Remedial Work being carried out on a house 3+ years after moving in

WHIP IT!

Apologies if this is in the wrong section - would appreciate if it was moved to somewhere more suitable if necessary.

I moved into my (town)house three years ago in February.

Shortly after moving in, it was obvious to me and my neighbours that the soundproofing in our walls was not up to scratch - as was the case with dozens of houses around the estate.

The houses were independently tested and those that were found to be below the required "soundproof threshold" were scheduled to have their walls redone.

So, I was recently given the details of what the work will entail: I'll need to move out for 5/6 weeks (!!!) while it's being done. All the walls will be torn down and have battens put into them to bring them up to code. All furniture etc will be covered and left as it was at the end of the six weeks.

Supposedly, the house will left as new - although how they expect to work in a house for that amount of times and not do some damage to carpets etc (especially considering the nature and extent of the repairs) is beyond me.

My question: Surely I am entitled to some serious compensation from this builder, considering, not least, that I've been living in a substandard house for nearly three and a half years which I paid through the nose for and the fact I am going to have to find alternative accommodation for up to six weeks.

What automatic rights do I have? If I remember correctly, my house had a ten-year guarantee from the builders when I bought it.

Any advice?

Thanks

thefinalstage

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Apologies if this is in the wrong section - would appreciate if it was moved to somewhere more suitable if necessary.

I moved into my (town)house three years ago in February.

Shortly after moving in, it was obvious to me and my neighbours that the soundproofing in our walls was not up to scratch - as was the case with dozens of houses around the estate.

The houses were independently tested and those that were found to be below the required "soundproof threshold" were scheduled to have their walls redone.

So, I was recently given the details of what the work will entail: I'll need to move out for 5/6 weeks (!!!) while it's being done. All the walls will be torn down and have battens put into them to bring them up to code. All furniture etc will be covered and left as it was at the end of the six weeks.

Supposedly, the house will left as new - although how they expect to work in a house for that amount of times and not do some damage to carpets etc (especially considering the nature and extent of the repairs) is beyond me.

My question: Surely I am entitled to some serious compensation from this builder, considering, not least, that I've been living in a substandard house for nearly three and a half years which I paid through the nose for and the fact I am going to have to find alternative accommodation for up to six weeks.

What automatic rights do I have? If I remember correctly, my house had a ten-year guarantee from the builders when I bought it.

Any advice?

Thanks

Whatever it cost you to get compensation and the cost of any damage they do. Living in a sub standard house? Maybe you heard a few bonking sessions....

axer

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Apologies if this is in the wrong section - would appreciate if it was moved to somewhere more suitable if necessary.

I moved into my (town)house three years ago in February.

Shortly after moving in, it was obvious to me and my neighbours that the soundproofing in our walls was not up to scratch - as was the case with dozens of houses around the estate.

The houses were independently tested and those that were found to be below the required "soundproof threshold" were scheduled to have their walls redone.

So, I was recently given the details of what the work will entail: I'll need to move out for 5/6 weeks (!!!) while it's being done. All the walls will be torn down and have battens put into them to bring them up to code. All furniture etc will be covered and left as it was at the end of the six weeks.

Supposedly, the house will left as new - although how they expect to work in a house for that amount of times and not do some damage to carpets etc (especially considering the nature and extent of the repairs) is beyond me.

My question: Surely I am entitled to some serious compensation from this builder, considering, not least, that I've been living in a substandard house for nearly three and a half years which I paid through the nose for and the fact I am going to have to find alternative accommodation for up to six weeks.

What automatic rights do I have? If I remember correctly, my house had a ten-year guarantee from the builders when I bought it.

Any advice?

Thanks

You are probably best to go see a solicitor on this one as they should be able to advise you best. Make sure you take plenty of pictures of the current condition of the house (carpets, walls etc) before they start work so that they cannot claim a mark etc was there before they started working.

chuckles30

Are they going to repaint your walls to your specifications? If so, is it only going to be the walls they repair? Remember that if they only paint those walls, you're going to have to repaint the rest of the room, as it will not be the same, and especially after 3+ years. If you have anything you really value or cannot replace, take it out of there. Knowing tradesmen, they're not going to be that careful. In fact they'll probably be cursing the person who agreed to work around everything. Normally for a job like that, they'd expect the rooms to be cleared out completely.

I'd also look for your house/carpets to be professionally cleaned afterwards. The amount of dust that will be generated will get everywhere.

With regards to compensation, you should be getting the money to cover the cost of your accommodation while they're working, any repairs or damage they cause and any other additional costs you incur because of it. I think you need legal advice about this, unless it's forthcoming which is unlikely. Perhaps citizens advice could help you out on this.