[Colin Jack]

Deepest sympathy to you for purchasing from Bett / Gladedale.

I am still waiting on my completion certificate almost 5 years after purchase – there are Building Standards / Building Regulation breaches. Bett / Gladedale seem to find it very difficult complying with the legislation and even their own house purchase contracts. Their lawyers don’t seem to know what they are doing either. They sent me 5 completion certificates, just not the one for my property which is the one I actually want. Maybe it is just me?????? They do tell me I am being unreasonable and obstructive though, which is nice of them.

I have also been told that all the defects within my property are my fault – the oversailing timber frame and blockwork, the missing wall ties, the cracks in the walls, the ponding water in my garden (see other posts about waterlogging within 3 metres of the building) and so on. I find this hard to believe considering I had absolutely nothing to do with the construction. Must have been that pesky evil twin of mine again?!?!?!

I hope you have a better time trying to get your snagging items done than I have. You will be pressurised into accepting their solutions to problems but just remember Building Note 1/94 issued by the Scottish Executive which states:

“2. The Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland (the Local Government Ombudsman) has warned, in his Annual Report to 31 March 1993, that house buyers should not rely on council completion certificates as a guarantee of standard of workmanship.”

and

“3. The Ombudsman feels it is absolutely essential for individuals to obtain proper independent professional advice, since the temptation to take short cuts and minimize costs can prove extremely expensive in the longer term. The many complaints received were linked by a common thread that each had relied on the fact that the local authority had issued a building warrant and completion certificate and believed that these provided a guarantee of standard of workmanship.”

Remember also that the NHBC are the builder’s insurer, despite the fact that you are paying for the alleged cover in the purchase price. IN SCOTLAND THE NHBC ARE NOT AUTHORISED TO MAKE ANY INSTRUCTION TO THE BUILDER. If you do let them instruct the builder then it is you who will be in the firing line if it all goes wrong. The whole NHBC system in Scotland is a con which (I believe intentionally) directs unsuspecting buyers away from their legal rights. They get away with it simply because very few home buyers know the legislation.

Good luck to you. The only further advice I can give to you is do everything in writing and have a witness (preferably a construction professional or a lawyer) present during any site meetings. Believe you me it is the best way to go. I have lost count of the number conversations that have been denied. If you do have a witness, as I did when I met with the NHBC and Bett Homes Customer Care, when you experience a level of incompetence that you probably never experience again in your entire life you will at least have someone to corroborate your story. It is that bad.

I seem to be repeating myself again.