The ecstasy of buying our first home was short-lived after we found 150 faults
Georgina and Charles Barnes discovered 150 defects in their new-build home in south Leicestershire after a three-year wait to purchase the property. An independent inspection by New Home Quality Control revealed serious issues, including incorrectly installed fire barriers and poor workmanship, which were subsequently fixed under the developer's warranty. The couple's experience highlights a widespread problem in the UK housing market, where a recent survey found that nearly 94% of new-build buyers report defects to their developers.
- ▪The couple paid £299,995 for their new home in south Leicestershire and waited three years to purchase it.
- ▪An independent snagging inspection identified 150 defects, including fire safety issues and roofing problems.
- ▪A 2025 survey by the Home Builders Federation indicated that 93.7% of new-build buyers reported defects after moving in.
- ▪John Cooper founded New Home Quality Control after being asked to hide construction flaws from a customer while working as a contracts manager.
- ▪The developer, Vistry, stated that it supports independent inspections and meets with customers two to three weeks after move-in to address snagging work.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — Business |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2dyxg0zkpko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Sat, 26 Sep 2026 20:52:15 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-26T20:55:40.253Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-26T20:55:40.253Z |
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The ecstasy of buying our first home was short-lived after we found 150 faultsImage source, Georgina BarnesImage caption, Charles and Georgina bought a new build home in February 2026ByRowenna HoskinBBC WalesPublished3 minutes agoIt was the day Georgina and Charles Barnes had waited three years for - collecting the keys to their first home.But when the brand new property was inspected just days later by a Welsh snagging company - the final quality check by independent inspectors - they identified 150 defects, including incorrectly installed fire barriers, signs of a previous leak and what they called "exceptionally poor" workmanship.Swansea-based New Home Quality Control was set up by John Cooper after he became fed up of being asked to hide things from customers on building sites.It is…
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