I bought my dream newbuild home two years ago… it's already falling apart & was covered in thick dust when we moved in | The Sun

A HOMEOWNER who bought his dream newbuild house just two years ago has been left fuming with the home already falling apart.

Craig Vinup and his partner moved into the £250,000 property in Cwmbran, Wales, in March 2021, having used the government’s help to buy scheme.

The estate, which is owned and operated by Taylor Wimpey, consists of entirely new builds.

Craig and his family had even paid an extra £5,000 to secure the house two months earlier than planned.

Overcome with excitement, they expected the house to be in excellent condition when they arrived.

But Craig and his family were stunned when they turned up to find their new home covered in dust.

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The shocked homeowner even described the property as “wrecked” when they arrived, and the problems have only continued to pile up.

He claims the company had promised that the home would be given a “sparkling clean” prior to their arrival.

Instead he found dirty worktops with building material strewn across the floor, and the explanation that it was the house next door – already occupied – that had been given the clean.

Craig told South Wales Argus: “We’d already been told we couldn’t view the house prior to moving in, because of health and safety protocols.

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“We found nothing had been done, and we’re now dealing with peeling paint and unbearable heat from damp airtight walls. I’m living like a student.”

They are currently dealing with an ongoing damp problem in the kitchen and living room.

A machine is now in use in the property 24 hours a day, to clear the damp from the walls after they continued to remain wet all throughout the summer.

Looking ahead, the plan is now to redo the rooms after Craig claims he complained to landlords to no avail.

The family are now being forced to move out for a period of four to six weeks while the work is completed.

Other issues at the property include an unlevel floor inbathroom, a fence that was unstable and a jammed window that was their main fire exit.

Craig claims that every time he reports an issue, he has been supposedly met with “arrogance and no respect” by Taylor Wimpey.

They were faced with other "extras" already in the property that they did not want.

He added: “As new homeowners, we should be able to come into our house and enjoy it, but because of this poor customer service, I just can’t. I really don’t enjoy coming home anymore because it’s not pleasant here.

“It’s disgusting the way Taylor Wimpey are treating their customers, given how much we’ve spent on this house. I just don’t understand how they can think it is acceptable.

“Whenever I’ve called to report an issue, I end up getting rerouted to this centralised hub who have no idea what’s going on.

“I get made promises that things will get fixed or looked into, and then they never are. They seem to think that when I report a repair, nothing needs to be done.

"I believe they think if they ignore the issue for long enough, I’ll just learn to live with it."

'NO RESPECT'

Craig continued: “I’m paying a mortgage for this house, and I deserve to be able to live in it without constantly forking out for extra repairs and being refused the extra compensation it’s costing.

"The customer service is awful because they have no respect for the fact this is our home, not just their business.”

The family are now awaiting confirmation of their relocation during the repair, with an offer of moving to accomodation in Risca refused due to familial and work committments that mean the family need to remain in Cwmbran. 

Craig has been appalled at his treatment and is considering moving his family elsewhere.

Taylor Wimpey confirmed that any new builds require a period of drying out, and that in some cases "this needs to be assisted by mechcanical ventilation". 

A spokesperson said that health and safety of customers is of the highest priority, which is why they can't always accomodate requests to view a property prior to arrival. 

The spokesperson continued: "We are committed to providing high quality homes and customer service and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused to this customer as a result of the problems they have experienced.

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"We are also sorry that the homeowner felt disappointed with the quality of communication from Taylor Wimpey in this instance.

“We have resolved the majority of the issues raised and are working with the customer to assess and resolve the outstanding issues at their property as soon as possible.”

What are your rights?

All new build 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.

If the house is not complete at the time it was promised, the customer can cancel the purchase, with a full refund of any deposit or reservation fee.

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.

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