Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

BELLWAY HOMES DO NOT BUY

81 replies

Andreadorward · 12/02/2025 17:42

BELLWAY HOMES - DO NOT PURCHASE A HOUSE FROM THIS BUILDER - UPDATE

I thought I would share a few photo's of issues I had / have with my new build.
Other issues heating system not installed correctly heating on constantly for 7 days until they realised the valves were fitted the wrong way around
Different shades of tiles in the ensuite, tiles also have lips on. Their was a bulge in my cloakroom wall under the sink, the pipe work stuck out and the plasterboard was fitted over, it's now been fixed, skirting boards are not straight, concrete was left in the drain outside my garage, block paving is absolutely shocking and a huge socket that is not centred which is called a media plug. it looks hideous. Subfloor still an issue. Spotlights in kitchen look uneven and they won't change. I've managed to source an electrician who is moving them for £20, you pay £255k for a house and they won't move 3 spotlights.
it's probably because I have given them a 1 for the quality of the house. i wonder if I had given them a 5 would this have changed the outcome 🤔

All I hear is it's within tolerance what the hell!! why is this not put to buyers when they reserve? explain to them that if you have scratches on window panes and you stand back so many metres and you cannot see them then this is acceptable, tiles with lips on them and not straight this is acceptable if it's within the tolerance again, skirting boards on angles again. why are we paying a premium for a forever new built home for this to be allowed. I should not have to get all my tiles fitted again at my own expense because I am not happy with how these have been fitted. I am awaiting for the tiler to come back to me on what is within tolerance and what is actually being repaired.

LABC have been out to my home but I'm not holding my break, someone on my last post stated they are all for the builders. I will see what the report states and make judgement then.

I have spoken to my MP and awaiting what avenue we will go down

what issues have you had with a new build property and would you ever buy another one again?

please share just so home buyers are aware what actually can happen when they move into a new build home. When you reserve a property please think long and hard about the above issues I have had. I'm not saying everyone goes through this but if I stop one person / couple from making a massive mistake then I have done something right.

thank you in advance and for sharing 😊

BELLWAY HOMES DO NOT BUY
BELLWAY HOMES DO NOT BUY
BELLWAY HOMES DO NOT BUY
BELLWAY HOMES DO NOT BUY
BELLWAY HOMES DO NOT BUY
OP posts:
Whatevershallidowithmylife · 12/02/2025 17:44

Pretty much all new houses aren’t worth the money. Not helpful but truthful.

wherearemypastnames · 12/02/2025 17:49

Not actually sure what the last few photos are meant to be showing me

But as a rule of thumb - avoid the big building firms

Octoberdreaming · 12/02/2025 17:49

I’ve had loads of issues with mine. I think it’s pretty standard for new builds unfortunately - a sign of times we live in.

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 12/02/2025 17:51

Most new builds are rubbish. I worked in one for a while.

They’re only built to last about 50 years so surely it’ll be hard to get a mortgage on one anyway.

Mehmeh22 · 12/02/2025 17:53

I had a friend that paid for a snag report and they couldn't argue with it. Otherwise they will just blag it.

vinnabawl · 12/02/2025 18:05

That’s so disappointing. I have to say, our Bellway house was fab. I fully expected tons of issues so paid for a full snag report and only one ‘major’ thing flagged that they corrected asap. I guess maybe it depends which area you’re in and who the head Bellway builder is (or whoever it is!) hope you get sorted soon

Aquagirl123 · 12/02/2025 18:10

I have a Bellway new build home bought 5 years ago. Only had minor issues after moving in and these were dealt with promptly. We gave them 5 stars. You have been very unlucky, guess it depends on the site manager and tradespeople used

Porkyporkchop · 12/02/2025 18:18

Get a snag report done and go back to them with everything they need to do whilst you have a warranty.

obsessedwithfreshbread · 12/02/2025 18:18

I think it depends on your estate, we've been in our Bellway 2.5yrs and apart from the garden being a mud pit (but we knew we were going to patio it all anyway) we have only had a couple of small issues and they've fixed them all really quickly and professionally.

We've had a couple of new front doors as the quality wasn't great and it warped a couple of times, last time they put the upgraded one and it's been absolutely fine since.
Our flooring in the downstairs toilet started to lift in the corner after being in about 18 months, they were out and replaced it within a week

I also think it makes a difference if it's timber framed or block and brick in terms of insulation and noise from neighbours

When we downsize from this house, would absolutely buy another new-build.

hattie43 · 12/02/2025 18:27

Won't help you but I'd never buy a new build . They are known to be a poor standard of workmanship probably because of the pressure on trades to throw them up in double quick time .

Fairislesweater · 12/02/2025 18:28

hattie43 · 12/02/2025 18:27

Won't help you but I'd never buy a new build . They are known to be a poor standard of workmanship probably because of the pressure on trades to throw them up in double quick time .

My understanding is that this is why mortgage lenders are less willing to lend on a new build.

