work needs to be undertaken!

    I am at my wits end but I refuse to give up. I cannot wait for the day till I can name and shame the developer and would love the opportunity to do this on national T.V. From the very beginning of my ordeal I started a photographic diary as well as a written diary. I would encourage anyone else to do the same as my solicitor has said it is invaluable as everything must be backed up with evidence.

    I am a 25 year old woman who has saved since I was 17 for a deposit for my first home. I have had to deal with bullish builders, site managers and construction directors who have all patronised me and fobbed me off with excuses and lies. I am disgusted at how they have spoken to me and how they have treated me and am saddened to read that others are going through the same battle with other developers. They have ruined my experience of my buying my first home. I never thought that buying a brand new home would bring so much stress and upset.

    Miss JC.
20. 

    Comment by Lynn on 6 February 2010:

    Hi jc I really feel for you that is just awfull all i can say is dont give up your fight ive been going threw my process for over a year as it takes a long time and many times ive felt like giving up ive suffered ill health and many sleepless nights thinking how this could possibly be happening but always remember justice will be done in the end and just take one day at a time and dont be bullyied into anything that dosent seem right, good luck ,

    lynn
21. 

    Comment by livid on 10 February 2010:

    Hi Lynn,

    Thanks for your reply. I too became ill because of my experience which made everything so much more difficult. But you’re right, you’ve just got to take one day at a time. Hopefully as you say, justice will be done in the end.

    I cannot believe all the problems people have experienced on here. I want to know how on earth the NHBC pass all these properties when they clearly are not fit to be signed off.

    Good luck to you too and thanks again for your reply
22. 

    Comment by Ben on 11 February 2010:

    Hi Lynn, Miss JC and Charlotte,

    Redrow – we are also in a real problem home of a certain style built by Redrow.

    The problems are the same with all the other owners of the same style and we are looking for answers.

    Redrow are saying that it was passed by the council, so they are not at fault, as they built to the plans submitted.

    I have been fighting for over a year now and the NHBC take so long to rectify a problem that it is almost worst than the builder.

    I have to wonder that if you are not a builder or surveyor, how would you know what a defect is or what to look for, thus making the NHBC policy pretty questionable.

    I have provided Redrow with several opportunities to help with our home and wasted 17 annual leave days so far to be at the house for work to be carried out, that I was considering legal action through the small claims court for every snag or for the full property amount through the Sheriff court. Can you offer some advice or can we get together and put a stronger case infront of a court ?

    Regards,
23. 

    Comment by redrowsufferer on 11 February 2010:

    Hi Livid.
    NHBC do not check all properties on any one site they do random sample checks during construction.

    These checks are only as good as the person doing them which makes you wonder how skilled these people are.

    The NHBC are not an independant organisation they are funded by the building industry and therefore can be very bias towards their paymasters.

    The rule of thumb here is not to trust that the NHBC will sort problems out anything with a satisfactory result for the punter who has paid the money your far better off with the direct action approach.

    Cheers
    Redrowsuffrer
24. 

    Comment by livid on 11 February 2010:

    Thanks again for your replies. I have found the NHBC to be adequate in their approach. After I filed a claim with the NHBC, they visited my property for an inspection and subsequently issued me with a report. Their report stated that the build was in breach of their Technical Requirements and therefore work was needed to be undertaken.

    I also have a Chartered Surveyors report which states that the build is in breach of Building Regulations, NHBC Technical Requirements & British and European Standards. It has taken the NHBC a very long time to get the builder to carry out the work that they (NHBC) deemed necessary.

    The NHBC are now happy with the work that has been carried out, even though the problems in my property still remain. My Chartered Surveyor (which has cost me a small fortune up to now) has said that the work that has been carried out is not sufficient to remedy the whole problem.

    Like I said in my previous posts it is now in the hands of a solicitor. I am stuck with a property that will no doubt have gone down in value due to all the problems it has encountered and I cannot live there because of the ongoing problems which have rendered it uninhabitable. It is so very, very unfair.
25. 

    Comment by Lynn on 12 February 2010:

    Hi all,

    The NHBC are only there to try and help you to get the builder to fix any problems which is good , but the problem is they can not tell the builder how to repair things only advise to a certain standard so in my case the builder wants to repair my problem to a very low standard and if you do not accept this you have no one to turn to as NHBC can no longer help you,the builders know this and always have the upper hand and use the remark but we will fix it but to there standards which are the standards that cost the least,
    Ben it is very hard to try and persue the builders threw the courts as they seem to have everything covered in small print,my advice is to speak to a solicitor in my case my home does not have a certificate of habitation from the council so its a breach of contract but the builder still insists on fighting on instead of doing the right thing by us and moving us out this hell hole, it is also very costly and a long stressfull process going to court, you should try going to the papers 1st that could be enough.

    good luck to everyone sometimes i wonder how this can be happening to so many people we have more rights if you buy a can of beans and take them back.

    lynn
26. 

    Comment by Tony on 12 February 2010:

    This might be of interest: http://forum.snagging.org/snagging-requests-help/1369-tv-programme-looking-problem-homes.html
27. 

    Comment by Ben on 13 February 2010:

    Lyn,

    I have attached my neighbours e-mail below who also did not have a habitation certificate when moving in. His wife and him are interested to talk if you have the time, as they are also now pursuing court action based on the above.
28. 

    Comment by Tony on 15 February 2010:

    Ben,

    I have removed the email address as I wasn’t sure whether your neighbour would want that published. I can relay messages – tonynewhomeblogs.co.uk

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