New-build Bellway house house owners inform of roof leaks and loft mould | EUROtoday

There are darkish stains on the outer partitions of Dean Carpenter’s new-build house and when it rains, he says, sheets of water cascade down the brickwork.

Since shopping for his Bellway property in Bedfordshire a 12 months in the past, he has discovered patches of damp or discoloured tiles, accretions of moss and mold rising within the loft house.

Dean is certainly one of many owners on two Bellway estates claiming to have endured prolonged battles with leaking roofs – and time is operating out on their structural warranties.

Bellway says it strives to resolve points as rapidly as attainable.

Dean, 41, paid £375,000 for his house which was inbuilt 2015.

Each morning he wakes up and worries concerning the roof, he says.

Two roofing firms have instructed him there are too few rows of tiles, which means the overlap is not enough to stop water ingress.

But Bellway and its insurers, the National House Building Council (NHBC), have rejected Dean’s claims, saying restore work of a poor commonplace by an unbiased builder, did not adjust to laws and invalidated his guarantee.

It mentioned the NHBC inspections had “not identified a defect within the original construction of Mr Carpenter’s property” or any proof of a leak or water ingress.

Since then, Bellway has blocked Dean’s emails and threatened authorized motion if he continues posting crucial remarks on Facebook.

“I feel totally fobbed off by Bellway,” he says.

“The roof needs replacing, it needs re-battening, re-tiling and re-relaying correctly.”

Eight individuals on the Willow Green property shared their issues about stained partitions, mould, or crumbling mortar within the eaves.

One of them, Robert Degavino, 77, says his loft is stuffed with black mould.

“Bellway came out to inspect the property, but as far as they’re concerned it meets building regulations.

“We’re fearful as a result of if it is continually getting moist, what’s it going to be like in one other 5, 10 or 20 years?

“They’re lovely designed houses, I just think it’s poor building practice.”

Bellway says staining on render was commonplace after 9 years and the NHBC discovered no signal of water ingress.

At least six owners have complained to Bellway or the NHBC about their roofs.

So far, just one declare has been permitted, leading to main remedial work on a property in November.

Robert Altman, 44, says he and his neighbours in Florence Close, a 10-home growth constructed by Bellway in 2017, are in an identical state of affairs.

They say they’re the guinea pigs of a brand new, flat-roofed design, which has resulted in years of damp or mould on the partitions of their bedrooms and loos.

In 2023 Bellway admitted a number of the roofs have been defective and agreed to enhance air flow and lay new insulation, however the work took practically two years, and other people’s lofts have been uncovered for months below scaffolding.

“And the worst of it is, they didn’t fix the problem,” Robert says.

“The specialists who came in to certify the work said there were still dangerous levels of moisture in our lofts.

“It’s simply distress after distress and we have been left within the chilly – we’re spending time on this when we’ve got younger households, all of us have jobs, and if we need to promote our homes, then we’re not going to have the ability to.”

Some of the residents are now considering legal action.

Georgina Bright, 32, says damp has been pooling on her upstairs ceiling, such that “all of the lights have been flickering” and when an extractor fan was removed “a great deal of water flew out of it”.

She says although Bellway’s contractors tried to clean up the mould, it is growing again all over her loft and on the bathroom walls.

“It provides me PTSD, the entire thing. It’s horrific.

“And I think sometimes, even when Bellway respond, it’s so unhelpful, it makes me feel really crap.”

Bellway “apologised to any homeowner on Florence Close who had been impacted” and mentioned it had labored laborious to resolve excellent points, including the roofs have been now “fitted as designed to prevent any future concerns” and a mould remedy specialist would reassess the properties within the Spring.

Paula Higgins, chief govt on the Homeowners Alliance, mentioned the extent of canopy for newbuild owners could possibly be “deeply unfair”.

“The structural warranty is very limited in scope so it can be difficult to get problems resolved – it’s frustrating and residents shouldn’t have to become experts because it’s not their fault.

“We’re counting on personal firms with shareholders to supply a public good and I do not suppose they take full duty for the general construct of those properties,” Mrs Higgins said.

• Once a new build home is built, it’s usually covered by a warranty, which lasts up to 10 years and is split into two periods. The NHBC’s is by far the most common
• For the first two years, the builder is obliged to fix any defects or “snags”, such as unsealed windows. Many homeowners hire professionals to spot them
• From years three to 10, the homeowner is usually insured for structural defects, or where damage has been caused because the foundations or the roof say, have not been built to the correct standards
• During this structural warranty period, minor defects are no longer covered. Damp may be covered, but only if it’s found to be the builder’s fault

Source: Homeowners Alliance

Despite market challenges, Bellway fared better than most of the major house builders over the past year, with profits of £381m.

The company is expected to complete 8,500 homes by April and is said to be confident about its prospects for 2025.

In July, the BBC reported on a Bellway estate in Fordham, Cambridgeshire with thousands of ongoing snagging issues, which prompted dozens of other unhappy customers to get in touch.

A Bellway spokesperson said with the NHBC it would “remediate any legit construct defects recognized” in the first ten years.

“As a accountable developer we try to resolve any points as successfully as attainable.

“A new home is a hand-built product, so defects do occur and often only become apparent once homeowners move in, as was the case at Florence Close.”

An NHBC spokesperson mentioned it was “committed to raising standards in housebuilding by championing high quality homes”.

“We assure homeowners of our dedication to fairness, thorough investigation and our industry-recognised high standards.”