At what point is it reasonable I request compensation?

[Martini1991]

Me and my Girlfriend recently purchased a new build house.
We currently live with parents (Hers at her parents, me at mine) so this is the first time we'll have moved anywhere, let alone owning a house.

Originally it was touted to be finished January/February.
In November I got a phone call as they'd brought the plans forward and we were to move in December 15th.

We were told that if we declined, it'd be early January, which I was happy with.

Because of this, me and my girlfriend rushed preparation, we've bought all of our furniture pretty much, we've got sofas ordered (And they're now due for delivery).

We've been down the road, people have moved in next to us, the majority of people are in their houses. Our house for all intents and purposes is complete and even has a statement of completion.

I was unable to get any new information from the developer until the December 22nd, in which we were told that it'd be ready February 15th, but on the phone was told that date can't be right as the house has been completed. I was told to hold on over December and it'd be chased up in January.

We're now on January 7th and I'm no further forward, I've been told to hang on until January 9th and I'll be told a date. I've chased them multiple times, even had my solicitors doing so. I've pretty much been unable to get anything out of them since December.

The problem being of course that I've got 2 weeks booked off starting January 16th (I get an extra day off when I officially "move" house, so I'd probably have been off one day next week to complete and that, and then sort everything out from the 16th) and we've got sofas that need delivering, or I'm liable to pay for storage fees.

If come Monday I'm told that the 15th of February date stands, is it reasonable for me to ask for compensation in the way of the developer paying not only the storage fees for my furniture, but the reimbursement of the extras we paid for (So I can have like 1.5K of my money back, that frankly they're over charging for anyway)?

We've been strung along for a month, I've also got other furniture that will be past the date of a simple return if it simply doesn't go with the style we're after (I purchased because I've saved hundreds through sales, and I could return up till the 24th of Jan).

Or do I just suck it up? My girlfriend's furious, and I'm pretty miffed off too.

 

[Martini1991]

I'd ask your solicitor to review your contract with a view to dates and possibility of them altering. I suspect there will be a clause allowing them to shift the date around, in which case you won't be liable for compensation. But only your solicitor, or someone with access to all the contracts and communication since, can advise.

It's more the messing around. They moved the dates forward. Then the constant messing around. Unable to get any information.
The build updates never happened either as one day there was no news and the next day it was basically ready.

 

[Martini1991]

We moved into our new build almost a year after the original completion date. Ended up loosing the mortgage offer because it took so long. Only thing i got out of them was reimbersment of remortage fees £400 and not paying brokers fees for setting it all up again.

How does something like that even happen?
Our house has been completed. We just can't seem to get moved in lol.

 

[Martini1991]

If it has completed then surely you own it? Just move in.

The build has completed.
Not the transaction.

They have to give us a date for completion. But there's no reason that they can't.

 

[Martini1991]

So what is the reason they have given as to why you cannot move in? Can you not visit and ask the site manager or something?

There's just been a total lack of information.
There's meant to be a meeting on Monday in regards to date disputes.

We're penned in at the 15th of February but I've been told on multiple occasions that date is wrong because everything's ready to be moved into and completed. My neighbours are in with the exact same house.

Everytime I've rang I've been basically dismissed and told to hold on.

 

[Martini1991]

You won't get any joy till Monday. The majority of the industry aren't back from the Christmas break till then.

Hopefully we get somewhere.

I'm of the opinion it's because there's no one senior to give the nod.

 

[Martini1991]

Because sofas have a 10 week lead time.

I didn't own anything except a bed

 

[Martini1991]

Just keep nagging them phone up every day, be nice and polite, over polite, but phone up every day. You'll be surprised what miracles can happen.

Thus far I've been very polite.
But I'm 5 days away from my planned holidays. I've always been told to hang on ad the date is wrong and the period I've taken off should be my moving in period.

 

[Martini1991]

What kind of advance are you talking about? he lives with his parents, what kind of pressure do you think he's under to get all that in advance??

Why would I want to live in an empty house?
Given the house is built, and I was told early January, I scheduled everything so that it'd be ready in that window.

 

[Martini1991]

I think it's fair to ask them to cover any storage costs. I don't quite get what you mean by reimbursing for extra's they've overcharged for though. If you've already paid for extra's to the house then you paid at the time without complaint so have no case for arguing about being overcharged. Extra's are never cheap.

In your shoes I would push for them to cover any extra charges you've incurred and that is a very fair thing to do. You can still be polite but firm and demanding so demand you want to know exactly why things are being delayed and you want an accurate move in date.

