Any Berkeley homes problems?

[NewHomeExpert]

There are not many posts by many unhappy Berkeley new home owners.
Could it be that they actually build good quality homes?
Let the forum know your experiences.

 

[se16new]

snaggin at berkeley

There are not many posts by many unhappy Berkeley new home owners.
Could it be that they actually build good quality homes?
Let the forum know your experiences.

There are not many posts by many unhappy Berkeley new home owners.
Could it be that they actually build good quality homes?
Let the forum know your experiences.

We moved into our new Berkeley home in June and we're very disappointed. The new build apartment cost us upwards of £500k and was marketed as a premium product in a premium development

When we took possession of the keys, the flat was not ready to move into. The place was dirty and had not been cleaned, there were sloppy paint spills on the floor and around the doors. A number of the light fittings did not work and the wiring had not been checked.

When it came to a walk through of the snagging many issues came to light. There was obviously a very poor quality control, we had numerous items that were dented or scratched. Nearly all the windows had large scratches on them, when we asked about it we were told "it was within tolerance" We said this was unacceptable, and only after complaining to the FD of Berkeley Homes are we now getting replacements. It has now been 4 months and we are still waiting on the snagging to be sorted out. We have had one delay after another. The staff are very nice and polite but do not follow up on actions to move faults forward.

Not having purchased a brand new home before we have to wonder if it is just the very poor build quality of modern British homes! If so it is a great pity for all of us

 

[NewHomeExpert]

It is worth noting that this is the first post about a Berkeley Home in 18 months.
Nevertheless, your experience is clearly unacceptable

Please write a strong letter to Berkeley Chairman, Tony Pidgeley regarding your issues.
Berkeley make a 'big deal' out of quality and charge all their buyers premium prices for higher specifications.
It is unacceptable that basic issues such as light fittings not working, in their "premium product"

There is no such things as "within tollerance" If you hear this it is a builder trung to get away with a defect that is unacceptable as it is once has been spotted by a buyer. If builders put as much effort into checking homes and protecting fittings in them, as they do fighting against fixing the defects, then perhaps there would be fewer problems.

 

[Tomwanless]

I bought a home for 760,000 at Highwood in Horsham, a new development of over 1000 homes. Very disappointed with customer service and build quality. The sales team are wonderful, but my house has had far more snagging than usual (over 40 items to date, some of which took over 5 months to get completed), failed appointments to fix items with no call from Berkeley, and has also had a leaking shower (through ceiling), leaks from outside that we're supposedly fixed, and now leaks in 4 rooms from heavy rain. The road also having to be dig up and rebuilt as it is substandard. Totally unacceptable and disappointed as I thought Berkeley were the good builders. A letter back from a member of Tony Pidgeley's team but yet am still waiting for the wonderful home I thought I was buying. Just want the house made fit for purpose! Remember - 760,000 pounds!!! I can't find much negativity about Berkeley online, so thought it important that I voice my experience. Do not recommend.

 

[NewHomeExpert]

No there are not many buyers who complain about Berkeley online.
But £760,000 for a house in Horsham seems overpriced.

 

[Despond]

This is so familiar. At Bersted Park in Bognor Regis we have had leaking toilets, leaking showers, leaking windows, leaking roofs, scratched glass, failing downlighters, drainage problems, heating problems, and so on and so on.

Everyone here is having significant problems but some houses more than others. We thought we had bought a lovely new, high specification Berkeley Home but within 2 days the problems started. Over 2 years later they are continuing. Currently many of us have more leaking windows and rotting front doors.

The specification is good but the build quality is poor and quality control non-existent. Customer Service do do their best to help us and are still putting things right but it would have been so much better if it was done properly in the first place.

 

[Despond]

That is because we didn't know about this site. And we are too busy trying to get everything repaired/replaced.

 

[NewHomeExpert]

This is so familiar. At Bersted Park in Bognor Regis we have had leaking toilets, leaking showers, leaking windows, leaking roofs, scratched glass, failing downlighters, drainage problems, heating problems, and so on and so on.

Everyone here is having significant problems but some houses more than others. We thought we had bought a lovely new, high specification Berkeley Home but within 2 days the problems started. Over 2 years later they are continuing. Currently many of us have more leaking windows and rotting front doors.

The specification is good but the build quality is poor and quality control non-existent. Customer Service do do their best to help us and are still putting things right but it would have been so much better if it was done properly in the first place.

I know of this particular site.
I am aware that Berkeley have regular intervals used agencies to advertise for site/project managers for presumably this development.
Constantly changing site managers nearly always results in problems. It is always "the last manager that was to blame"
It is a very large development, not the usual bespoke Berkeley 3 to 10 large homes or "luxury" London riverside flats.
At least Berkeley, unlike quite a few builders are actually doing something.
Agreed it would be better if you have not had the problems in the first place though!
It could have been worse, you could have bought at the Charles Church (aka Persimmon) "Willows" site next door!
Enjoy the morning traffic jam at the A27!

 

[Despond]

Bersted Park

I know of this particular site.
I am aware that Berkeley have regular intervals used agencies to advertise for site/project managers for presumably this development.
Constantly changing site managers nearly always results in problems. It is always "the last manager that was to blame"
It is a very large development, not the usual bespoke Berkeley 3 to 10 large homes or "luxury" London riverside flats.
At least Berkeley, unlike quite a few builders are actually doing something.
Agreed it would be better if you have not had the problems in the first place though!
It could have been worse, you could have bought at the Charles Church (aka Persimmon) "Willows" site next door!
Enjoy the morning traffic jam at the A27!

