Home owners please help, whose responsibility is this?

[Unrulyrabbit]

We bought a new build last year (acknowledging this may be perceived as a major failing but it is not something we can change at this point). Since moving in we have experienced a list of problems caused by things the builders could have avoided (e.g. they hadn't tiled bathrooms they should have). They have mostly fixed things or in process of doing so. Except one big problem has arisen. The builders are saying this one isn't their responsibility.

A dishwasher has leaked behind our kitchen cupboards, for over a year. By the time the leak was found, a high amount of very visible damage has been caused. Almost all of our downstairs laminate flooring, skirtings, door frames, plus some of the fitted kitchen (all wood/board) have soaked up water from under the floor, they have expanded, puffed up and turned shades of brown/black.

When the builder's plumber visited and identified the problem, their verbal report (to me) was that some had plumbed the dishwasher in wrong, resulting in the leak.

A month later, after repeated chasing from me, the build company have issued a statement by email, including a report from their plumber. The report says that the leak was caused by a manufacturing fault on the dishwasher inlet hose, and that because this is a part pre-installed in the factory it isn't their responsibility. They have put photos in the report from the back of the dishwasher but we don't have any technical knowledge to verify the nature of the fault ourselves.

This is where we are seeking advice - whose responsibility is it, and beyond that how do we get redress, as our house is a mess. We would like to clarify who it should be, before making phone calls so that we don't get fobbed off.

Should the dishwasher manufacturer be directly liable for all the damage to the flooring, skirtings, door frames & kitchen (all of which originally installed via the build company's sub-contractors)? - or is this something that would normally be covered by home insurance, instead?

We can check whether there was a warranty - I wrote all the original information down somewhere, looking for that tonight.

TIA

I would imagine you claim off your home insurance now!

I think if the fault was in the dishwasher, then they plumbed it in OK but your problem is the dishwasher, not the plumbing.

Welcome to owning a house! House insurance should cover it.

This is what house insurance is for. Get them involved and if they think they can claim from the house builder, they will.

This.

Thank you, fast replies & you are all saying the same thing so that seems clear 😀

I'm just guessing but if you bought the house with the dishwasher already fitted, then I'd think your 'contract' is with the builder, they are the equivalent of a retailer, I would think.
House insurance often includes legal advice but you do need to go through them because the cost of fixing this is a lot.

Can you contact the dishwasher manufacture, with the report and photos?

Who supplied & installed the dishwasher?

In our NB, all appliances were provided by the developer so in the event of a problem occuring the developer would have dealt with it.
I have issues with our developer but fixing snags/faults is not one of them.

Otherwise as above, use your insurance.

The build company say that although they select & install the goods like integrated fridge, freezer, hob, oven, hood, washing machine, dishwasher - at the point you move in, they hand full responsibility to you & have nothing to do with them. It is treated as though you bought direct from those manufacturers (even though we had no say in which appliances were chosen). Warranties become the home owner's responsibility from day one.

That's what we're asking, whether to call the dishwasher manufacturer and/or home insurance - but before we do, seeking clarity as to whose responsibility it would usually be (as otherwise we risk being passed around without answers).

As with response to *ABirdsEyeView *above, the developer purchased & installed all goods, but then say they became our responsibility from point of moving in, not theirs.

Did you not register the warranty on your appliances? We have a new build and got the integrated appliances, they all had stickers on or we were told to call up and register for warranty on them. We had a similar issue with our fridge, was an issue with the fridge itself, only noticed after about 7 months and there was damage as a result. We had a warranty with the company who make the appliance so we called them and they sent someone out, confirmed the fault and then replaced & fixed the damage. This took weeks but it was all done through them because of the warranty.

The report says that the leak was caused by a manufacturing fault on the dishwasher inlet hose, and that because this is a part pre-installed in the factory it isn't their responsibility.

I think in the first instance you need to establish where the leak is actually coming from.Don't just blindly trust a 'report'. If the inlet hose is pre-installed as they often are, obviously only one end would have been done in the factory - the end that connects to the dishwasher.

I would pull out the dishwasher yourself if possible/as far as possible while keeping everything connected, stick a large bowl(s) underneath the hose, and run the machine. See whether the leak is dripping from the back of the dishwasher, or the water supply end. If it's the latter, it's poorly fitted. If it's a hole in the middle of the hose or at the dishwasher end, contact the manufacturer.

Alternatively bring in a plumber to do the above and get an invoice just in case you need to claim it back later.

You could have rang your insurance by now

This was part of the OP, yes we registered warranties but need to check whether the dishwasher is still within the warranty period. The leak has been ongoing since it was first installed (according to the plumber/report). When we first asked the build company to look into it as noticed odd warping of flooring etc, this was around June time - which would have been within a 1 year warranty. By the time they have diagnosed the problem and provided a report it is well over 1 year. Will that matter if trying to claim on the warranty, do you know?

It is a plumber who investigated (the builder's plumber) and this is who wrote the report. They say they have stopped the leak (when they identified it), so it wouldn't be dripping any more.

Yes, but still unclear whether it is the manufacturer, insurance, or now warranty company we should be calling. As per previous posts, we were hoping to achieve some clarity before calling as to whose responsibility it might normally be. From other home owners, this is the point of the thread.

I bought my bungalow in 2017. Had a gas leak found during putting smart meter in. Then cupboard behind shower was wet through ( pulled shower tiles of really green mouldy underneath. Then dishwasher leaked boiler broke washer dryer went within 3 years intergrated ff broke had to suck it up and deal with it because I'd signed for the bungalow.

I'm aware of that, but the plumber works for the builder, who does not want to admit fault and face a damages claim. Why are you naively trusting what he says without getting your own independent professional opinion or checking yourself?

The giveaway is they've 'stopped the leak'. Which raises questions about why this supposed 'fault' wasn't detected during installation and fixed at the time. Far more likely the hose wasn't tightened properly at the water supply and has now miraculously been 'fixed' while deflecting responsibility.

The building company would surely be aware of this supposed manufacturing fault installing so many dishwashers in so many new builds as well? So in an effort to avoid hassle from buyers and threats of legal action, the plumber should be looking out for it?

Agreed. Amazed it took you so long to notice it it could do all that damage tbh

Thank you. I agree re: the builder. We don't trust them - and, we probably would agree with being 'naive'. We aren't even sure that if we pulled boards off and looked behind the dishwasher now, we would know what we are looking at, or know more than before we did it.

In our situation would you get an independent plumber to look instead, or is this something the home insurance people would look at if we put a claim in?

We noticed damage from June, but because faults in the house generally need to be investigated by the build company (within the 2 year snagging period), and are their responsibility, we asked them to come out. By the time they did (3-4 months later) there was much more damage.

My own dishwasher I would slide it out myself and run it, provided I'm able to get a good view of the hose and where any water was dripping from. Then you can go to insurance with all the info . IME it's far better to be informed when you contact them and they can advise what to do next.

Going to quote myself here. Contact your home insurance. They will arrange to get everything stripped back, dried out, replaced etc. They will send independent plumbers etc. You don't need to do any of it.

This happened to my parents with the washing machine in a new build. Over £40,000 of damage. Builders would have none of it. They had to claim on insurance in the end.n