Come and view my new-build dream home … it’s a nightmare!
IT was supposed to be the dream home for his family.
Instead, the day Mike Firth received the keys to the four-bedroom new build marked the start of a nightmare.
He discovered a catalogue of problems that he says have still not been fixed 16 months later.
Mr Firth, 31, a first-time homeowner, has become so frustrated at the lack of effort by the builders to repair the snags that he has hung a giant poster on the front of his £220,000 property in Castleford, West Yorkshire, to warn prospective buyers looking at houses on the estate.
The 5ft by 3ft sign reads: ‘Thinking of buying a home on this development? Feel free to knock and view my house. The problems are endless and it will save you ££££s. #newbuildnightmare.’
Mr Firth, who lives in the house with his partner Amanda and their one-year- old son Frankie, says the ‘shoddy’ finish by developers Persimmon Homes includes uneven brickwork, incomplete cementing, badly installed lintels, door frames that are not level and a shower that leaks.
Outside, there are areas that he says look like a ‘climbing wall’ because the brickwork is so uneven, with some bricks jutting out.
Mr Firth, an HGV compliance controller, bought the property while it was still being built.
‘If I’d have seen the house before I bought it, I don’t think I would have done so,’ he said. ‘ On the walk around, we noticed things were wrong. But 16 months later they’ve done little. I decided to hang the sign because I was getting nowhere. I just want Persimmon to recognise my problems and to sort out the issues.
‘The general quality of the work is appalling. All I want is what I paid for. It’s stressful and it’s frustrating. You buy new, you expect new, we’re far from it.’
Mr Firth, who says he feels ‘robbed’ by the purchase, added: ‘Persimmon have come to do work but then left it unfinished. It almost feels like they expect the buyer to sort the problems out themselves. I’ve lost count of how many days I’ve taken off for people to come and they’ve either not turned up or not done a very good job.’
A Persimmon Homes spokesman said: ‘We are currently dealing directly with the customer to address his issues and are establishing appointments for work to be carried out that coincides with his availability.’
However, it is not the first time the York-based housebuilder has faced such complaints. Last month a couple in Newquay, Cornwall, put signs in their windows urging people not to buy properties on their development. They claim they have been waiting a year for Persimmon to fix 90 snags, including leaks and damp.