Beyond the Shiny Door: The Surprising Dangers of New Builds



New homes are very popular, and for many people, they have no choice but to go for a newer one. And while of course there are many positives to having a new home, for example you don't need to decorate the place, there are hidden dangers in buying a new home. It's important to be aware of some of the following issues. 

The Decline in Quality Standards
There are a number of issues that have occurred over the last few years with regard to quality control. Sometimes, this is due to the fact that the big companies that are building the houses used a wide range of subcontractors, without having the work completed by in-house staff, but also sometimes these trained people are not as good as they should be. It's important to remember that with all of these components, whether it's the building itself calm and foundations, or the electrics, that if you ever have any doubts, you can always go back to the housing company, as it is part of the contracts, that you can have things rectified. In terms of electricity, it's important that if there's any threat to your safety, you are within your rights to have an electrician attend the property. But when you do this, make sure that you have all the relevant documentation, such as a domestic EICR (electrical installation condition report) and then go to the housing company to get your expenses back. It can be a long-winded process, but if you've got major concerns about the integrity of the property, you are within your rights to get them fixed. 

A Lack of Obvious Dangers
There are many defects in homes that are not picked up during the construction inspection stage. The problem is that currently, the key construction stages have not been signed off as they used to be. This is partly due to the fact that there is a huge demand for homes, and therefore the processes are being rushed, but this has resulted in a reduction in the quality control.

What Can People Do?
With regards to new home buyers, it's important that we are vigilant during the outset. Because there has been a dip in development standards for some time, the fact is that many people are choosing to buy a home now because they've got no choice in the matter. They have to buy something, so they can get on the property ladder. We have seen the major scramble for houses recently, and this is not going away anytime soon. But the best advice for anybody looking to buy a home is to focus on quality. Many people find that they move into a new home because they purely want to have a property. But it's far better for you to think about it in the long-term, especially when it comes to the costs of the property. Because if you end up investing more money into a property that costs enough at the outset, it's not going to be viable for you to live in and have a good quality of life. It's important to be objective and have to walk away. 

While there are many hidden dangers in old homes, it's important to think about the hidden dangers in new ones as well, especially when they aren’t so obvious.