Home NEWS Swindon homeowner claims there are 400 faults on his property

Swindon homeowner claims there are 400 faults on his property

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Swindon homeowner claims there are 400 faults on his property

A homeowner says he has over 400 faults on his new-build home – including tiles secured on the roof with duct tape as well as walls that don’t align correctly and botched repairs such as an unbolted banister. 

Joe Tompkinson, 33, and wife Claire, 43, were excited about the prospect of a ‘fresh start’ when they moved into their Linden Homes property in Swindon, Wiltshire, in December 2017.

Their excitement however, was soon squashed when the couple began to notice issues after just three weeks of settling into their new home.

The first issue was a tile that fell off the roof of the building, causing £3,000 worth of damage to their car which had been parked on the driveway.  

Mr Tompkinson, a policeman of 12 years, claims he later uncovered more examples of ‘appalling’ workmanship at the detached £400,000 property.

Joe and Claire Tomkinson, pictured above outside the faulty property, said they wanted a ‘fresh start’ when they moved in 

Homeowner Joe Tompkinson, 33 (right), and wife Claire, 43 (left), were excited about the prospect of a ‘fresh start’ when they moved into their Linden Homes property in Swindon, Wiltshire 

Among the litany of issues with the property identified by the couple is the tiles on the roof which had been secured by duct tape (pictured) 

A portion of the ceiling (pictured above) which the couple say was built too low and which the couple paid to get the height readjusted

The couple claim there are issues all over the property including how the wall leading to the back garden is not aligned (right) as tiles falling off the roof (left)

Mr Tompkinson added that his family want to continue stay in the property: ‘We like the area – we get on well with the neighbours and the children go to school five minutes up the road (Pictured: The loft has poorly fitted insulation and an extractor pipe that is not connected to the extractor fan in the bathroom)

Another issue the Tompkinson’s noticed with their new build home was a crack running through the concrete floor of the garage (pictured)

He says the long list includes botched repairs, unbolted banisters, sinking bathroom floors, subsidence, cracked flooring and missing brickwork.

At one point there were more than 400 faults – a variety of issues from paint defects to tiles not being fitted properly –  some of which have since been repaired but more than 100 remain.

Mr Tompkinson said he has heard tiles, some of which are secured with adhesive tape, falling from the roof as he lays in bed at night.

The couple, who live in the property with their three children, aged eight, five, and three – say are at risk of being hit with falling tiles.

He said an independent survey condemned the roof because the majority of tiles were incorrectly secured and soffits built too low. 

The policeman said he discovered this information through a subject access request under the Data Protection Act and claimed the firm would not release the report or provide a copy to the National House Building Council (NHBC). 

Mr Tompkinson said: ‘Linden Homes have allowed my family to live under this roof now for 18 months but for six months have known what is wrong with it. 

‘I repeatedly asked for this report, at times sending several emails a week. They withheld it until I put in a subject access request under the Data Protection Act.’ 

Since moving into the home, back in December 2017, the couple say they have discovered more than 400 issues with their property 

Mr Tompkinson says the long list includes botched repairs, unbolted banisters, sinking bathroom floors, subsidence and missing brickwork. One of the many repairs needed is a gap in the window sill (pictured)

Mr Tompkinson said an independent survey condemned the roof because the majority of tiles were incorrectly secured and soffits built too low. In this image a visible gap between the sealant and the floor can be seen in their bathroom 

Mr Tompkinson, a policeman, said he discovered the information from the independent survey through a subject access request under the Data Protection Act and claimed the firm would not release the report or provide a copy to the National House Building Council (NHBC). (Pictured: A large gap between the window sill and wall)

He said:’I repeatedly asked for this report, at times sending several emails a week. They withheld it until I put in a subject access request under the Data Protection Act’ (Pictured: Wall bowed and unaligned)

Mr Tompkinson also claims Linden promised £7,350 to cover expenses while the family vacated the house for ‘a few weeks in the summer’ to allow repair work to be undertaken.  (Pictured: Carpet peeling up at the edges of a room, revealing the base layer)

Ten mistakes the Tompkinsons identified in their home:

– Tiles on the roof secured by duct tape

– Unbolted banister 

– Sinking bathroom floor 

– Cracked concrete flooring in the garage 

– Missing brickwork

– Badly fitted carpeting

– Gap between window sill and wall  

– Unfinished plasterboard in the kitchen

– Poorly fitted insulation in the loft

– An extractor pipe not connected to the extractor fan in the bathroom 

He claims Linden promised £7,350 to cover expenses while the family vacated the house for ‘a few weeks in the summer’ to allow repair work to be undertaken.

