Bloody Bovis

[Noodles]

As some of you may know me and Mk2_escort_chick are going though the process of buying our first house! Now we was never keen on a brand new house but it seemed the easy way to got on the ladder using the moat home buy scheme. So two weeks back we paid our reservation fee on a new house to be completed Jan 2010, buildings there just no stud walls, get a calll Monday telling me their slapping 5-6 months on the completion date Even thou all my paper work states complete JAN 2010! All signed by me and Bovis. My morgage offer only stands for 6 months, lets just say im pretty fooked off!

[MightySprocket]

congrats on the house purchase but that sucks, fingers crossed they get on with it

[Noodles]

Cheers

 

I just feel cheated I was told several times it would be done in Jan then I get told otherwise like they did it on purpose.

[FredTransit]

Is there anything yo can do to them (like get compensation) as you signed a legally binding contract? After all, if you offered to make the first mortgage payment 6 months late I bet they would not be happy!

[GT_lenny]

surely if you have signed paperwork from them stating a completion date then thats a contract?,

And if the builds late the contractor will usually have some quite hefty fines to pay to the client, so i would think it only fair that you should receive some compo for the inconvinience, to cover the extra rent etc for where your living now

 

worth pursuing imo especially if your morgate deal expires as any compo could be put towards a deposit meaning you'd prob get a better morgate deal

 

worth 20 minutes shouting at someone on the phone- if you don't buy a ticket you'll never win the lottery or something like that

[GJUK]

1) 7 years old is a good age for getting on to the property ladder. Well done.

2) I wouldnt buy a new house, ever. They're crap quality.

3) If you ignore point 2, you're now in a position to claim off them for quite a bit of money off, as they've deviated from the contract. Assuming there is no small print saying the dates could move (which there problably is).

 

Best of luck though.

[Wessie]

bovis sounds like a dodgy bread

[Jiffer]

penalty clauses are normaly just for the large construction projects ie. schools hostipals office blocks etc,

there will more then likely be small print for overun blaming weather or current financial climate etc etc.

try citizens advice or even talk to your local press about your situation, large companies hate bad press and it has been know in some cases for good will gestures to be made to make them look like they actualy care.

[caprinerd]

check the small print mate and as has been said get to the C A B and see about a breach of contract, the press is a good issue as stated as bed press is very damaging for any company and a building company cant afford bed press the way things are these days

[Vista]

There's almost certainly small print in the contract that allows delays, it happens in a lot of new build properties.

 

As for your mortgage offer, I don't think you need to worry, if you are a sound investment (and they obviously think you are as they've agreed to lend you the money) then I expect they'll extend the offer if you go to them with your letter from Bovis and explain the circumstances.

 

Yes new builds have their quality issues but provide you go through it with a fine tooth comb you can get most of them addressed (I did) and they also come with the advantage of a 10 year NHBC guarantee.

[Mrs O/H/C]

As Vista said.. you should be able to get your offer extended for a further few months without too much trouble.

 

Also new house vs old

 

We have always lived in older properties because of those being well built etc, UNTIL now ...We moved into a brand new house 4 months ago and so far it has put to bed all my opinions of a new-build.

The old houses always need so much work eg:you strip the wallpaper to find out you then have to re-plaster the whole room before you go any further.

 

Good luck and im sure it will work out for you and Sarah

[Vista]

Also new house vs old

 

We have always lived in older properties because of those being well built etc, UNTIL now ...We moved into a brand new house 4 months ago and so far it has put to bed all my opinions of a new-build.

The old houses always need so much work eg:you strip the wallpaper to find out you then have to re-plaster the whole room before you go any further.

 

Yep, ditto that comment from me, though I do find that the rooms are a lot smaller in new builds. Also it's worth paying lots of site visits and talking to the builders who will almost all be sub contractors. Bovis (if they'll do it at all) will charge you an arm and a leg for things like extra sockets, double sockets instead of single, extra phone / TV points, wall light wiring etc etc. The builders themselves can usually sort it out for you quite easily. My house is much better equipped than all my neighbours as I came down regularly whilst it was being built.

[Mrs O/H/C]

Also with the new-builds... any dirt is your dirt .

 

I dont know about Vista..but there always seems to be alot of dust in a new-build.

 

But on the upside...everything is new and shiny

[Vista]

Also with the new-builds... any dirt is your dirt .

 

I dont know about Vista..but there always seems to be alot of dust in a new-build.

 

But on the upside...everything is new and shiny

 

The fookers sweep it all in where they think you won't find it, behind kitchen skirting boards, bath / shower panels etc etc. My house was spotless dust wise by the time I finished hacking them to pieces in the hand over inspection but there was loads of crap hidden elsewhere that I've subsequently found since.

[Smudger105e]

We bought a new house almost 10 years ago, and Vista's right, when we asked for the sungle sockets to be replaced with doubles (the house was still foundations at this point) Barratts wanted to charge us over £2,000!

 

Regarding penalty payments, we had a completion date etc sorted, and moved our first van full of contents to the new house in time for the hand over of keys, only to be told that there were no carpets in the house, and we couldn't go in yet. When we brought the rest of our stuff over, we were told they were still waiting for the majority of the carpets to be delivered. We had to sleep in a hotel that night (at their expense I might add).

 

The following week I had the week off work in order that I could sort the house out, and the builders had to spend a lot of the week doing rectification work such as replacing the bath (which was split) painting and other minor works. All this snagging should have been done before they agreed to hand they keys over!

 

The Regional Manager offered us £100 compensation, I wrote to the Boss (Sir something or other) and eventually they paid our mortgage for the first month (around £650). They don't like negative publicity!

 

So read the small print of your contract, and if you can, get some money off them as compensation.

[FredTransit]

Sod that, you buy something new you expect it to be perfect. Smudger that's like buying a new car, going to collect it and finding it's not got any steering wheel or driver's seat and waiting for the fitters to fit them!

[Noodles]

Cheers for the info guys, I know iv got a snagging list to go though before I even accept the property. As for new v old, as I said I never wanted a new place but my deposit is only £4500 and it comes with everything I just hopefully move in. And the property is spot on two bedrooms, lounge, fitted kitchen, bathroom, utility room and a garage. Im gonna go for freebees even thou they gave me £10,000 of the orginal price.

[caprinerd]

dont know if its the same rules where you are but here a new build goes up and you aint allowed to hang anything on the walls for a year and also cant hang paper on walls for a year so they can see if there is any ground movement in the first year. strange but true look into that side of things as well