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A disgruntled new home owner has spoken of his frustration at still waiting for his warped front door to be replaced after more than a year and having to contend with many other issues in his property.
Problems which have had to be corrected include a ‘leaky oven’ which had to be replaced and caused damage to a fitted kitchen cupboard; missing plasterboard tape which means joins are now visible; the back door handle had to be replaced because it was loose and had issues with the locking mechanism; and an incorrectly fitted bath panel has required replacing.
In January 2018, Jamie, 42, reported to Redrow he had a problem with his front door, and is still waiting for the issue to be resolved. Redrow have responded saying they are working with him to come to a resolution.
Jamie Leaman's warped front door which has taken Redrow more than a year to replace (Image: Jamie Leaman)
Jamie recalled: “I noticed the locks were not clicking so it’s hard to lock. A carpenter tried to adjust the door but he said it was too warped to fix and that he dealt with a lot of problems with doors in Redrow homes.
“Redrow ordered us a new door but when it arrived last July it was damaged so we refused to accept it. A carpenter suddenly turned up at the house one day in late September with the second replacement door to fit. My partner, who works for the NHS, was about to go to work so she couldn’t be there for it to be fitted.
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The damaged door that was rejected by Jamie (Image: Jamie Leaman)
“He went off with the door and said he would book an appointment but since then no one can tell us where the front door went.
“We were then home on January 24, when we saw someone outside measuring our door. We have since been offered a third replacement door but it’s a painted door which we don’t want as we’re worried about how well it will weather and it’s not like for like as previously promised.
“We were given the ultimatum that if we didn’t accept it by February 1 it would be put down as ‘job completed’, even though it’s not. We were only given three days to make a decision.
Jamie Leaman has had a long snagging list of problems (Image: Jamie Leaman)
Jamie, who lives in a shared ownership property, claims there are also many other residents who live in Bishops Court who have also encountered problems with their homes.
He said: “There is a Bishops Court Facebook forum page where quite a few people have complained about Redrow. Someone said they wished they have never moved here. It doesn’t seem to matter if you live in a shared or full ownership home; the problems are the same.“I have been dealing with Redrow and their incompetence for a long time and I’m just fed up with it. I’ve had nothing but trouble with them, and they have caused me and my family undue stress over the past year. All I want is my house to be sorted out.
“When we bought our home we were made aware we would get some issues like cracking. Last June we were due our annual inspection which picks up any defects and works that need to be done.
Jamie has raised concerns over his plasterboard joins (Image: Jamie Leaman)
“I had to chase Redrow to carry out the inspection which was finally done two months later in August.
“We were led to believe Redrow are one of the better house builders but I don’t think they are. I think the problems associated with new builds will get worse as the government have a quota of how many new builds that are required and they are being built so quick there will be problems with the quality of them across the country.”
Bishops Court is a new Redrow housing development in Exeter (Image: Jamie Leaman)
Redrow Homes customer service manager Paul Brodie said: “We are committed to ensuring our customers are happy in their new homes and, on the occasions that any snagging issues arise, we endeavour to work alongside our homeowners to resolve them.“We are aware of the issues with Mr Leaman’s front door and we are currently liaising with him to find the best solution.”
Bishops Court is built on a former sand quarry. Full planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of the site to deliver 190 residential dwellings in April 2013.
Problems which have had to be corrected include a ‘leaky oven’ which had to be replaced and caused damage to a fitted kitchen cupboard; missing plasterboard tape which means joins are now visible; the back door handle had to be replaced because it was loose and had issues with the locking mechanism; and an incorrectly fitted bath panel has required replacing.
In January 2018, Jamie, 42, reported to Redrow he had a problem with his front door, and is still waiting for the issue to be resolved. Redrow have responded saying they are working with him to come to a resolution.
Jamie Leaman's warped front door which has taken Redrow more than a year to replace (Image: Jamie Leaman)
Jamie recalled: “I noticed the locks were not clicking so it’s hard to lock. A carpenter tried to adjust the door but he said it was too warped to fix and that he dealt with a lot of problems with doors in Redrow homes.
“Redrow ordered us a new door but when it arrived last July it was damaged so we refused to accept it. A carpenter suddenly turned up at the house one day in late September with the second replacement door to fit. My partner, who works for the NHS, was about to go to work so she couldn’t be there for it to be fitted.
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The damaged door that was rejected by Jamie (Image: Jamie Leaman)
“He went off with the door and said he would book an appointment but since then no one can tell us where the front door went.
“We were then home on January 24, when we saw someone outside measuring our door. We have since been offered a third replacement door but it’s a painted door which we don’t want as we’re worried about how well it will weather and it’s not like for like as previously promised.
“We were given the ultimatum that if we didn’t accept it by February 1 it would be put down as ‘job completed’, even though it’s not. We were only given three days to make a decision.
Jamie Leaman has had a long snagging list of problems (Image: Jamie Leaman)
Jamie, who lives in a shared ownership property, claims there are also many other residents who live in Bishops Court who have also encountered problems with their homes.
He said: “There is a Bishops Court Facebook forum page where quite a few people have complained about Redrow. Someone said they wished they have never moved here. It doesn’t seem to matter if you live in a shared or full ownership home; the problems are the same.“I have been dealing with Redrow and their incompetence for a long time and I’m just fed up with it. I’ve had nothing but trouble with them, and they have caused me and my family undue stress over the past year. All I want is my house to be sorted out.
“When we bought our home we were made aware we would get some issues like cracking. Last June we were due our annual inspection which picks up any defects and works that need to be done.
Jamie has raised concerns over his plasterboard joins (Image: Jamie Leaman)
“I had to chase Redrow to carry out the inspection which was finally done two months later in August.
“We were led to believe Redrow are one of the better house builders but I don’t think they are. I think the problems associated with new builds will get worse as the government have a quota of how many new builds that are required and they are being built so quick there will be problems with the quality of them across the country.”
Bishops Court is a new Redrow housing development in Exeter (Image: Jamie Leaman)
Redrow Homes customer service manager Paul Brodie said: “We are committed to ensuring our customers are happy in their new homes and, on the occasions that any snagging issues arise, we endeavour to work alongside our homeowners to resolve them.“We are aware of the issues with Mr Leaman’s front door and we are currently liaising with him to find the best solution.”
Bishops Court is built on a former sand quarry. Full planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of the site to deliver 190 residential dwellings in April 2013.