You've had a lucky escape. Pop over to the Moneysavingexpert forums and search the House Buying/Renting/Selling forum for "persimmon" as part of your due diligence.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com...enting-selling
Having seen a new build we like on a new estate I drove up there to check it out. The sales office was open so I attempted to discuss a viewing and possible purchase with the girl. I say attempted because there was no way she was ending her phone call to have a conversation about a potential sale.
She stuffed a brochure and site plan in my hand and told me I'd need to make an appointment. Good start.
The brochure and the website state there are three of the properties available and gave plot references. Those plots don't exist on the site plan. Still going well.
I've made an enquiry with them about the plot numbers via email, submitted their "Arrange a Viewing" online form twice and called them to arrange a viewing. No reply to any of those methods. My call went to voicemail and they've not called me back.
Do I have unrealistic expectations of Persimmon or any other builder? If they're as poor as this when you're trying to view, what will they be like once you're in and have a problem?
Buy the seller springs to mind.
You've had a lucky escape. Pop over to the Moneysavingexpert forums and search the House Buying/Renting/Selling forum for "persimmon" as part of your due diligence.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com...enting-selling
Misread thread title "Persimmons Homes Crumble"!
Well if it helps I have a mate who worked in land acquisition for them, he told me he would never buy one of their homes and now works for another large household name building firm!
Just google Persimmon homes problems and see for yourself .
I can’t think of a house builder more disreputable. Avoid.
Used to live in an Persimmon home, had the area manager and the MD round to discuss all the issues I had, too many problems to list hear but there isn’t a cat in hells chance I’d buy another from them but I suppose they’re built to a price and can be quite a bit cheaper than other builders.
One problem we had was shower waste pipe burst and leaked all over the wires on our smoke alarm so wouldn’t switch off, was blasting for hours, funny now but wasn’t then
Last edited by Hooshabak; 4th March 2021 at 17:43.
Seems fairly horrendous to me. YMMV of course.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com...e-persimmon/p1
Plenty other examples available on there if you use advanced search.
I live in a persimmon house, bought from new 16 years ago. I suppose it comes down to the level of professionalism of the site manager and the foreman for each location. Mine wasn’t so bad, snagging list mainly decoration that I done myself, couldn’t be arsed waiting any longer for them to do it. Wouldn’t buy from them again though, only reason we haven’t moved is we have good neighbours and that goes for a lot.
Run.....
Having bought a Barratt’s house two years ago, I would say steer clear of new builds if you can.
Everything has been cut right back, and everything is built to rock bottom specification.
The number of problems for almost every resident is incredible, and when a senior Barratt’s employee lets it slip, “I’d never buy one!”, they are a company best avoided.
Their sales information declares 5 stars for 10 consecutive years. Most people I know wouldn’t give them a single star!
Perhaps Persimmon being hopeless gives you an opportunity to dodge the bullet
I found myself on a builders only Facebook group somehow and the shocking stories about Persimmon homes build quality were legendary.
I think this picture says it all. 100% genuine as well as I live near Dundee and drove past it a few times.
Link to article for background info: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.eve...ling-work/amp/
As others have said. Run a mile. I wouldn’t touch a Persimmon Home with a barge pole, I reckon a Wickes shed erected by Reg Prescott would be better built.
https://youtu.be/MU2BO5Obg2k
OK I've seen enough. Forget this purchase. The MSE and particularly Trust Pilot reviews are unbelievable. How can they still be building homes?
I'm off to look elsewhere. Thanks for all your help, I owe a few of you a beer!
Persimmon is a regular feature on ‘angry people in local newspapers’ on Facebook. Here’s one example:
https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php...93284214049884
I’d rather buy a tent than a new build house off these clowns. Disgraceful they’re even operating still tbh
Is there a single large developer who doesn't attract these criticisms if not to the Persimmon degree. It seems like the whole industry needs a through shake up. It would be funny but for the fact we'll rebuilding all these houses in 30 years and most of the waste will end up in landfill.
I'm currently looking for a new house, I like the layout of modern houses, but there is no way I would buy a new build from any large outfit. I'm either going to have my own built or find one put up by a small local builder who cares about the quality of their product.
Having done several major renovations of my own over the last decade, I know you can spend £30 or £300 on a door. £3 or £30 on a door handle. Quality costs money but in the big scheme of a house, adding decent stuff doesn't break the bank but to a big developer, every penny counts. And you'll notice that.
BY coincidence I had a conversation this week with the tradesmen who are working on my bungalow extension, we were discussing the poor standards if work on new- build homes and Persimmon was mentioned as being the worst.
I wouldn’t entertain a new- build home, houses are crammed together on estates with insufficient car parking space, garages that a car won’t fit in, gardens like postage stamps, and build quality that is often sadly lacking. I bought one in 1979 and that wasn’t too bad, I bought another in 1999 and that that had snags that caused problems after a few years due to poor work standards ( plumbing).
As with all things, the devil’s in the detail. I’ve watched my extension being built and I’ve learned a helluva lot, housebuilding is very straightforward but attention to detail at each stage is important and you’re unlikely to get that with a typical new- build from a large firm, the emphasis is on cost- cutting and quality isn’t the priority.
