// BBC BUSINESS NEWS — FINANZA
The ecstasy of buying our first home was short-lived after we found 150 faults
Charles and Georgina bought a new build home in February 2026
It was the day Georgina and Charles Barnes had waited three years for - collecting the keys to their first home.
But when the brand new property was inspected just days later by a Welsh snagging company - the final quality check by independent inspectors - they identified 150 defects, including incorrectly installed fire barriers, signs of a previous leak and what they called "exceptionally poor" workmanship.
Swansea-based New Home Quality Control was set up by John Cooper after he became fed up of being asked to hide things from customers on building sites.
It is the responsibility of developers to make sure new-builds meet regulations, according to the National House Building Council, external (NHBC).
The couple are far from alone when it comes to issues with new houses.
Written evidence submitted by the New Homes Ombudsman Service said the Home Builders Federation national new homes customer satisfaction survey, published in March 2025, showed 93.7% of new-build buyers reporting defects or snags to their developer after moving in, external.
Just over a quarter of buyers also found more than 15 problems in their new-build home.
Charles and Georgina were excited to move into their new home
"If there had been a fire, that's one thing that could have happened and been very detrimental."