Consumer Code For Home Builders
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A complete sham
I paid a builder £1000 reservation fee over 6 months ago for a new build bungalow. My sale fell through the day I was due to exchange contracts and builder wouldn't hold the property for me. Builder would not refund the reservation fee so I contacted the CCHB for advice as builder had signed up to the code. They said I had a very good case for a claim and that the builder had to refund the fee under the code, they could only retain their admin costs (which had to be substantiated) and could not claim their legal costs. So I went ahead and made a claim after waiting the required 56 days. The adjudicator at CEDR ruled that the fee had to be refunded to me LESS £550 legal fees. When I complained to the manager at CCHB about being given incorrect advice she agreed that the code was vague but this was to keep things simple! My impression is that the CCHB is a scheme set up by builders for the benefit of builders on the pretence of being there to protect consumers. After an extremely protracted and tortuous process I now find that the builder has 4 weeks to refund me and should he fail to do so CEDR have no enforcement powers - they just notify CCHB who, no doubt, will do nothing.