A couple’s dream home was left flooded after faulty pipe fittings in their bathroom ruined the new-build property just ONE WEEK after they moved in.
Devastated Martin Boyce and Lucy Connelly woke in the middle of the night to find almost every room in their new Taylor Wimpey home was full of water.
The young couple had been handed the keys to their first home together just eight days previously on June 10.
They have had to rip up almost every carpet and flooring in the semi-detached property - located in the new Brooklands development in Linwood - and are facing repairs of thousands of pounds.
Martin and Lucy have now been fighting housing giant Taylor Wimpey for more than ten weeks as they claim the repairs should be covered in their two-year warranty.
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But the fed-up couple have gotten nowhere, claiming that the customer services team has refused to admit any responsibility, despite two independent plumbers finding the fault was in a part installed by contractors in the upstairs bathroom.
A number of emails seen by the Express between Martin and Lucy and Taylor Wimpey’s customer service team show the developer repeatedly advising that the issue would have to be resolved by their own insurance.
Martin, 30, told the Express: “It’s like they are just telling us ‘no’ in the hope that we give up eventually.
“It’s so demoralising.
“Every time we have got in touch with them, they keep telling us that we should go through our insurers.
“We never thought it would go on as long as it has. It’s been a nightmare.
“We were so gutted when it happened, but we figured it would be a rough few weeks and Taylor Wimpey would sort it because of the warranty as the damage was the result of something they fitted.
“But that has been far from what has happened.”
Lucy, 28, added: “The kitchen and the spare bedroom were the only rooms that were not covered in water.
“We didn’t know what to think, we were just in complete shock.
“It was about 1.30am and I just walked in the bedroom to wake Martin up, telling him ‘there’s water everywhere’.
“This is the first home that we have bought together and we just can’t believe this has happened.”
As it stands, they now face paying hundreds of pounds excess on their home insurance in order to fix the damage.
They are also running dehumidifiers 24/7 in a desperate bid to prevent dampness from ravaging through their home, resulting in a hike in electricity bills.
Emails from their home insurance providers state that they are unclear why Taylor Wimpey is not dealing with the matter directly.
Martin has also contacted the National House Building Council Scotland, which advised that “under the terms if the NHBC policy the builder is responsible to remediate any damage to the property from the leak”.
He added: “We called an emergency plumber, who told us to isolate the water.
“A plumber we arranged through Taylor Wimpey eventually came out to see us at 2pm the next day and they told us that it was a faulty part that was fitted in our bathroom.
“We have had to cut up all of our carpets that were damaged and we are walking around on concrete and floorboards.
“Taylor Wimpey contacted us and told us to go through our insurer, and we did as we thought that was maybe common practice to assess the damage and then relay it to Taylor Wimpey.
“But that hasn’t been the case and even our insurance is telling us it should be Taylor Wimpey that deals with it.”
Martin and Lucy are not the only ones fighting the housing developer to repair water damage.
Their neighbours Alison and Jim Dunn bought their £260,000 detached home in October 2020.
Since being handed the keys, they claim they have faced a list of nightmare problems — but the worst saw water “running like a river” from their garage ceiling.
They first noticed the problem in May this year when Alison spotted a large damp patch on the ceiling.
They say a plumber told them it was due to the shower drain in one of their bathrooms being fitted incorrectly.
But, weeks later, further problems with the sink fittings in the same bathroom saw a section of their garage ceiling collapse due to the constant flow of hidden water.
The water damaged a number of items stored in the garage, and Alison says all Taylor Wimpey has done is install new gyproc and is now refusing to answer multiple emails.
The couple - who bought the house to be closer to their children - are also calling on Taylor Wimpey to fork out the cash to pay for the damage, which they say is a result of their “incompetence”.
Alison, 57, added: “The water was constantly dripping and it was so wet that it couldn’t hold any more in the ceiling and it was coming down on top of us.
“All they did was come back and put a new bit of gyproc up and it has been left like that ever since.
“Now we are not getting any response.
“All we keep getting told is to go through our insurance company, which will cost us an excess of £700 all in.
“They have gave us no concrete reason as to why they will not honour the warranty.
“Taylor Wimpey is responsible because it is faulty parts that have been put in and, as a result, it has damaged my property.
“It is unacceptable that we should have to pay for its incompetence.
“There is zero communication.”
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey West Scotland said: “Customer satisfaction is a top priority for Taylor Wimpey and we sincerely apologise for the distress and inconvenience caused by the issues reported by some customers at our Brooklands development.
“We acted quickly to replace faulty parts and carry out remedial works in line with the Taylor Wimpey warranty.
“We remain in close contact with these customers and remain committed to resolving any outstanding issues with their homes.”
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