Threat of legal action against Charles Church

Exclusive by Tim Wood



Residents at luxury housing developments built by Charles Church are threatening legal action against the housebuilder after their dream homes turned into nightmares.

Buyers of properties, valued at up to £500,000, at six sites in Watford, Bushey, Cheshunt, Barnet and Cockfosters have experienced problems such as uneven ceilings and floors, structural deficiencies, poorly fitting windows, and paper thin walls.

John Bacon, who bought a luxury home at Silverdell, Watford, said: "We've had floors that were so uneven that they had to be taken up. The wrong insulation was used in one of the bedrooms, the doorframes slanted to the left and the floorboards were squeaky. The list is endless."

Bacon has written to senior management at Beazer Homes (which bought Charles Church for £36m in 1996), and the chairman and the group managing director at Charles Church. His latest letter concluded: "Unless all current outstanding works are completed in full and to an acceptable standard by 12 August we will have no alternative but to appoint our own contractors with all costs payable by Charles Church."

Another Silverdell housebuyer Lindsay Blackman said: "I paid £400,000 for this house but my hall and dining room ceilings are not level, all my window panes need to be replaced. As for the decorating I could have done a better job myself - there are drip marks three inches long coming down the doors. I will take legal action because I am that upset and aggrieved."

Joanna Bawa, who bought a house at nearby Langley Place, said: "There was poor finishing to the decorating, the paintwork was shoddy and the carpets have now got wear and tear of 10 years with all the builders coming through to carry out repairs. And we're not even builders - who knows what else we might have missed?"

A Charles Church statement said: "While acknowledging that the building process is not a perfect science the company always uses its best endeavours both during building and afterwards over to ensure customer satisfaction. The company employs dedicated customer services managers who are available to respond to any problems purchasers might experience after the purchase of their home."