WITH many housing developments quickly being built in Bicester, it calls to question the quality of the new homes.

Housebuilder, Linden Homes, has recently opened its ‘stunning’ new show home at its Hawkswood development on the Kingsmere estate, but a couple who live in one of its homes are letting people know that the houses may not be all that they appear to be.

Claire and Joe Tompkinson bought a Linden Homes property in 2017 on the Abbey Farm development in Swindon and have since had multiple issues with their house, including tiles falling off the roof.

And to show their anger, they have been standing outside the company's new Bicester development warning potential customers of their experience. 

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The couple, as well as their neighbours who also live in properties built by Linden Homes, are angry at the ‘abhorrent’ way in which the developer has managed the situation.

Oxford Mail:

Mr Tompkinson said: “The houses are such bad quality – it’s diabolical. What makes it worse is the way that Linden Homes has dealt with the situation. Our home is now uninhabitable but they don’t seem to care.”

The 33-year-old and his fellow neighbours have been protesting at Linden Homes developments in Oxfordshire and Berkshire - including the new development in Bicester on Saturday - to inform people about the experiences they have had.

Himself and his wife, who is 43, and three children cannot use their two bathrooms and utility room and the roof, which he has attempted to secure for the time being using duct tape, is also falling apart.

Oxford Mail:

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The family are having to go away for three weeks this summer in order to allow Linden Homes to repair the home for the third time.

Although he was told that the problems with his house were an ‘isolated issue', after speaking with other Linden Homes residents in the area, they have had the same problems too.

He said: “Residents are coming out in droves saying it is an appalling experience. I spoke to a couple on Saturday who were about to look at the new showroom and told them the problems we’ve had.

“While speaking to them someone in their car shouted out the window, ‘I’ve been living in the house for three months and it’s already falling down’.

“The couple then got back into their car and drove away.”

Linden Homes said: “We are aware of the issues reported by Mr Tompkinson with his home at our Abbey Farm development. We are naturally disappointed that this house appears to have fallen short of our normal high standards and, in order to be demonstrably fair and transparent, we have asked the NHBC to produce a full list of work requiring attention as part of their conciliation service.

“We are committed to resolving the identified issues, this willingness has been conveyed to the customer and we have agreed a timescale for the completion of any works. We trust that the completion of these works will bring this matter to a close”.