He booked a three-week holiday to Florida but claims Linden have since withdrawn the offer.

Mr Tompkinson said: ‘We had been in the new home for a couple of weeks when Claire found a smashed tile on the driveway which had come off the roof.

‘A tile caused £3,000 worth of damage to our car which was parked outside. This was reimbursed but initially Linden said it was an act of god caused by wind.

‘We’ve heard tiles falling from the roof when we’ve been in bed. We are worried a tile could come off and hit us or the children. It’s not safe.’

He says he wants the Government to ‘step in’ and review future developments by Linden Homes given the problems he has faced.

Mr Tompkinson added: ‘It’s alarming that they are insisting on building more houses all the time – I want the government or the local authority to step in and assess whether this is safe.

‘We would like to stay in the property because we like the area – we get on well with the neighbours and the children go to school five minutes up the road,’ he said.

Issues the couple claim have riddled the property are unfinished plasterboard (left) ad well as carpet fraying at the edges (right) 

‘We moved here from a similar property because we fancied a fresh start. Our old house was 20 years old and we needed things like a new kitchen and a new bathroom.

Who are Linden Homes and why are residents on their estates frustrated?

Linden Homes is the house-building division of Galliford Try, which is a leading construction company in the UK.

Despite its elevated status, the company has been in disputes with residents across the country due to issues that have arisen with their properties.

Earlier this year residents of a Linden estate in Colchester were forced to complain to the developers a third time about unfinished works on their estate.

This is while in November 2018, the brand was singled out in Oxfordshire, with MP Ed Vaizey claiming that it was ‘probably the worst developer in his constituency’.

He also added that houses the firm had built across Oxford were ‘literally falling down’.

On its website the company states that it builds ‘award-winning homes across the country in prime locations’ and that it strives to create sustainable new developments.

‘We were also looking at building a conservatory so instead thought the best option would be moving into a new build.’

Linden Homes said they’ve received ‘an unusually high number of reported issues’ on the Abbey Farm development – with 40 other homeowners describing problems.

In a statement, the property development firm said: ‘We have confirmed to Mr Tompkinson, on a number of occasions in writing, that we will attend to any issues with his home which do not comply with NHBC standards.

‘We warrant to finish our homes to these standards and the customer has agreed that the NHBC are best placed to determine which issues require attention.’

Linden Homes has properties all of the country and has recently finalised a deal for 900 new Yorkshire homes to be built.

The firm has just purchased a 90-acre sit in East Yorkshire and has been given the go-ahead to build the homes on the land. 

According to the Construction Index the project will include a range of two, three and four bedroom homes as well as a £5million park and ride scheme for the town of Beverly. 

The site had been identified as a key growth area early this month and is set to provide a range of facilities. Work is set to commence this month with the first homes being ready early 2020.   

Earlier this year, tenants at a Linden Homes estate in Colchester also claimed the estate was a ‘shambles and needed to be fixed’.

Residents in the area are said to have complained three times to the developers about unfinished works to the ten-year-old estate.

Back in 2017 Linden Homes has been forced to defend rendering on the estate’s young homes after forcing residents to pay a specialist cleaner to get rid of a green tinge. 

He said: ‘It’s alarming that they are insisting on building more houses all the time – I want the government or the local authority to step in and assess whether this is safe. (Pictured: Hidden behind the microwave is a plasterboard)

In a statement Linden Homes said: ‘We warrant to finish our homes to these standards and the customer has agreed that the NHBC are best placed to determine which issues require attention’ (Pictured: An unbolted newel post holding the staircase together)

Linden Home said they’ve also received ‘an unusually high number of reported issues’ on the Abbey Farm development – with 40 other homeowners describing problems (Pictured: Garden in a dull state just five months after the Tompkinsons moved in)

My brand new £700,000 house stinks! Homeowner fed up with the smell of SEWAGE in the garden of his Surrey home thanks to the 11 drain holes takes drastic action to shame the developer 

In April last year a family from Surrey also faced similar issues with the company, when they were forced to stay outside due to a foul smell coming from the property. 

Mark Buller, 41, was overjoyed at the prospect of moving his family into their own little slice of paradise – a £700,000 home in Frimley.

But months later, they became locked in a war with the developers over a disgusting ‘smell of poo’ surrounding the posh development. 

