AIBU to expect tangible dates for a new build?

[Bellexx]

In the progress of buying a new build. The developers don’t have in house staff selling the homes but go through a local estate agent.

The house has been delayed by 6/7 months. It was only when I chased last month (when I was meant to be moving in 5th delay) that it had moved yet again. I did press to see why only when I chased did he update me and got nothing back. The date has since moved 3 more times.

I have asked for dependencies on the date, response ‘building stuff’.

Asked for tangible date as of it late is seems to be frequently moving and it’s hard to arrange flooring, landscapers etc. Response back was if I’m getting distressed maybe I could only speak via my solicitor.

Am I being unreasonable to ask for some detail to why so many dates and for them to provide me something that seems more logical?

Yes YABU.

New builds are notorious for being delayed even pre COVID. Now it's worse with delays in materials etc. I'm sure if they could give you definitives, they would, but they can't because they just don't know!

You are not being unreasonable in wanting to know when you might be able to move into your new home. You are being unreasonable in expecting a reasonable answer from a new homes developer. Take the latest date they've given you, add three months, then double it...

But surely they could say it’s delayed due to xyz

Its less about the amount of delays but the communication.

for example Tuesday: 12 may
Monday the next week : 24 may
then Thursday after : 27th June

Builders have a different take on the space time continuum, you've no chance.

It’s local estate agent they’re using.

The homes didn’t include flooring or grass in the garden so they know there are things that people need to organise. I don’t want to waste any bodies time trying arrange things.

The house is clearly built, someone else on the development was allowed to see inside and there’s is finished so clearly waiting to be signed off. Surely that doesn’t take another month?

The house is clearly built, someone else on the development was allowed to see inside and there’s is finished so clearly waiting to be signed off. Surely that doesn’t take another month?

That will depend on how much resource the local authority Building Inspector team has. If it’s one person part time, it could take a while.

Depends where they are in the development too. Where we live, they operate in quarters, so your house might be available in Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4. They also release in chunks, so everyone in the first twelve houses in our road moved in at the same time.

We have the advantage that the developer included white goods, carpets, flooring and turf. I imagine there have been delays in sourcing materials.

It's not realistic that they can be concrete on dates.

Weather, delayed deliveries of supplies, absent trades (bricklayers and plasterers are especially hard to come by!), waiting for building control or NHBC to inspect and sign off, you name it - can add weeks at the drop of a hat to any build.

I am phase 1 which is one road, this includes the show house that they managed to complete in March. The other person has been told they’ll move in prior to the other 12 houses

I can most likely find out as I have family and friends that work in that area.

It could be a wider issue that's not immediately obvious to you.

One example (from experience) would be the lack of safe access to your home, due to the need for trucks to pass through for access to the rest of the site which is not really acceptable from a H&S perspective, so they have to complete other work first to make it safe for all the site users and residents.

Which I wouldn’t dispute it’s the lack of communication. The date has moved by 6 months and when I ask for a reason or dependencies or what’s left to do they either don’t respond or get ‘building stuff’.

They’ve only sold 10% of the development and they’ve been on the market tor 12 months you’d think they’d want to keep the buyers they have as it doesn’t seem like people are queuing for them

The estate agent is now refusing to communicate to me as apparently he was doing it as a gesture of good will and I need to go through my solicitor going forward. I’ve schedule a meeting with owner of agency tomorrow as this is pathetic