At what point is it reasonable I request compensation?
- Thread starter Martini1991
- Start date
i would have read the fine print at the start and made sure it would have a stipulation that if they deviated from the agreed dates (agreed by both parties remember) then financial compensation would be due if one side breaks the agreement. Coz thats what it is...one side is in breach if they cannot keep their end of the deal.
All you're asking is for them to be able to do their job like they originally agreed.
Why is that so hard?
All you're asking is for them to be able to do their job like they originally agreed.
Why is that so hard?
Soldato
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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 (storage)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 before moving in. 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 signing off the house with incomplete documentation. I only found this out when the house developed an electrical fault
In your shoes I would push for them to cover any extra charges you've incurred (storage)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 before moving in. 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 signing off the house with incomplete documentation. I only found this out when the house developed an electrical fault
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
Soldato
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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.
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.
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 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.
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I don't need to be in that situation though. So I made sure I'm not.
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Buying a house when you haven't yet lived together is brave
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Hindsight is 20/20.
It's unreasonable to have expected we'd have this much issue afterwards.
It's irrelevant - They asked a price for something, you agreed to pay it. The margin didn't seem to be an issue when you agreed to it, else you wouldn't have bought it.
I know you must be hugely frustrated and from the sounds of it you have good reason to be. I'm not saying the developer isn't at fault or in the wrong as clearly they are if they told you December was possible but if not then January would be fine, then push it back again. Thing is this sort of thing happens all the time unfortunately. Luckily for me when I moved I was able to not need a simultaneous completion and decided to set the sale of my old place a month later - Just in case. Thankfully I only had an issue overnight - Sat with a van of stuff to move in and told I couldn't have the keys, but was sorted within a day. I moved in to not even having any flooring down because I didn't see the point in arranging anything until I knew I was in the house for sure. It's just the way things go sometimes with house buying, especially on new builds.
At the end of the day if it puts you out of pocket it is totally reasonable to expect that back, but keep it civil and sensible and you are more likely to get them working with you to resolve it.
Check consumer code for house builders - most are signed up to it and it sets out very specifically how they should deal with completion notification and they can't unnecessarily string you along if you've exchanged. It's generally 3 months agter the original longstop date in the contract.
They won't care about any of this inlesss you actually mention it!
They won't care about any of this inlesss you actually mention it!