A HEARTBROKEN couple are being forced to strip their new-build home to a shell after discovering it’s worth just £1.
Dayle Dixon, 53, and Mark Lee, 59, were told that their “dream” Devon newbuild was riddled with “hundreds” of defects.
They purchased the property in 2018 but even before they moved in, it dawned upon them that there were major issues.
They bought the home, in an estate called Lucerne Fields in Ivybridge, from Barratt Developments subsidiary David Wilson Homes for £274,995.
But it was valued last year by independent chartered surveyors at just £1 after they discovered a series of problems.
The surveyors said that without the issues, the house would have been worth £330,000.
Mark and Dayle say they are fed up of being “treated like idiots” and want the company to buy their house back at market value.
Mark told The Guardian: “We have literally hundreds of problems with the house and repairs that have been carried out have not been done correctly.”
After collecting the keys, the couple went to check out their new home but just two days before their moving date they spotted their first set back.
They noticed a hairline crack in one of the floors and reported it to the development company, who agreed to put a screed layer on top.
Mark said that the repair made no difference.
Then soon after they moved in, there was a broken soil pipe.
The surveyors who valued the couple’s house said that it had inadequate damp proofing, water ingress, inadequate floor screed, inadequate window design, damaged and corroding structural floor beams.
The report stated: “The ground floor will have to be stripped back to shell stage, sections of structural walls and floors will have to be removed, and it is likely that further defects which will require repair will be identified as works progress.”
It added: “Numerous significant defects have been identified. There has been limited positive engagement from the developer in resolving these issues … There is consequently an ongoing and costly dispute arising between the parties which only appears to be escalating.”
All newbuild homes come with some form of warranty.
Most often, this is a builder warranty of around 10 years, against structural issues, and a shorter developer warranty against issues with fixtures and fittings.
Registered builders are bound by a Consumer Code, which sets out quality standards.
Complaints can be resolved privately with builders/developers in the first instance.
However, if you are not satisfied, there is an independent dispute scheme that can be used within the first three months of receiving the final response to the complaint from the builders.
The stress on the couple was so great that Dayle’s mental health plummeted and she has been signed off work.
“I have developed PTSD, suffer from nightmares and sweats and can’t function properly. A lot of the time I feel physically sick,” she said.
Barratt discovered that there was damage to one of the floor beams and that the cracks need to be monitored.
The couple were hit with a further setback, claiming that items in their home were damaged after the firm sent repairers over.
They are taking Barratt to the small claims court as a result.
Other homeowners on the estate also reportedly had problems with their properties.
A spokesperson for BDW Exeter said: “As the UK’s leading five star housebuilder, we are sorry that Ms Dixon is unhappy.
“While we try to get things right first time, occasionally mistakes happen which we try to rectify as quickly as possible.
“We paid for an independent surveyor’s report of her choosing and have confirmed we will deal with any issues it finds – offering to pay for an external contractor of
her choosing to deliver the work.
“So far Ms Dixon has rejected our attempts to resolve the
issue in line with her demands, but we continue to try and work towards a successful resolution.”
