Cwmbran man left disgusted at 'wrecked' new build home

Craig Vinup and his partner moved into the £250,000 property on the Nyth y Dryw estate in Cwmbran in March 2021, having used the government’s help to buy scheme.

The estate, which is owned and operated by Taylor Wimpey, consists of entirely new builds, and as such Mr Vinup and his family expected the house to be in excellent condition when they arrived.

They had already paid an extra £5,000 to secure the house two months earlier than planned.

However, the house was far from perfect, with Mr Vinup even describing it as “wrecked” when they arrived, and the problems have only continued to pile up.

Mr Vinup has been faced with damages like this since moving in to the new build two years ago (Image: Craig Vinup)

He claims the company had promised that the property would be given a “sparkling clean” prior to their arrival, only to find dusty worktops with building material strewn across the floor, and the explanation that it was the house next door – already occupied – that had been given the clean.

“We’d already been told we couldn’t view the house prior to moving in, because of health and safety protocols,” he explained.

“We found nothing had been done, and we’re now dealing with peeling paint and unbearable heat from damp airtight walls. I’m living like a student.”

They are currently dealing with an ongoing damp problem in the kitchen and living room, after being reassured that it would clear up within months of their arrival due to moisture in the brickwork.

A machine is now in use in the property 24/7 to clear the damp from the walls after they continued to remain wet all throughout the summer, with the plan now to redo the rooms after Mr Vinup had continually highlighted the issue to their landlords without success.

The family are now being forced to move out for a period of four to six weeks while the work is completed, but Mr Vinup has concerns that there will be other repairs ignored.

They have faced numerous other issues with the property, including an unlevel floor in the bathroom, a fence that was unstable and a jammed window that was their main fire exit.

Every time he reports an issue, he has been supposedly met with “arrogance and no respect” by Taylor Wimpey.

Mr Vinup, who is in the construction industry, has been left to fix many of the problems himself after he was told many of the issues were non-existent and “meet the regulations”.

Further examples of the state of the family's new-build in Cwmbran (Image: Craig Vinup)

They were faced with other ‘extras’ already in the property that they did not want.

“I was told I would have to rip them out and remove them myself,” he said.

He continued: “As new homeowners, we should be able to come into our house and enjoy it, but because of this poor customer service, I just can’t. I really don’t enjoy coming home anymore because it’s not pleasant here.

“It’s disgusting the way Taylor Wimpey are treating their customers, given how much we’ve spent on this house. I just don’t understand how they can think it is acceptable.

“Whenever I’ve called to report an issue, I end up getting rerouted to this centralised hub who have no idea what’s going on. I’m never able to speak to someone from our branch in St Mellons.

“I get made promises that things will get fixed or looked into, and then they never are. They seem to think that when I report a repair, nothing needs to be done.

"I believe they think if they ignore the issue for long enough, I’ll just learn to live with it.

“I’m paying a mortgage for this house, and I deserve to be able to live in it without constantly forking out for extra repairs and being refused the extra compensation it’s costing.

"The customer service is awful because they have no respect for the fact this is our home, not just their business.”

The family are now awaiting confirmation of their relocation during the repair, with an offer of moving to accomodation in Risca refused due to familial and work committments that mean the family need to remain in Cwmbran. 

Mr Vinup has been appalled at his treatment and is considering moving his family elsewhere.

Taylor Wimpey confirmed that any new builds require a period of drying out, and that in some cases "this needs to be assisted by mechcanical ventilation". 

A spokesperson said that health and safety of customers is of the highest priority, which is why they can't always accomodate requests to view a property prior to arrival. 

The spokesperson continued: "We are committed to providing high quality homes and customer service and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused to this customer as a result of the problems they have experienced.

"We are also sorry that the homeowner felt disappointed with the quality of communication from Taylor Wimpey in this instance.

“We have resolved the majority of the issues raised and are working with the customer to assess and resolve the outstanding issues at their property as soon as possible.”