Merryton, Larkhall

[Andrew]

I have owned a Bett Home for the last 12 years and had initial issues with regard to snagging when i bought my property.

The bay windows had to be replaced as each pane was scratched.

In my first winter the kitchen was freezing and plates in my kitchen cupboards were stck together with frost when i went to use them. Upon investigation i removed the kick boards from below the kitchen units. To my amazement there was no chipboard flooring below the units!!! This was caught at the time and fixed by Bett Homes.

I thought this would be the last of my problems until the weekend there!

One of my bedrooms has a dormer window to the front above the garage. To the left hand side of the dormer window the wall is absolutely soaking! This must be resultant in a leak coming from the lead flashing around the dormer!

Can anyone help me by letting me know how long the warranty on Bett / Gladedale Homes actually runs for? Is it normal for lead flashing only to last 12 years before becoming defective?

[Tony]

Hi Andrew, the NHBC warranty and the ones from the likes of Zurich last for 10 years.

New homes are specifically excluded from most consumer legislation such as the Sale of Goods Act 1979. You are still protected by common law and the requirement for a "duty of care" Have a look at this post:

Help/Advice needed please.

You would need to get an expert to say that this wasn't the case, then you could get a quote and recover the money through the small claims court - can't remember what this is called in Scotland. The limit in England and Wales is £5000 - £2500 in Scotland I think - need to check that

Tony