Bovis Homes Reviews

New Build Inspections

MikeJenvey

New Member
Start with this?

Consumer Code for Home Builders - Dispute Resolution Scheme

Looks like a cost of £120.00 to file a case.

As a minimum, I would say they are in breach of 1.3 Customer Service - Requirement -
The Home Builder must have suitable systems and procedures to ensure it can reliably and accurately meet the commitments on service, procedures and information in the Code.

Subsequent section on Complaints looks likely too!

is Ron Hannan Alan Knight's boss? Might add some fuel to the fire if he is.......
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Start with this?

Consumer Code for Home Builders - Dispute Resolution Scheme

Looks like a cost of £120.00 to file a case.

As a minimum, I would say they are in breach of 1.3 Customer Service - Requirement -
The Home Builder must have suitable systems and procedures to ensure it can reliably and accurately meet the commitments on service, procedures and information in the Code.

Subsequent section on Complaints looks likely too!

is Ron Hannan Alan Knight's boss? Might add some fuel to the fire if he is.......

Yes Bovis are breaching requirements of the Consumer Code for Home Builders.
I think I said that two and a half hours ago!
True it will cost £120 but you can claim the fee back if you win but the most you can get for "inconvenience" is £250 everything else you need proof of loss.
All in all its a complete waste of time! Click the link to find out why!
 

MikeJenvey

New Member
Just face it, Bovis customer service appears to be about as rubbish as the homes they build.
Time to step up complain the the CEO and NHBC as I said and stop messing about with "one month this" and broken promises!
No one is interested in Ron Alan or Becky!

Actually, IF Alan Knight is running a department that is seen (& complained about) as being sub-standard, then complaining to his boss might be productive.........
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Actually, IF Alan Knight is running a department that is seen (& complained about) as being sub-standard, then complaining to his boss might be productive.........

But complaining to the man at the top, (everyone's boss!) will be (or at least should be) even more productive.
 

MikeJenvey

New Member
If anyone else has had difficulties with Bovis Customer Care (Eastern region) / Alan Knight & wishes to complain higher.

Mrs Sue Warwick is the Managing Director for Bovis Homes Eastern. Based on standard format email, I would guess that the email address would be Sue.Warwick@bovishomes.co.uk

Bovis Homes Limited
The Manor House, North Ash Road
New Ash Green, Longfield
Kent, DA3 8HQ
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
If the regional offices of any house builder fail or ignore you, it is always a good idea to (at least send a copy) of your complaint to the CEO.
In Bovis case he is David Ritchie David.Ritchie@bovishomes.co.uk

Like most house builder CEOs he won't actually do anything but as the man in charge, he should at least be aware of the failings in his company.
You never know, one day a CEO might actually do the job they are paid to do and get personally involved in improving the quality of their product!
 
Hi all , I bought a bovis home last sept . I was in rental and left details with bovis " saleswoman" to let me know if any homes came up as they had all gone on site . I got a call for her and she informed me it would be ready in 2 weeks and that I could have the house for the same price as previous vendor ,I said ok but if I want the house I won't p complete until end of oct , approx 6 weeks , when I went to pay deposit , she told me I had to use lowes and there financial advisor as it would be quicker . I was told bovis would be pushing for completion in 2 weeks and that they would offer me 2 months rent to compensate me , I was ok for this to happen , on completion day everything went through ok , or so I thought , I went to collect keys and was told house was not finished ( bovis rushed me into completing ) and that bovis had completed without the nhbc cert being done , I was so angry , I eventually got the keys 6 days later , I couldn't do a thorough snagging list as I was back to work ,12 hr shifts the following week, I had booked a week off to move in and complete like most people . As time went on I started noticing lots of badly finished bits round the house , had 4 leaks , kitchen badly fitted , lots of shoddy plasterwork bows and scrapes where they hadn't been smoothed over , glosswork that hadn't been cleaned before paint put on it .at the end of oct the saleswoman was asked to leave bovis for dodgy dealings , so I was worried and kept checking land registry , in jan all my neighbours came up on land registry but we didn't , and shock horror they where all atleast 10k difference in price , so I hadn't been sold this for the same price , bovis have since admitted this but won't tell me what price previous vendor bought it for and won't honour the deal I was offered . I have had lots of correspondence with various levels in bovis and they are a complete joke , even the CEO , they don't get the fact before replying . After doing some more digging , the solicitor I was told to use stopped practising mid aug last year , I used them mid sept so they shouldn't have dealt with my house , it's 1 big mess .
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
"as it would be quicker" that old chesnut! She meant it would be EASIER for Bovis to control the whole thing!
Then they rushed you into completing in 2 weeks and the house wasn't even ready!
Bovis cannot legally complete without the NHBC Final (aka CML) certificate as they would not get your mortgage funds without a CML certificate.
So you now know why you should have had the home professionally snagged and inspected before you legally completed.

