Seven in 10 find faults in new-builds

Permalink: Seven in 10 find faults in new-builds
by Kay Murchie

According to research by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), 70% of buyers of new-build homes have found faults with their new property.

The OFT commissioned a survey of 1,000 people in Britain who had bought a newly-built home in the last 2 years.

The main reason cited for moving into a new-build home is so the new owners do not have to carry out any work when they move in. Other reasons include no former occupants and no chain.

On average, most people found up to 10 faults, while others uncovered up to 50, said the watchdog. Nearly one third faced delays in moving in.

Some of the problems were minor issues where new owners were dissatisfied with the decorating, plastering and glazing.

However, some problems were more serious such as issues with central heating, hot water, damaged or faulty kitchen units and appliances and faulty electric sockets.

The investigation, which was carried out by OFT last year, examined customer satisfaction and the success, or otherwise, of regulation and competition in the industry, the report is due to be published in the autumn.

Over the course of the next 3 months, the OFT will discuss its initial findings with the industry and consumer groups.

Commenting on the findings, Steve Turner, of the Home Builders Federation, said that the majority of the faults were dealt with very quickly by builders and gave no cause for concern.

Over recent times, falling house prices and the lack of mortgages has meant that the housebuilding industry has suffered a dramatic downturn.

Taylor Wimpey recently announced it was to close 13 of its 39 offices across the UK which is expected to result in 600 job losses. This represents over 10% of its 4,700 UK workforce.

Furthermore, Persimmon recently confirmed that it is to stop building on new sites until market conditions improve, which could result in tens of thousands of job losses.