How a new-build nightmare left homebuyers in limbo for two years

theguardian.com:

The view from Chris and Katie Eve’s house for the past two years has been dominated by a large metal shipping container in their drive. It stores family possessions they say can’t be unpacked because of catastrophic blunders that have left part of their three-year-old home without insulation or fireproofing.

The couple, and their two children, now face the partial demolition of the £500,000 property because of buckled floors, warped roof trusses and wrongly laid pipes.

Containers have also been sitting in the drives of at least three other houses on the Hockley Croft estate, built by Harron Homes in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire.

All eight of the properties in the Eves’s cul-de-sac are awaiting remedial work for serious defects, including sinking floors. “Shit Alley” was the name given to the road by a site manager, according to residents, who claim they have spent more than two years imploring Harron Homes to make their homes habitable.

“We have been living in limbo since we moved in December 2019,” says Chris. “The garage ceiling has been taken down four times, and holes cut in our bedroom and bathroom to try to ram insulation into the eaves areas. In May, we were told we’d have to move out while part of the house was demolished, but we still don’t know if and when that’s going to happen.”

The story of Hockley Croft highlights the shortcomings of quality control on new developments, and the inadequacy of protections for new homeowners who discover defects after moving in.

Substandard building is the fastest growing issue in the sector, according to campaign group HomeOwners Alliance. It claims buyers have more rights buying a toaster than a house.

This month, the long-awaited New Homes Ombudsman Service was launched to