Right, you saved the best bit until last!
Bovis cannot require you to use their choice or a particular solicitor. NEVER use a solicitor the builder suggests or requires!
You can ask Bovis WHY they were forcing you to use a solicitor in breach of the CCHB 2.5 and worse, why they were wanting you to use one that was not allowed to call himself a solicitor at the time having been struck off!

Finally for others, never believe a word the sales bi***es "advisors" tell you and never follow any advice they give.
They ALL greedy and only motivated by commission!
Apart from the fact that this breaching the Consumer Protection Regulations 2008, it is also a very clear breach of the Consumer Code for Home Builders requirement 2.5. You did get given a copy of the Code didn't you? If not, another breach this time requirement 1.2

You can make a claim using the Arbitration Scheme. The more buyers that do so the more pressure there will be eventually on house builders not to break their own code and the LAW! To find out more by clicking on the links and follow the guide on my website.
 

Osiris

New Member
We have been searching for an affordable house forever, and have absolutely loved the one Bovis has on the Help to Buy scheme...the sales people have been lovely (but due to being the first time we actually buying a house - I am worried we are going to be taken for a ride!) Any advice on dealing with them? What sales incentives could a person ask for? What are the dangers of using their solicitor and mortgage advisor?
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
You are right to be wary of being taken for a ride.
I find it hard to believe you are actually asking about using the builder's choice of solicitor too, especially given my reply in the preceding post!
Do you realise how frustrating this is?
But again I reiterate.................

You should NEVER EVER repeat NEVER EVER use the builder's choice of solicitor.
The reason should be obvious. More information here!

Bovis are not a very good builder. Rated only four stars this year!
You are buying Help to Buy you won't get any incentives either.
House builders cannot build houses quick enough at the moment as there is no shortage of people like you can pay over the odds just before interest rates go up and the market crashes.

If you really must buy, please spend a few hours reading the information on my website. Brand New Homes
It took me long time to create it for people like you. - everything you need is there!
 
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moley

New Member
We've been in our new Bovis house for 10 months now. At times its been a bit of a slog to get some things straightened out. Without exception, every fault that has had to be rectified so far, has been the result of builders and contractors doing a poor job and/or rushing stuff while the house was built. The snag list has been quite long and variable - from cracked tiles on the garage roof and incorrect central heating wiring, to scratched cisterns and loose bath panels. It must cost these companies more to send people back to rectify faults than it would to do stuff properly in the first place, but I guess they never let good business practice get in the way of a quick sale.

We never signed off the initial snagging list from the site builders, so clearly that particular piece of paper is worthless. We deal with Customer Care when required now, and its a bit of a mixed bag: on the one hand they don't appear to be particularly well organised in tracking and documenting stuff, they are often slow to reply and never, ever pick up the office phone so email is more reliable. Once you get their attention things do get done, but we have also found you have to "supervise" the contractors sent to fix things, and some of them are much better than others at what they do. (I've heard through the grapevine recently that one Customer Care person is leaving Bovis as they are fed up receiving threatening emails, and that claims for compensation against Bovis are rife at the moment).

Finally we recently completed a survey for NHBC and to the 2 questions - would you buy a new home again and would you buy from this builder again - the answer was No.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Most house builders rely on a set amount for after sales. It used to be £500 a home.
The way they view it is that MOST buyers won't complain that much and most of the snags get done by sub contractors at their own cost anyway.
The house builder's admin is also "lost" in the overall office overheads, so shareholders have no idea how much a house builder is spending of THEIR money putting right the defective product they sell.

It is the few who complain and have expensive remedial work done for many months that really cost house builders. "The squeaky wheel gets the oil."
As you have discovered, complaints should always be in writing not phone. E mail has made this easier for buyers.
The Customer [dont] Care Manager is the worst job in a bad builder's office to do.

As for the survey, it also shows why Bovis Homes are rated just 4 stars when even the likes of Taylor Wimpey can get 5 in this highly suspect in-house industry consumer satisfaction survey!
 

disgruntled%%%

New Member
When I read these posts I feel relieved (in one way) that our estate is not an exception but equally appalled and upset by the appalling nature of Bovis Homes. I so wish I had read reviews on them but I was pretty naive, it was my husband and I's first house together and we wanted a new build so we could just move in, and live. HA!

