Unscrupulous company!

In March this year I visited the Sales office at Hollybank, Wombwell to enquire on the part exchange scheme offered by Persimmon Homes. Following the satisfactory mortgage check on my financial status and visits by 3 estate agents arranged by Persimmon Homes to my property, I was informed by Persimmon Homes in a letter on 5 April 2018 that Persimmon Homes agreed to purchase my property

I entered into the part-exchange scheme in good faith, based on my understanding that Persimmon Homes would honour its agreement, in return I agreed to:

- Pay £400 to G M Wilson for the purchase of the new property and sale of my existing property
- agreed to let the estate agent arranged by Persimmon Homes to market my property and accept viewings
- Arrange for the Energy performance certificate, gas and electric safety certificate to be provided to Persimmon Homes, the total cost of providing the certificates was £375 including remedial work required by Persimmon Homes

In addition, I made the following payments to Persimmon Homes:
28 March £500 reservation fees
24 April £644 deposit for the upgrade of the new property
A total of £1144

I have kept my part of the agreement as stated above, in the hope that once the new house is ready, Persimmon Homes would also honour their agreement to complete the transaction. Indeed Persimmon Homes had found a buyer for my house as soon as my property went on the market. The lady who was to buy my property visited my property twice and informed me that her daughter lives across the road from my property. On 31 May I received an email via G M Wilson requesting the washing machine to be removed from my property on completion, also a phone call from the sales office on 10 June 2018 informing that the completion date would be 29 June 2018, led me to believe that everything was in order. The next morning 11 June 2018 I received an email from the G M Wilson that Persimmon Homes would no longer proceed with the part exchange deal, this came to me as a shock. The reason I quote:

''As the resale purchaser has withdrawn due to the un-adopted road and we think it likely that the same issue will arise with any further purchaser on a resale then my client feels that this is too much risk for us to proceed.''

The email was indeed impersonal, she offers absolutely no apologies for the trouble and financial commitment I have already put into this deal. Also I cannot accept the above statement as the reason for Persimmon Home's withdrawal from the part exchange deal for the following reasons:

a) I had already informed Persimmon Homes in a questionnaire as well as in writing (via G M Wilson) in early April that the road outside my existing property belonged to Britannia Homes, following the bankruptcy of Britannia Homes, the council took over the running of the road. If this was an issue to Persimmon Homes, they should have stopped the part exchange deal then, and I would not have paid £644 and £375 stated above.

b) As mentioned above, the purchaser of my property has a daughter who lives across the road, if the unadopted road is an issue, it would also be an issue to her.

c) Many properties have been bought and sold in my estate in the last many years, and in fact 2 properties have been sold in February and March this year, this proves that the unadopted road highlighted had not been an issue to the potential buyers of properties in my estate

I feel disgusted at how Persimmon Home have treated me, just two weeks before completion they pull out of the part exchange deal and left me high and dry, after I have made substantial finacial commitment to the deal. The £400 payment to the solicitor and £375 for the certificate are simply money wasted, money that I have spent for nothing. Persimmon Homes does not treat their customers fairly, I believe that they have no regards for the financial commitment made by their customers.

I have been totally committed to the deal but Persimmon Homes broke up the agreement. It is an injustice that Persimmon Homes is allowed to pull out of the deal and keep the money I paid to Persimmon Homes. I don't see why I should suffered financially through no fault of my own, but as a result of the decision made by Persimmon Homes to walk away from the deal. I have lost £2000 (including £500 reservation fee and £644 a deposit for the upgrade of the new house). It is disgusting that I paid Persimmon Homes £644 for the upgrade of their house that I will not live in!!

I am totally disgusted by how I have been treated by Persimmon Homes. It is an unscrupulous company, I would advise everyone not to deal with them at all, they dont care about their reputation, treat their customers like dirt!