A FURIOUS couple claim their new £450,000 dream home was hampered with mould, a leaking roof and flickering lights when they moved in – and they say they’re STILL dealing with issues two years on.
Pratik Patel and his wife, Vanessa, are among the unhappy homeowners to slam builders Redrow after complaining of shoddy work at their newbuild in Pentyrch, near Cardiff.
“I have been ripped off,” said Pratik, 35, a business analyst. “My experience would not fit into the category of a fivestar builder.”
Pratik also claims Redrow wouldn’t allow him to inspect the property with an independent surveyor before moving in.
And he says alongside other issues – including mould in the living room – the four-bedroom house was also hampered with a defective underfloor heating system that had cost them an additional £7,000.
The Patels, who have just had their first child, Aaran, feel they’ve been ignored by the builder throughout the process.
Pratik added: “I want to spend more time with the family, but I can’t let it go.”
Other Redrow customers have also complained of their dreams being dashed by “dodgy” building.
Nik Patel spent £367,500 on a one-bedroom apartment in Harrow on the Hill, northwest London.
I have been ripped off. My experience would not fit into the category of a fivestar builder.
Pratik Patel, homeowner
Since moving in, he claims to have grappled with leaks in the car park, broken gates, hot water outages and wrangles with the management company appointed by Redrow.
“I wish I’d never gone to the sales office that Sunday,” he said.
Another resident, who claimed to have found mould and leaks that destroyed the floor, put it more bluntly: “I did two tours in Afghanistan, and this takes the biscuit.”
One homeowner at a Redrow development in Cheswick Village, Bristol, bought her first home from the developer in 2011, and was so impressed that when she needed a bigger house five years later, she bought from Redrow again, on the same estate.
However, the resident, who asked not to be named, said there were nearly 250 problems with her £400,000 home, ranging from scratched panes of glass and poorly-fitted brickwork to chipped plaster. She said it had needed 100 visits from builders and contractors.
Despite the concerns about quality, industry statistics paint a different picture about Redrow, one of the largest British housebuilders.
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In March, after three years in the second tier of housebuilders for customer satisfaction, Redrow regained its top five-star rating an industry-wide score managed by the National House Building Council and the Home Builders Federation.
In a statement, Redrow said: “Our homes are built and crafted by hand and when issues do occur, we always seek to rectify them as soon as possible.
“On the rare occasions where customers aren’t happy following our escalation process, there is always the opportunity for an independent industry body to reach a final resolution.”
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