Several residents who bought Persimmon homes in Midlothian have spoken of snagging nightmares – with one woman left ‘in tears’ and another homeowner’s garden ‘like a swamp’ whenever it rains.
Many from the Kings Park development in Gorebridge have complained of feeling ‘ignored’ while others declared they would not buy another home from the developer in future.
Those expecting to move into their dream family homes described being faced with nightmare scenarios, from collapsing roofs, to waterlogged gardens and near misses from falling tiles. Persimmon have since apologised for perceived ‘poor customer service’ and ‘unresolved issues.’
They have told homeowners to contact the warranty provider NHBC with any issues outwith the two-year warranty period. It is understood just two of the homeowners we spoke to made contact with NHBC.
Business owner Ben Caird, 43, and his wife Amber, were due to move into the first home together four days prior to Christmas in 2022. But upon opening the door, Amber was reduced to tears, with their Colcoon Park home ‘not fit for purpose.’
This led to the couple having to extend the rental of their previous house and place new sofas and other furniture items in storage, which they say cost them thousands. Ben had a contractor come in to look at the various snagging issues, saying around 143 were recorded.
Extensive work had to be carried out on the home but Ben said his pleas for assistance were often not taken seriously by Persimmon. A complaint around ventilation in the loft was supposedly not properly dealt with and it is claimed this led to the bathroom ceiling collapsing in November 2024.
Ben said: “We were meant to move in January 2023 but it was pushed forward by Persimmon to December 21 2022. Amber was really excited as it was the first home she had bought.
“It was a massive deal for us and it wasn’t cheap at £360,000. Before you move in, all the snagging issues should be fixed or at the very least listed but we were told by a man with a clipboard that they would list the snags alongside us.
“When we walked through the door we knew by just looking around that it wasn’t right. It was ridiculous, you could see the plastering on the hallway wall was uneven, the wall was at an angle and the balustrades were squint.
“We went into the boys room and you could tell they had originally put the light switches in the wrong place. No care was taken to fix this, you could see plaster had just been slapped in a hole.
Ben and Amber’s ceiling collapsed in their bathroom.
“It was a mess. The oven and kitchen had not been fit right, it looked like a s******e. I got a professional snagger in and he found about 143 different snags, half a dozen windows needed sorted and doors replaced.
“We told them we weren’t moving in and they said everything would be fixed but a month later, they had not touched a single thing. We had to live for three months with workmen coming and going everyday.
“Our front and back garden had to be fixed and our driveway as well as our neighbour’s had to be redone as they were sinking into the ground. It honestly felt like no one had even looked at the house, I’ve no idea how it was signed off.
“Amber was in tears. They had been in and out to fix ventilation above the bathroom but in November 2024, the ceiling collapsed above the shower. It took them until the following January to fix it.
“We had been chasing this since we came in. Loads of snags were left unfixed and I’ve ended up having to do them myself.
“Now I’m not sure I’d trust them with anything. Persimmon have just seemed uninterested, they just wanted to get off site.
“There is no way I would buy a Persimmon home again. They pay you lip service but then they just ignore you.
“We spent about £8,000 of our own money having to delay moving in and fixing issues ourselves but when we put a claim in, they rejected it. They are not interested in their customers.”
Alan Windrum complained his garden floods every time there is heavy rain.
Project manager, Alan Windrum, 41, Colcoon Park, moved into the home in 2019 with his wife and their first child but was met with a myriad of snagging issues. They have since welcomed their second child and admit they had given up hope of receiving assistance from Persimmon after initially contacting them six years ago.
Alan has fixed a number of the issues himself including shoddy paint work and other cosmetic problems. However the family now face having to fix the back garden themselves due to poor drainage turning it into a ‘marsh’ whenever it rains.
He said: “A few days before moving in, the back garden was like a building site. Three days later the grass had been put down which was worrying.
“I’d love to see the spec for what should have been done to the garden compared to what they actually did. There was no proper prep and it was like clay at the bottom.
“It looked lovely when it first went down but as time went on, it’s not good. We raised it twice but heard nothing back.
“They should come and put proper drainage in. When we first moved in we complained to the site manager but that position has now changed three or four times.
The garden has been left waterlogged.
“We gave up complaining. We were also promised wifi heating when we bought the house but this was never installed – we just have a normal system.
“There were a lot of snags when moving in but I fixed them myself as we were being ignored. This was our first family home and when you spend a lot of money on it, you expect it to be perfect.”
Slavo Baranowski bought his Colcoon Park home for £309,000 in December 2022 from Persimmon but he was left reeling after his wife escaped disaster when a tile was allegedly blown from the roof last summer, narrowly missed her head. This left her feeling scared to use the family garden.
Slavo complained to Persimmon but he said the warranty period for the roof had passed. Other items of debris have since fallen off the roof and Slavo claims a nearby neighbour had to contend with a smashed windscreen after a tile came off and hit their car.
He said: “Last summer my wife was hanging up the washing on a windy day when a tile came loose from the roof and missed her head by a foot. We complained to Persimmon but were told the warranty period for the home had passed.
“Another fixture on the roof fell a couple of weeks ago and we are worried it could happen again. We got a roofer out to fix the issue and he said Persimmon did not do a good job.
Slavo Baranowski said his wife was almost struck by a falling tile.
“We are very worried the roof is falling apart. What will happen next? My wife always looks up and checks before going outside. We have neighbours whose car was hit by a tile.
“Every time there are strong winds we become worried. What if we get hit by another tile coming off?”
The area of the missing tile on Slavo’s home.
A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes East Scotland said: “We apologise to any residents at the Kings Park development who experienced poor customer service in the past, or who felt their concerns were not fully addressed at the time.
“Customers have a two-year period from legal completion to raise any concerns directly with Persimmon Homes, during which we work closely with homeowners to resolve issues as quickly as possible.
“For matters outside this timeframe, homeowners can contact the independent warranty provider, NHBC, which is responsible for reviewing eligible claims.”
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