We are at the stage now where, after 19 months of being here, we have instigated an action group against them and have a third of the estate with us; we have visited an MP who is looking into their regulations and seeing if they have broken the law along the way; our next step is to drown them in negative publicity. The estate we live on, has sewerage issues, poor drainage, roofs that are not affixed properly, cold and draughty windows, doors and poor radiators. Cracks are appearing in houses, squeaky floor boards that cannot be resolved, and so many more problems. The customer care is non existent, the site managers change by the week, the West Midlands office is off sick with stress and so there is one man covering - poor sod! David Ritchie knows about the problems and yet, he lets them go on. Well, they will not get away with this, if they don't start listening to us, we will go to Watchdog, and Trading Standards. I have already told them that in 14 days if they can't find my building regulation compliance report, then i am filing a complaint with the Ombudsman. We have a meeting with them in October, and they better start getting their ducks in a row, or they will be named and shamed. The only problem is devaluing of the house, but to be honest, I am past caring, I would rather have a house in a fit working order to sell, than be afraid to expse the appalling ness of these Builders.

If anyone has gone along this process and done similar things to us, and you have ideas to share, we would love to hear them!
N&L
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
It is high time that CEO's of plc house builders were called to account for the shortcomings of their staff regarding both poor quality and diabolical absence of customer care.
All you can do is keep writing to him. he wont do anything, he probably doesn't even care or gives a toss, most of the CEOs don't!
But at least you will have had a say, and perhaps make him feel just a little bit guilty taking his multi-million pound salary each year!
You should tweet on Twitter about it EVERYDAY too. It will get a response, it is very public!
Join our Facebook action group, Unhappy New Home Buyers too.

As for action the NHBC is your best bet but it will be a long process.
 

Harry Johnson

New Member
Thought I would post our experience of Bovis up here having frequented this site after purchasing a home with them. We reserved our house in January buying off plan, we were told that it would be end of May before we moved in but in fact it ended up being the end of June - a delay of around a month, but people in our development experienced much worse.

Having read the reviews about Bovis (after exchanging contracts!) we were naturally mortified and very nervous about our purchase. My wife and I have close relatives in the trade, and we had them round to the look at the house at various stages in the building process and they could not really identify any problems with the build itself. On moving in to the house we have experienced very few snagging issues and having been in the property for nearly four and a half months everything seems to be working as it should. To be perfectly honest we do wonder when/if things are going to start going wrong!

We do consider ourselves to be quite fortunate given the various horror stories, both on this site and on other sites. However, having talked with our neighbours, on balance I would say people are quite satisfied with what they have brought. I can't really comment on the customer care department. Frankly they sound useless and I hope we don't ever have cause to deal with them.

To be honest we are delighted with our house. It has fully met our expectations in terms of build quality and the interior attention to detail and we think it looks great. We have had no problems with electricity/plumbing (touch wood we won't, but you never know). We can't be the only ones can we?!

I must admit we weren't expecting everything to be perfect with our new house, but we reasoned that buying new would save a lot of hassle that you might not get in an older house. A friend purchased an older property recently around the same time as us and they had to replace the internal electrics, and boiler. Neither of these were picked up in the survey and so they had to fund the rectification works themselves. They were pretty annoyed, but there's no open forum for them to raise their concerns.

I don't think we went in to this with our eyes closed, and all things considered we thought a new build property with Bovis (there are other developers on site) was the best choice for us at the time.

Would I recommend Bovis? Yes, but it would be a caveated recommendation.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Your friends who bought an older house can use this forum it is not restricted to new home buyers only.

I believe your experience is a triumph of luck over judgement.
As you found this forum after exchanging, did you get the finished home professionally independently snagged?
Your close relatives "in the trade" are hardly likely to give you an honest "warts and all" opinion as that might upset you.
I was once asked my opinion of a house a friend was going to make an offer on. I only pointed out that the DPC was not 150mm above ground and there was some damp and that I suspected there may also asbestos in the home. She didn't buy it but I was never asked again!
That is why an independent professional inspector is best.

You were lucky, perhaps you should do the lottery this weekend.
Mind you the odds of winning are appear to be about the same as buying a good new home!
 

MikeJenvey

New Member
From recent experiences, their legal department is not much better than Cutomer Care.....

I went sideways to the Director of Customer Care in order to put pressure on the legal department (the fact that I copied in the Legal Director - Alison.Clegg@bovishomes.co.uk - might have helped!).

After a quick exchange, a reply came back from a James.Miller@bovishomes.co.uk - he is the Area Customer Care Manager (Eastern Region). A reminder that Alan.Knight@bovishomes.co.uk is the Customer Care Director.

Incidentally, in one message, it was suggested that I contact the Managing Director, Sue Warwick, at the main offices in Kent. I presume that on normal format, her email would be Sue.Warwick@bovishomes.co.uk

Anyway, after nearly 3 months of no action for the required details, in less than 3 hrs after my contact, the required legal information was sent out to the relevant offices. ;)
 
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