Couple find 150 defects in Countryside new-build home
- Georgina and Charles Barnes purchased a £299,995 new-build home in south Leicestershire in February 2026, only to discover 150 building defects during an independent inspection days after receiving...
- The independent assessment conducted by Swansea-based New Home Quality Control cataloged numerous structural and finishing problems throughout the property.
- Vistry, which is responsible for the housing developer Countryside, stated that it supported appropriately conducted independent inspections as an additional source of reassurance regarding build quality.
Georgina and Charles Barnes purchased a £299,995 new-build home in south Leicestershire in February 2026, only to discover 150 building defects during an independent inspection days after receiving their keys. The property, constructed by the housing developer Countryside, featured incorrectly installed fire barriers, signs of a previous leak, and roofing faults. According to written evidence submitted by the New Homes Ombudsman Service, a Home Builders Federation customer satisfaction survey published in March 2025 showed that 93.7% of new-build buyers reported defects or snags to their developer after moving in.
Independent Inspection Reveals Widespread Faults
The independent assessment conducted by Swansea-based New Home Quality Control cataloged numerous structural and finishing problems throughout the property. Inspectors identified low water pressure alongside what they described as exceptionally poor installation of the gas meter cabinet and gas pipe. More than a dozen additional cosmetic and finishing defects were also recorded throughout the property. “We just wouldn’t have known,” Georgina Barnes said. “If there had been a fire, that’s one thing that could have happened and been very detrimental.” After saving for three years to buy a home, she noted that getting the property independently snagged felt non-negotiable amid rising reports of construction issues. Because the couple held a two-year warranty from the developer, the builder was required to fix the identified problems.
Industry Response and Common Build Issues
Vistry, which is responsible for the housing developer Countryside, stated that it supported appropriately conducted independent inspections as an additional source of reassurance regarding build quality. The company noted that each home is checked by its own teams before independent inspections take place, and build teams meet with customers two to three weeks after move-in to agree on necessary snagging work. John Cooper, co-founder of New Home Quality Control, established the snagging company after working as a contracts manager and being asked to hide construction issues from an incoming customer. Cooper stated that his team has never inspected a house and found absolutely nothing wrong with it. He identified brickwork, carpentry, and roofing as the most common problem areas, pointing to a shortage of qualified bricklayers to match the volume of properties built annually across the United Kingdom. Inspectors also regularly find missing or incorrectly installed weep vents, which allow moisture to escape exterior walls.
