Is It Legal For Builder To Sell A New Build House That Was Originally Down To Be Social Housing?

[winkyridg]

Hi, my niece recently purchase a new build house, signed the paperwork and received the keys, she has now discovered that the house they've sold her was originally down to be social housing, we've seen drawings which state AH on them, Affordable Housing, which she isnt happy about and would explain the 120 odd faults on the snag list, when she questioned the builder they told her that they dont legally have to tell her, is this true and is there anything she can do about it? Many Thanks

[DDIL]

Is this on an estate?

Just because the drawing says HA on it doesn't mean that property was down as social housing, they could be building several properties at the same time using the same plans.

Have you looked on the planning portal for your area to see what planning consent was given?

As for the snags, nothing to do with it being social housing.

[newmodarmy]

Affordable housing does not mean it has to be social housing.

Presumably your nice had a survey done. Were any of these snags picked up in that?

The contract with the seller of the new property will have details of any warranties or snagging issues.

I recall new builds have some sort of certificate anyway covering this.

[newmodarmy]

Just seen DDIL's post. I agree that there is any connection between unfinished work  and it being social housing.

[winkyridg]

After she received the keys she found paperwork in the house stating that it was social housing.

[DDIL]

When building new housing, if the builders sign up to the scheme its normally a percentage of the homes that have to be sold as social housing  - so its possible that her home is under that scheme.

But, it doesn't mean that her particular house was social housing just a percentage.

[bednobs]

What difference does it make to her? Presumably she liked the house enough to buy it despite the snags, and it's the same house now as it was when she bought it. What is wrong with it originally being social housing?

[winkyridg]

And the drawings seen were the drawings for the actual plot my niece purchased, i know this because a friend of a friend works for a company that provides materials for that specific site, these materials require drawings for every single plot.

[jackthehat]

The snagging list ought to be attended to regardless of the status of the property.

Large developers have to commit, as has already been said, to providing a percentage of the houses they are building to the Affordable Housing scheme as part of gaining Planning Consent.

Usually, when the development has been built, the developer claims that selling these houses as part of the AH scheme will adversely affect their business/profits and weasel out of this agreement and they go on the market at full price.

I can't see what difference it would make to your neice, in all honesty...

[douglas9401]

She doesn't want to be at the end of the estate where the front garden is used to store old furniture and van engines, obviously.