Continue this logic to my new house built in 2019. Build quality is very poor.
There is a sign on my Barratt’s Estate which sums it up;
Barratt’s Houses.
Health and Safety is our number one priority.
I always disagree, and say it should be, ‘Building high quality houses for our customers’!
Trustpilot all of the major house builders and take a look at the reviews....all of them absolute shocking.
On a personal level I would never deal with Persimmon homes, I was unfortunate enough to know a director of the south west area who without a doubt was the worlds biggest asshat.
Back to the houses....we waited and found a small house builder when we moved tail end of 2019, you’re not dealing with some faceless company and we dealt with people who had reputations they were proud of and looking to keep it that way.
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.persimmonhomes.com
If you’re grumbling before you’ve given them any money, imagine what it’ll be like when you’re a few hundred grand in the hole!
Sounds like you've already got your running shoes on OP however, for what it's worth, based upon the experience of a work colleague of mine I'd be running away as well.
Very, very long story short he had to move out, at their expense, of his new build for something like a couple of months so they could pretty much rebuild the house. Plumbing, electrics, flooring, windows, walls... Last I heard he's now dealing with some kind of boundary dispute.
Since when did quality and customer care trump cost reduction, profits, and fat bonuses?
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/...-a4373321.html
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I am fortunate enough to have a nice home that was built in 1928 when houses were built properly by time-served craftsmen, not the ‘fly-by-night’ jobbing builders and plasterboard merchants that you get today. Volume house building today lends a whole new meaning to the word ‘shoddy’, they are just thrown up with gardens the size of a large dog kennel. I would not buy a new-build from the major companies at any price!
To be fair, my current house was built in 1973 and is solidly built with a good size footprint, large rooms and more than enough garden to house our extension and still have a good size garden. I don't know when house building became like your description but it definitely has.
I think I’d rather nail my ballsack to the table and apply vitriol to it than live in a box on a “new development” housing estate.
We're in the position now where it's stay and update the house or move. Our friends bought a Persimmon and love it so we had a look and saw a house we fancied viewing. We've given ourselves until the end of this month to decide to stick or twist however it now definitely won't be a Persimmon.
I bought my first house in 1987 which was built in 72-73. I was also looking at new builds and they were noticeably smaller and more densely packed by then.
So in answer to your question, it started sometime between the mid seventies and mid eighties. It’s only got worse in the ensuing thirty five years!
Persimmon are building on a site next to us, local paper and Facebook alive with complainers, I got as far as looking at the billboard and the “from price”. Sales staff should wear stripey jerseys and wear masks.
Last edited by Pitfitter; 8th March 2021 at 20:01.
It really does Jason. Ironically I thought also thought it would be a good few years of trouble free living as there's new windows, heating, boiler etc however the reviews of Persimmon are quite the opposite. Our friends bought one of their larger properties recently. First issue was a six month delay which meant six months in a static caravan over the winter. Then on the handover day they were greeted with the completely incorrect kitchen which then had to be removed and refitted while they were living in it.
And they've still never contacted me about a viewing....that I'd have refused.
I bought my house new in 2019, 21 houses on the plot, all have driveways for 3 or more cars. Some very large gardens, some smaller but still decent. Only thing wrong with mine was a slightly out of kilt door frame into the garage which was sorted a week after being reported. Gas and electric bills have dropped compared to my last house (new one has an extra bedroom). Lovely neighbours, houses arranged so gardens are private and I'm surrounded by fields, not all new builds are the same👍
Bought our first house in 94, a small 3 bed new build semi which was built like a fortress; picture nails bounced of the walls. Over the following fourteen years we moved a further three times all into new builds and the quality of materials and construction notably declined on each move and even failed to meet building regs with the last one, which was a protracted battle with the builder to get put right; no help from the local council building control office either.
Now in an old house with stone rubble filled walls whose construction date is unknown but maybe 1700's and apart from ongoing age related maintenance a far better home than any modern new build, even managed to get the heating switched from oil to an air source heat pump, though more expensive to run than the same system in a well insulated eco home.
So unless the quality of the modern construction industry much improves I would not touch a new build.
Last edited by Ed875; 8th March 2021 at 16:43.
My sister has just reserved a plot with a small house builder and it looks a nice house, however I could write a list of the reasons why I wouldn’t buy a new build..
- HA allocations on sites (snobby but you’re paying a premium for a new build house).
- Visit 10 estates build in the last 20 years and there will be cars just absolutely everywhere at 9 of them.
- The amount of snags left behind.
- The absolutely astounding cost of any extras.
- You're only a top customer until you fill in the NHBC survey.
I could go on.
Persimmon are notoriously awful, avoid.
Bought a Persimmon home back in 2006 against my will but my ex wanted it so bad so ran with it, getting them back to complete snagging was hopeless and like painting the Forth Bridge
Couldn't sell quick enough, Brucie bonus was we made a very handsome profit albeit could never understand the popularity and frenzy of why people wanted to buy
I have a friend who used to work for Persimmon and having been personally involved myself with some 'higher end' housebuilders (Barratt, Berkeley etc) I would comfortably say i'd avoid like the plague. I wouldn't even know where to begin but there's many a scandal waiting to happen if things get 'hot'.