Buying from a UK based Company be warned

Piranha · Newbie Joined: Aug 13, 2009 Posts: 11

If anyone is thinking of buying a property from a Uk based firm in the "North Midlands" be very careful. I have mentioned a few times in recent postings, and am sorry to BANG ON ABOUT IT, however, not just me but quite a few others have been extremely let down by him.
We were promised a habital property by April 09, well here we are in November 09 and still nothing, oh work started very quickly and as quick as it started it finished, he kept telling me that he had to get sack his builders, and that he had got some others, then he sacked them, it transpires that none were sacked they all left because he was not paying them.
Our so called French drain was never going to work, the waste water pipes were never connected to the Cesspit, the rubble that was dug out from the house was to be taken away, well that only went as far as our garden where it was dumped, the wood that has been used in the house was supposed to have been "woodworm free" . I got more acheived when I was over in july than he ever did. All the familes that he has upset (and that being polite) are absolutly FURIOUS. I personally have been talking to as any people about this persone when I was over, and the sooner we can close the company down the better, not only will UK people be safe but also the Bulgarians. Our house is now safe, and we have power, just to turn on lights was cause for a celebration. Should you buy a home from a North Midlands firm just buy the house, and have nothing more to do with them. He talks a good story and sounds trustworthy, but beleive me they are all empty promises and what he says is as useful as Ashtray on a motorbike. We are so pleased that we have no more dealings with this crook. GRRRRR am really angry

travelbug

Always good to have a vent but what you have gone through is no different to hundreds of others who have bought and renovated or built in Bulgaria with many different firms, both Bulgarian and British. My house was meant to be finished when I arrived over in October 2006 but was little more than 4 walls, the roof was not even on. I had the same excuses, had to sack builders blah blah blah...In the end was well over a year late in completion, took me 3 sets of builders (all crap) and around 25,000 Euros more than expected, three court cases and thousands more euros down the drain, a criminal conviction for slander against the builder's lawyer and so on....

Most of what you have described (wood worm free wood, rubble in garden etc) is part of the course of building here in Bulgaria. Count yourself lucky you actually have a house and that these were the worst of your problems. Much of the problem will be this UK firm are using Bulgarian builders and are not properly managing the projects. I have seen and experienced it all before (and much worse).