Dad blasts £173k new build home as ‘nightmare’ and moves his family into hotel

A dad claims he and his family had no choice but to move out of their £173,000 new-build house after it became a "living nightmare".

Andrew Banks, 46, said that a host of issues drove them out of the three-bedroom semi in Kirkby, Merseyside, including a flood that left the ground floor "four inches underwater".

Now he "wants his money back", the Liverpool Echo reports.

In a video, he says he and his partner "saved up hard" to buy the furniture to put in the dream home, which was then wrecked by the flood.

Taking to the camera, the dad says: "When we got the sink leak, that forced us to go into a hotel.

"We don't know when it's going to be completed. We are still waiting for builders and contractors to come in and do all the repairs."

A spokesman for builders McDermott Developments Ltd confirmed that Mr Banks experienced a blow-off on his water meter in the kitchen in July.

The company said a plumber "resolved" the issue within hours.

Mr Banks' insurance company was dealing with the damage and had arranged for him to move into a hotel, it added.

Andrew, a factory manager, said that he paid around £173,000 earlier this year for the spanking-new home on the Mulberry Park estate but feels let down.

  • Talented mum uses DIY painting hack to create Beetlejuice-themed room for daughter

He told the Echo: "At first we had a succession of issues and faults with the bathroom. But the big one was the flood in July. The problem was under the kitchen sink.

"The ground floor of the house was left four inches underwater.

"We were flooded out. The plumber came out said there was a problem with the water meter under the sink. "

Andrew became concerned about his health during a repair operation.

He said: "We had to pull the floor up to repair the damage, which created a lot of dust.

"This was exacerbated by blowers brought in to help dry the damp.

"I am a stroke victim and I was worried about my breathing.

"We moved into a hotel and the insurance company picked up the bill.

"This whole ordeal has been so stressful. I think I just want my money back now. "

Mr Banks said that he was now seeking legal advice.

A spokesman for McDermott Developments Ltd said: "We can confirm that, unfortunately, Mr Banks experienced a blow-off on his water meter/stop tap under the kitchen sink on the morning of Saturday 11th July, he reported it via our out of hours helpline who talked Mr Banks through the process of shutting the water off to the property and then dispatched our plumbing contractor who resolved the issue within two hours of it being reported.

"Mr Banks then confirmed that he was passing the matter on to his house insurer and informed us that his insurers were putting him in a hotel whilst they attended to the damage caused by the escape of water.

"We are not aware of any technical problem in the bathroom but our site team has arranged to meet Mr Banks as he has reported an issue with his timber back gate so they will discuss the matter directly with Mr Banks during that meeting."

Source: Read Full Article