Ten families who have bought new homes on the Edlogan Wharf estate in between Cwmbran and Sebastopol are still waiting to move in because the developer has an “ongoing legal matter” on a “specific parcel of land” at the site.
The families have all signed to buy homes in the Barcud Coch phase of Edlogan Wharf. Taylor Wimpey, the developer, told Cwmbran Life that they own the site, including the land where these affected homes are built. They would not give any details of the legal issue that is causing the delay.
Cwmbran Life spoke to a man who said the delay has cost his family £200 a month as their original mortgage was agreed with a completion date of January 2022 but rates have since increased.
He said: “We reserved the property in May 2021 and exchanged contracts in September 2021. Our approximate date (to move in) was January/ February but the house was originally signed off for completion in early January.”
The man, his partner and their baby are living in a “box room” with one of their parents.
“It’s been a nightmare. We have been ready to move in since January. It’s been eight months. When it was approaching our completion date they kept making up excuses as to why we can’t move in, completely opposite to a legal matter. There was no mention of the legal matter till February.
“We were told that it’s a dispute, a legal matter between Taylor Wimpey and the landowner. They could have told us this back in November when they found out about the problem. But decided to keep it a secret and not tell anyone about the situation
“We agreed to pay £10,000+ for options on the house- so things like extras in the bathroom and kitchen. It’s all been done and the house is there waiting for us to move in but we don’t know why we can’t. It’s ridiculous.
‘We lost our mortgage offer and interest rates have gone up’
“But we’ve recently had to renew our mortgage offer as we hadn’t completed. We have lost the fixed rate we originally had and it’s now more than doubled in interest rate which means an extra £200 a month.
“Taylor Wimpey hasn’t given us a timescale on when we can move in. Some neighbours around our home have moved in. A couple of houses are a drive width away from each other and they’re not allowed to move in despite being so close to another.”
Response from Taylor Wimpey
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We sincerely apologise to our customers who are experiencing a delay in moving into their home at Barcud Coch, Edlogan Wharf. Customer satisfaction is our priority and we are in regular contact with everyone affected. We will continue to work positively with all parties concerned to resolve the outstanding issue as soon as possible.”
The spokesperson confirmed that the ten families would get the keys to their new homes once the legal matter was sorted out but they could not give a timeline. They have been offered the option to cancel their contract with Taylor Wimpey and receive a refund of all out-of-pocket expenses. All the families have been advised to seek legal advice from a solicitor.