I bought a new build not long ago and one thing I advise to do is to get in and check everything works and no leaks. Also read up a bit on all the legal docs....somehow building control missed the fact mine didn't have a post-install electrical installation certificate but found nobody wanted to take the blame - not even the council for missing the incomplete docs

I'd be basically just wanting compensation for the inconvenience they've caused, and they could do that by giving me back money I've paid for extras without affecting anything like house incentives which would require alterations with my lender etc.

Even something as simple as getting measurements to arrange flooring and carpets and curtains I simply can't do at the moment. And it's stressing me out.

 

[Martini1991]

Maybe they're not using the ridiculous American system of putting the month before the day when explaining dates and your been talking about completely different dates?

 

[Martini1991]

The sense of entitlement is strong in this one.

What was the date on the contract as you said Jan/Feb initially, just because someone 'phoned' and said it should be ready in December doesn't mean it is (they can even deny the call was made, do you have proof?) and the neighbours being in doesn't mean you're house is all signed off and ready.

You need to check the contract and if they have you in by the time it states on there you'll not get anything.

Normally I'm against the compensation culture, but something like this is at a different level. It's housing, it's a god damn important thing, it's someones life, you can't just have them put on hold for a month.

And they never said it *should* be ready, they said they've brought the dates forward and it would be the 15th of December completion and move in date. We just declined, and was then told we'd be early January.

And the fact the house has a statement of completion means it's complete.
If they hadn't brought the dates forward I wouldn't care. But because they did I've scrimped for the past 2 months so I had more money available etc. Now we're ready (Furniture and sofas etc), we just want to be able to sort stuff out and move in. It should not be this hard when it's such an important aspect of someones life.

 

[Martini1991]

You know house builders have their half-year results end of June and their full year end of December.

So obviously they wanted to complete on your house by Dec 15th to include in their results. As you opted against their attention will have been focused on the other houses nearing completion instead.

It's a horribly corrupt business really, rush, rush, rush with attention to detail and quality being an afterthought.

Get a thorough snagging inspection done by a professional firm before you move in.

I'm not *too* concerned on snagging as I know a few people who have moved in on this site and had positive experiences, also my uncle works on the site.

Part of the reason I said no was because I didn't want it rushing, and because there's no chance I'd have been ready to move in the 15th of December. In hindsight I'd have taken it and left it empty a month.

 

[Martini1991]

Unless you have a contact saying you'll complete one a certain date I think you'll struggle to get anything out of them unless they are being generous. Why wouldn't you complete before xmas? sounds like they knew they'd be busy and wanted to get you out of the way.

I spent the first night in my house on a camp bed, if you cant handle inconvenience for a few weeks then perhaps being a home owner isn't for you as it'll likely be more of an inconvenience for you when you come to move.

The take away from this is don't do anything until you have a completion date on a contract.

I don't need to be in that situation though. So I made sure I'm not.

 

[Martini1991]

Buying a house when you haven't yet lived together is brave Good luck

I would very much imagine its in the small print if your have a look, or your solicitor, has a look. Plenty of people I know who have moved into new builds have had similar delays and I can't imagine they leave themselves open to claims.

A delay in terms of building not being completed I'd be fine with.
It's the fact the house is ready to move into and we're being stonewalled.

 

[Martini1991]

You can't ask for "compensation" because currently you have nothing to be compensated for.

IF you incur a cost for something because of a delay in an agreed date, then you can seek to be "compensated" to put you back into the position you otherwise would have been in. The notion of £1.5k of freebies is laughable. Your booked holiday from work is pretty irrelevant (although inconvenient).

I think you are looking about this the wrong way. Instead of jumping on the £bandwagon, you need to be pushing for the completion date you were expecting and focus your energies on that.

I have been, I've been asking for well over a month.

1.5K of freebies isn't really laughable with their margins and they're able to give far more than that in incentives.

On one build they offered us 5K in incentives but we didn't want that plot as the kitchen etc was chosen.

But I guess over all you're right. I just don't like being taken as a mug, and with the way I've been fobbed off, that's how I feel.
I think it's ridiculous to be left till 4 days before my holidays are due (Which they're well aware of) to be told a date.
If they'd came out in December and told me that it's 15th Feb in stone, then fair enough. But that's not the case.

 

[Martini1991]

Considering you both had somewhere to live and still had stuff to buy it would have made complete sense to complete in December and then you can plan moving in and getting services started for a January move in.

My mum is currently in the process of buying a flat and is currently staying with me, when she completes she will not be moving for a month whilst she sorts out services and new furniture, it just made sense to us.

Hindsight is 20/20.
It's unreasonable to have expected we'd have this much issue afterwards.

 

[Martini1991]

Not Taylor Wimpey is it?

Nah.