Mareleine · 12/02/2025 18:29

Yes I think it depends on the estate too. We've got a Bellway. It's got some minor issues. I agree that they always come back with "it's within tolerance." Our shower pressure in the main bathroom is appalling and they said it was fine when they checked it. Our garage has a damp issue due to not being built properly. Again, apparently all fine (DH has had to fix it himself). The drive isn't wide enough to open the car doors by the house and we weren't allowed to check on our exact house before buying it which is very annoying as we have to park at the very front. None of it is life-affecting though, they're all just minor niggles. I certainly wouldn't think to say don't buy any Bellway homes based on my one experience on one site! We've had three site managers and two assistants now and it really depends on them as to how well the site is run and whether they'll fix things properly or not.

The problems with this house just pale in comparison to the one we lived in abroad which we lost £100k on because it was literally falling down though so I can't get too worked up about niggles. All houses have issues.

fashionqueen0123 · 12/02/2025 18:31

This is why Id never buy a new build. Facebook has groups of photos like this. I’ve met various trades who said they’d never work on them as they’d not have their name linked to the work. They want them to work so fast the work is so shoddy and only certain people will sign up to that.

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 12/02/2025 18:33

You shouldn’t be paying for a ‘snag report’. They should just build them properly the first time.

Frenchyq25 · 12/02/2025 18:37

We live in a Bell way house (HA though), have been here for 15 years,the house has been investigated for issues due to large cracks appearing in our living room and bedroom....turns out we have no foundation under the back of our house and only half the acceptable amount elsewhere. I wouldn't buy a bellway home if you paid me.

Pinkfluffypencilcase · 12/02/2025 18:43

We had a Bellway home 30 years ago. Otherwise dubbed Hellway homes. Also had problems with the subfloor and front door not fitted properly. They did very little to rectify it. I sympathise.

ShapedLikeAPastry · 12/02/2025 18:44

obsessedwithfreshbread · 12/02/2025 18:18

I think it depends on your estate, we've been in our Bellway 2.5yrs and apart from the garden being a mud pit (but we knew we were going to patio it all anyway) we have only had a couple of small issues and they've fixed them all really quickly and professionally.

We've had a couple of new front doors as the quality wasn't great and it warped a couple of times, last time they put the upgraded one and it's been absolutely fine since.
Our flooring in the downstairs toilet started to lift in the corner after being in about 18 months, they were out and replaced it within a week

I also think it makes a difference if it's timber framed or block and brick in terms of insulation and noise from neighbours

When we downsize from this house, would absolutely buy another new-build.

If I'd bought a brand-new house I'd be absolutely furious to have had to sort 'a couple of new front doors', flooring and a mud pit of a garden all in the space of 2.5 years!

I'd never buy a new build.

Murfmeister · 12/02/2025 18:51

We bought a new build, but it was only one of four by a small builder.
A couple of very small snags which were dealt with within 24 hours.
I love our house, but probably wouldn't buy one on a large estate.

StampOnTheGround · 12/02/2025 18:52

8 years in our Bellway and no issues at all.

Mehmeh22 · 12/02/2025 18:55

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 12/02/2025 18:33

You shouldn’t be paying for a ‘snag report’. They should just build them properly the first time.

Of course it's not right you have to pay for a snag report. But unfortunately that is the only way you will get them to accept liability

kaos2 · 12/02/2025 19:04

It depends on the developer , our last house was a new build and it was amazing and as good as new when we sold it 10 years later . Extremely well built and very high end appliances that were well fitted

Bellway and Bovis do not make great houses IME .

You should expect snagging though and the developer should fix them . Go to nhbc if they don't

Toutestbienquifinitbien · 12/02/2025 19:21

We own a Bellway home that we rent out. No issues.

Nottodaty · 12/02/2025 19:28

I live in a now not new build - we bought 16 years ago. Small site only 15 houses and a block of flats for HA. Well built and we’ve all had a few minor issues quickly resolved. We did have an issue with the roof & was repaired under the 10 year warranty,

we recently went to view some new builds and definitely could see issues - shocking that the quality has dropped. It seemed the larger sites 100+ worse. We did find a smaller site and the quality seemed much better but developers wouldn’t budge on price so we staying put!

Heatherjayne1972 · 12/02/2025 19:29

Oh no. Never buy a new build. They always seem to have problems. The people I bought my house from were buying a new build there were delays and many issues holding up the sale -( of their old house to me). I’d run a mile from one

wonderstuff · 12/02/2025 19:34

I think it very much depends on the management on the site, we bought a Bellway about 5 years ago, while builders were on site they were really quick to deal with snags, we’re generally pretty happy. We did have a roof tile go a couple of years ago and the wind wasn’t terribly strong, we asked them to look at it and the said they didn’t cover storm damage, we said but it wasn’t really a storm! Found a roofer and it wasn’t a particularly expensive job, he felt it wasn’t pinned properly when it was put up.

What I do like is that I’ve got a lovely big kitchen, a utility, en suite and it’s really well insulated. Older houses I’ve lived in have been drafty, and you rarely get utility rooms and en suites in older homes of a similar price to ours. I would buy new again, although I think my favourite houses have been Victorian (we’ve moved a lot)!

Swipe left for the next trending thread