newbuild | Common News Update

Two years after buying their £325,000 house from developers Bovis, Craig Wakeman and partner Tracey Bickford are still waiting to move in after discovering their dream home was riddled with 354 defects, many of them structural.The couple told BBC Radio 5 Live Investigates buying the house was "one of the worst decisions we've ever made".Nine out of 10 new home buyers surveyed by the New Homes Review found defects in their houses.Bovis apologised that the family's "customer journey with us has been so disappointing over the last two years," and said it was "completely focused on putting right what has gone wrong".Craig and Tracey bought their brand new three-bedroom detached house in Worcester in November 2016 for themselves...

"Unfair charges" levied on buyers of new-build houses could be banned in England under a proposed crackdown.Leaseholds on new-build houses would be outlawed, while ground rents could be dramatically reduced, under government plans subject to public consultation.Ground rents can double every decade, crippling home owners and in some cases making a property impossible to sell."Enough is enough. These practices are unjust, unnecessary and need to stop," said Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.The proposals, which are subject to an eight-week consultation, apply only to England.Mr Javid said that there were 1.2 million cases of houses on leasehold, and the situation of escalating costs was one example of a "broken housing market".He said the proposals would affect future sales, but those alread...

Tag: newbuild

'Our new-build home has 354 defects'

Plans to ban leaseholds on new-build houses in England