Earlier this year, we agreed to buy a newly built home in Kent from the developer Redrow. We had sold our home and all was proceeding well. Having come under considerable pressure to agree some upgrades, we paid almost £14,000 upfront for granite kitchen tops and Siemens appliances. We were told that this would enable the purchase and completion to go through on time.
Within hours of the coronavirus lockdown starting, the person who had agreed to buy our house pulled out. With no possible way to find a new buyer in the current climate, we, in turn, have had to withdraw from the Redrow purchase.
We assumed that we would receive our £14,000 back, but the company has refused. It claims its terms and conditions state that all items ordered are non-refundable. I have asked for evidence these items were ordered or installed by Redrow but they are unwilling to share this information. The site in question in Ebbsfleet Valley has been shut, so no work is happening.
It seems Redrow is happy to let us pay to upgrade its unbuilt home and pocket the extra cash when the house is finally sold. I can’t believe it is behaving this way.
MW, Kent
It is baffling that Redrow is still pressuring buyers that have not exchanged contracts into making these upgrade payments. In 2016 we reported this was happening and advised readers not to, under any circumstances, pay to upgrade a house in which they had no financial interest. Even before current events, house purchases regularly collapsed, making absurd Redrow’s insistence that buyers invest in homes they don’t own. It would seem to me this is arguably an unfair contract, and the company should refund you.
Redrow, though, refuses. It says that its terms are clearly stated. It claimed that it would not be possible to offer the much-valued upgrades if customers were unable to buy them, which strikes me as nonsense.
We asked whether you could come and get the appliances and kitchen tops that you have bought, and it says: “In the rare instance that buyers are unhappy Redrow has a clear complaints procedure in place for customers to pursue.” It awaits your complaint.
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