Completion

[h55spurs]

Hello

My fiancee and I are first time buyers purchasing a home from one the the countries largest house builders.

We reserved the plot in June, exchanged in July with a proposed completion date of January. We have recently been advised that completion date will be 22nd December. I understand that the completion date was not fixed and we would have to complete within 10 working days of the CML being issued.

For us to complete on 22nd December the CML must be issued on 8th December, I went and visited the house at the weekend, it has just had the first fix electrics and plumbing fitted, I have spoken to the site manager who has said that its due to be plastered at the end of this week and that it would be very tight to get it finished on time.

I just cant see this work being completed by either the 8th or 22nd to a satisfactory standard, I was hoping for some advance on the best way forward so we dont end up with a poor finish to our house and a snagging list as long as my arm.

W

[Tony]

Hi W,

Who is the builder? I am guessing they are a PLC and as such they will have targets to meet by the end of the quarter. If your house was down to complete this quarter then the accountants will be expecting it to be completed. They are likely to try to rush the house and get you in at all cost, to 'shoe horn' you as they say. Most people don't make a fuss about it and just accept the poor standards. However, you can either delay till the new year or you can find out what they offer you in return - you might be surprised. However, remember this will be at the cost of a very long snagging list.

I hope this helps.

Tony

[h55spurs]

Hi Tony

Thanks for the reply, yes there are a Plc but im not keen to name myself the builder or the site as so far I have had a good relationship with the site manager and im not keen to drop him in it.

He has basically said to me that he will not be able to finish the house to a standard that he is happy with by the 22nd, but as far as the head office are concerned it has to be. The site so far looks good and the site manager claims to have had very few snags so far, although im sure they would all say this.

It seems that I have 2 options, either complete on the 22nd or not, I have spoken to my solicitors (recommended by builder - silly on reflection) and they say if we do not complete then we will be issued with another notice to complete 5 working days later, we will have to pay some interest but with Christmas holidays that would take us into 2007, and they would miss their targets.

My current thoughts are to complete on 22nd if I can get a deal to compensate. Then explain to the site manager that we dont want to move in until the middle of January, my logic is then he isnt rushing for 22nd and we should have a lot less snags.

Would you advise this course or action? or could you suggest a better way forward?

Thanks for your help

W

[Tony]

Hi W,

It sounds like a good plan and the site manager sounds conscientious. However, you are buying the house from the builder not him. He could be moved on.

Your solicitor is correct and you need to check your contract to see what is says about delaying completion - snagging items are usually not reason enough. However, if there are enough of them they can be classified as a 'red' item by the NHBC and the house won't be signed off - this is unlikely though.

I hope this helps.

Tony

[h55spurs]

Hi Tony

I felt it was time for an update, we completed before christmas as the developer wished and moved in last weekend, still have a few boxes but we are getting there.

In the end the developer offered an extra £250 to complete before Christmas, my guess is that hit their targets and werent to worried if we completed before or after.

We got the keys before christmas which gave us the oppurtunity to wonder around and list any snags, any that we considered major we bought to the site managers attention, dented window frame, leaking shower head, sticking doors, we didnt want to worry about minor niggles for the risk of looking pedantc at this stage, we are sure we will spot a few more things over the next week, things such as the tops of doors not sanded, running paint on the bannisters.

Because we have saved the site manager a lot of hassle by taking away the pressure of finishing our house before Christmas he has been willing to give a few extras, extended paving area, fence instead of turf on land to the side of the house.

When we moved in on Sunday we noticed a few drops of water dripping above the front door, but we couldnt see anything inside, on Monday morning a damp patch about 5 inchs across appeared in hall ceiling, I phoned the site and a plumber was with us in an hour and found the problem, the ensuite toilet cistern had a small crack in the bottom, he disconnected the toilet and returned the following day to fit a new one, the ceiling has dried and just needs to go on the snagging list for another coat of paint.

Today I have received a follow up call from the developer head office, unrequested, checking if we were happy, he actually knew about our leak and that we had delayed moving in. He also infomed me the dates booked for our turf and landscaping, top layer of tarmac and street lighting.

So where are we at the minute, we have a snagging list of probably about 20 things to be handed in, none of which we consider serious, we are happy with our house and also the developer, im sure getting the snags sorted out may be a little frustrating but I wouldnt let that deter you from buying a new house.

With the experience we have gained over the last 6 months all developers have some bad sites, each site is representative of its site manager, if I was buying a new build in the future I would want to meet the site manager to find out about his experience, previous sites etc before I put down a penny, so far I think we have been lucky and I feel for the ones that havent. Ofcourse if im sitting here in 6 months and the snagging hasnt been finished this opnion may change, I just thought I would pass our experience.

W

[Tony]

Hi W,

Thanks for the update, sounds like you are one of the lucky ones.

Let us know what the situation is in six months.

Tony

[RTFishall]

Yes its all down to targets. Completing before Christmas (often a PLC builder's year end) has a serious disadvantage. It's that the site often shuts down for a 10 day holiday break. This can mean no after sales service during the crucial first couple of weeks after moving in.
I've worked in new home sales and would strongly advise against a December completion. £250 is 'peanuts' for all the possible woes that you can suffer. I've known real incentives of several thousands being offered.
Never complete in under 14 days of CML being issued and inspect the property yourself!