Unfortunately Berkeley are now refusing to sort out the rotting front doors although admitting they forgot to tell us how to care for them. They are still building and selling houses here so the black on the bottom of the front doors is not a good advert for them. And some of my neighbours are getting restive!

Luckily we only have to contend with the sound of the A259 - at least work on the relief road has started again so maybe one day the traffic will go around the back of us instead of along the front.

 

[Miki]

Hi

Can you tell me little bit more about the problems on the new houses at Bersted Park in Bognor Regis as me and my wife looking one of the house in this area. After see this post i little worried. Many thanks

 

[NewHomeExpert]

Hi

Can you tell me little bit more about the problems on the new houses at Bersted Park in Bognor Regis as me and my wife looking one of the house in this area. After see this post i little worried. Many thanks

A large multi-phase development, with lots of social housing on it.
High turnover of site managers - never a good sign!
Traffic issues although an alternative route is being built, it will still have to meet the A27 somewhere!
Bognor is not a very good area.
and read the previous posts they say it all!
I wouldn't want to live there!

 

[Despond]

Berkeley Homes at Bersted Park

Hi

Can you tell me little bit more about the problems on the new houses at Bersted Park in Bognor Regis as me and my wife looking one of the house in this area. After see this post i little worried. Many thanks

I suggest that when you talk to the Sales staff you tell them that you have read on the internet about the problems that have been experienced by the buyers on Phase 1 of the development. Ask them for Berkeleys warranty period and details - not just the NHBC.

Every phase has different subcontractors - windows, groundworks, roofs, plumbers, plasterers, tilers, gardeners all are changed - so the problems change as well. A lot of the problems on phase 1 are still being addressed 3 years later but it does seem that the more recent phases have fewer problems.

 

[NewHomeExpert]

Check that you are actually getting an NHBC warranty and not one of the others like LABC too!
Take a voice recorder so you have a record of what is said. Don't believe a word anyone says.
Never trust a house builder!

 

[buyer1]

Too invasive

I am in the process of buying with Berkeley, and find them very invasive with regards to your personal information. If you do not use their recommended brokers or solicitors they send all of your personal information over to them anyway for their opinion. (data protection laws?)
When i asked them to stop contacting other companies with my information they requested that I contact them to keep them in the loop!!!

 

[buyer1]

I am in the process of buying with Berkeley, and find them very invasive with regards to your personal information. If you do not use their recommended brokers or solicitors they send all of your personal information over to them anyway for their opinion. (data protection laws?)
When i asked them to stop contacting other companies with my information they requested that I contact the other companies myself to keep them in the loop!!!

 

[buyer1]

In addition to my last post, Berkeley Homes has now asked me to get a survey completed on my property prior to exchanging contracts (fair enough). But to do this I have to instruct my bank to go ahead with a mortgage offer even though it will expire before the house is ready. After explaining this to Berkeley I was told to just let the offer expire and then reapply again nearer the time. I took this information to my bank who questioned why they would go through all of the work of preparing an offer to just let it expire on purpose and then go through it all again. You can understand their point!

 

[Despond]

I am in the process of buying with Berkeley, and find them very invasive with regards to your personal information. If you do not use their recommended brokers or solicitors they send all of your personal information over to them anyway for their opinion. (data protection laws?)
When i asked them to stop contacting other companies with my information they requested that I contact the other companies myself to keep them in the loop!!!

Apparently all,within their rights if you are buying they can have you vetted by their agents legal or otherwise. What does your solicitor say about it?

 

[buyer1]

Too invasive

I never thought that it was within anyones rights to share your information with third parties without your consent. The company that they were talking to about us were a company that I had purposely chosen to avoid as I had had a disagreement with them that I was quite vocal about. I was asked to get a mortgage in principle to show that I could afford the property which I did, I then received a call from the sales team questioning my offer and telling me that it wasn't a real offer because the company that I had argued with had told them it wasn't, I was asked to call this company and liaise with them to explain in every little detail what my offer entailed.

After putting down my reservation fee, I was shown the model of the development and shown where each person lived and had the ethnic minorities houses pointed out to me. I was pushed toward using their solicitors which I didn't want to do, and I was called everyday chasing up on what I had done to progress my purchase.

Buying a house is always a stressful time anyway, but I have been made to feel really uncomfortable with the whole process and am going to pull out before exchanging contracts.

 

[NewHomeExpert]

They cannot push you to using their own choice of solicitor. This is against requirement 2.5 of the Consumer Code for Home Builders.
I can't begin to think how many laws they are breaking by telling people which ethnic group lives where. Let alone the Data Protection issue!
You have been wise to pull out!

 

[housebuyerbeware]

Think twice before buying a new build from berkeley homes

We have to put a bin everyday in our allocated parking space within a Gated Development due to the Great Incompetence shown by Berkeley Homes. We know the Chairman recently said he can't spell correctly in an interview but DOES THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE ALSO UNEDUCATED LIKE THE BERKELEY GROUP CHAIRMAN



THE NUMBER OF ISSUES WE HAD IN A BERKELEY HOME NEW BUILD IS JUST THAT WE SAY DO NOT BUY UNLESS YOU WANT REGRETS.

check twitter homeownerbeware

Unfortunately Berkeley are now refusing to sort out the rotting front doors although admitting they forgot to tell us how to care for them. They are still building and selling houses here so the black on the bottom of the front doors is not a good advert for them. And some of my neighbours are getting restive!

Luckily we only have to contend with the sound of the A259 - at least work on the relief road has started again so maybe one day the traffic will go around the back of us instead of along the front.