Darwen: Couple's £320k new build home 'destroyed by mould and beetles'

Diane Jackson, 61, and partner Mark, 59, bought the £320,000 four-bedroom house, near Darwen, after selling their old property to their daughter.

They were looking forward to the next stage of their lives - but have faced nothing but issues instead, they claim.

The pair say they have discovered damp and mould alongside the insects and, as it stands, the home is unliveable.

This has meant they've had to move into rented accommodation - for which they are footing the bill alongside their mortgage.

Diane, who has owned a business for 20 years, said: “The beetles were in every room - it was awful. And the mould was horrendous. I couldn't believe it.

“I couldn’t even go in the house at one point. I wanted to show my family my new home and be proud of it, but I was embarrassed. It was so upsetting I couldn’t have anyone visit.”

The couple got the keys to the brand new home, which is located on the Davyfields development in Eccleshill, on April 21 last year.

Before moving in, Diane decided to place new flooring down.

But, while clearing the plinths from under her kitchen cabinets, she was shocked to discover the walls covered in damp and mould.

And to make matters worse, two weeks later, thousands of small black insects began to appear all around the property – an infestation of plaster beetles that thrive in damp conditions.

Some nine months later, after purchasing the four-bedroom detached home for £320,000, Diane says the property is still not suitable to live in – and is now paying both a £1,700 mortgage and £950 rent at another property.

After discovering the mould and infestation, Diane appealed to developers, Applethwaite Limited, to fix the conditions in the property.

A pest controller was sent as a goodwill gesture to conduct heat treatment on the property that would stop the infestation and also dry out the damp.

At first, Diane saw a noticeable improvement as far as the beetles were concerned – but the smell of damp persisted and she noticed plasterboard was starting to come away from the wall.

After calling out a plasterer to take a look, they cut out a piece of the board to find that behind the wall was covered in black mould and the cavity insulation was saturated with water.

She said: “I was absolutely beside myself by this point. It was causing me sleepless nights and was preventing me from concentrating on my work. We knew there were damp and mould issues - but certainly not to this extent.”

Diane then contacted the National Housing Building Council (NHBC), who advised her to write an official complaint to the developer.

After months of waiting for action to be taken by the developer, Diane says the NHBC has now taken over her complaint and provided compensation to replace the plasterboard.

Diane says she hopes her experiences will highlight how customers and tenants are often blamed for problems in new build homes.

She added: “We have spent hard-earned money on our dream house and have been treated terribly.

“We have lost thousands of pounds, and if we wanted to seek legal advice it could cost us even more.

“They know that customers are not in any position to fight them – but we really wish we were. Your house is the most expensive and important asset that you ever own.

“We should not have to do this with a brand new house. It has been the worst experience of my entire life.”

A spokesperson for Applethwaite Homes said: “We are a small housebuilder with a dedicated team, who take great pride in creating high-quality homes.

"We go out of our way to meet our customers’ expectations and help them settle into their new homes.

“We have been disappointed to hear of this homeowner’s experiences and have been engaging with them throughout this process.

"We are of the view that all issues brought to our attention have been dealt with appropriately and are now resolved.

"We have also been liaising closely with the NHBC and, where reports have been recorded, we have acted promptly on any recommendations contained within.”

A spokesperson for NHBC said: “Due to confidentiality, we cannot comment on individual cases without the permission of the homeowner concerned.

"NHBC is the UK’s largest provider of warranty and insurance for new-build homes, covering around 70-80% of newly-built homes.

"Homeowners benefit from the NHBC Buildmark policy, our 10-year warranty for new build homes.

"The policy protects homeowners in the event of serious structural defects occurring in their homes. Snagging issues, however, are the builder’s responsibility to resolve.

"In the first two years of an NHBC Buildmark policy homeowners are required to raise any concerns regarding their home directly with the house builder, following the house builder’s formal complaints process.

"We’re committed to quickly helping homeowners if they encounter problems with their new home – and in circumstances where they have exhausted the house builder’s formal complaints process and are dissatisfied with the result, they can ask us to assist using NHBC’s free Resolution Service.

"During years three to 10 of the policy, we provide insurance cover for specific, structural defects.”