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Britain among the worst countries in the EU to buy new property |
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Irish lead the way in terms of consumer protection and fair contractual terms
New Build Inspections (www.newbuildinspections.com), a company that checks the quality of newly-built homes, reports this week that consumers in the UK have far fewer rights when it comes to buying a new build home that their counterparts in Ireland.
The main difference is that snagging, the identification of defects and remedying of defects, is built into the whole process in Ireland. Irish buyers do not have to 'close' or pay for the property until snagging defects are remedied, whereas in the UK it is largely impossible to postpone completion under any circumstances.
This is due to the the contractual exchange process in the UK which provides little if anything in the way of consumer protection should the property be found to be substandard. Contracts clearly state that snagging items provide no grounds for delaying completion, and those who do so will incur very heavy penalties.
Catriona Bright, founder and managing director of New Build Inspections, said: ?We have found it a refreshing change operating in Ireland, as it is normal custom and practice for new build buyers to instruct a professional snagger to create a snag list for a new build property. In fact a lot of developers encourage the use of such professionals.'
Bright added: 'The contrast to the UK couldn't be greater with developers actively being obstructive in what should be a matter of principle for the homeowner. After all, you wouldn't buy a car without a test drive.'
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in conjunction with the Treasury and the House Builders Federation (HBF) is currently working on a standard set of terms and conditions for house builders in the UK which give house buyers better protection. New Build Inspections welcomes this initiative and will be lobbying to ensure that snagging is an area that is at least discussed for inclusion in these standard terms and conditions, making all home buyers aware of the requirement to get a new home independently inspected and to ensure these defects are dealt with in a timely manner.
Bright added: 'In the UK it is only the most astute buyers that use our snagging service, we simply cannot compete with the developers? enormous marketing budgets used to portray the new build buying process as stress free, with a dream home which is flawless and guaranteed. As anyone who has bought a new homes will tell you, this is simply not the case.'
For more information contact:
Catriona Bright
Director and Founder
New Build Inspections Ltd
0845 22 66 486
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www.newbuildinspections.com
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