Mr Buller publicly shamed Linden Homes in April 2018 by hanging huge banners from his house, spreading the word about his disaster garden and blocking access to the contractor entrance with his car. 

The family bought the home in 2016 while it was still under construction – but were dismayed to find on completion builders installed 11 drains and a sewage pumping station – in their front garden. 

Mark Buller his wife Rhian and their children had a sewage station pumping beneath their front garden at their new property in Frimley. (Family pictured in April 2018)

The circled areas above show the spots where drains are located. There are 15 around the property and 11 in particular in the front garden 

The Bullers – Mark and Rhian, also 41, and their three children are living above the sewage system through which waste from every house on the Linden Homes Heathlands estate development, flows. And they can smell it.

Some days it is so bad they can smell it indoors.

While Britons welcome the sunshine the Buller family is literally dreading the heat because that is when the stench gets worse.

Mr Buller claims the Linden Homes sales teams had no idea about the presence of the pump when negotiations were taking place.

The sewage pump for the entire Linden Homes Heathlands estate development is in the Bullers’ front garden along with 15 man hole covers around the house

Now, instead of being able to have barbecues or play in the garden with their children, 12-year-old Emily-May, Thomas, nine, and four-year-old Holly, the family are forced to stay inside with all the windows closed.

Mark said: ‘It’s ridiculous – the whole situation absolutely stinks.

‘The kids can’t even play outside in nice weather, because that’s when it’s worse.

‘We can’t have people over for barbecues in the sun because we never know if it’ll smell of poo – who wants to sit outside with that smell lingering.

‘Why should my family have to live in a house that smells like poo?’

 Mr Buller said he never would have bought the home knowing there was a sewage pump under it – and had no indication it would be there – with a total of 15 man hole covers, 11 of which are in the front garden.

Drain covers fill the front lawn at the Linden Homes development in Surrey, The Buller family say they can smell the waste under their home when they are inside with the windows closed

Drain covers are littered around the front garden of the home in Surrey. The Bullers have claimed they had no idea there would be a sewage pump under their home – but the developer says they should have seen it

 When the Bullers first saw the house there was not ‘much more than a shell to see’ and plans given to a surveyor made no mention of a pump under the house, the family said.

Mr Buller said he is now ignored by Linden Homes and when contractors were alerted to a problem with the pump, signalled by a flashing light near the Buller home, they took days to get to them. 

He said: ‘We keep being fobbed off.

‘Linden come and clear the sewage when it flares up, but the reality is the smell is never going to get better until the pump is moved out of my front garden.’

Now, the Surrey sales consultant is taking matters into his own hands, after 15 call-outs have failed to solve the problem.

He said: ‘I’m going to put up a banner on the front of the house to warn potential buyers off the development.

‘I’ve even parked my car in front of the contractors entrance to the site to get their attention before.

‘That time someone came to look at the pump and sort the smell within minutes.

‘I’m starting to take legal advice now but it could drag on for years and cost me a fortune.

‘Linden have lawyers who deal with this but I have to pay for my own expenses.’

Despite all the issues, Linden is still selling homes on the posh development.

Mr Buller added: ‘Sometimes I get home from work at 9pm and there will be men on my front garden trying to fix the pump because neighbours have complained about the stench.

‘It’s incredibly noisy. It keeps my children awake.’

Neighbours have also complained about the smell on the street and other problems with their brand new homes.

Mr Buller said: ‘Next door had to have their entire ground floor re-laid because it was getting bumps.

‘Another neighbour had no insulation in the walls.

‘We’ve had a few problems with this too.

‘If you walk between my son’s bedroom and then the room next door it’s noticeably colder, but Linden tell us everything meets guidelines.

‘Would anyone who works for Linden would want to live with the smell of poo? No, they wouldn’t.’ 

Speaking last year a spokeswoman from Linden Homes disputed the account and said the sewage pump could have been spotted.

She said: ‘When Mr Buller purchased the property in 2016, it was a finished home, with the control box for the sewerage installed, in situ and clearly visible to the front of the property.

‘The fault with the sewage pump station was recently brought to our attention and was fixed on 16 April. Since rectifying the pump, Mr Buller has subsequently informed us that there is a sewage smell coming from the manholes in the rear garden. However as there is no foul drainage running to the rear of Mr Buller’s property, we understand that the smell may be coming from an adjacent development whose onsite sewers are currently being investigated by Thames Water.’ 

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