Avant Homes: "I bought brand new £400,000 home in Sheffield and it's riddled with problems"

A disgruntled Sheffield couple who spent £400,000 on a new build home have shared their frustration at experiencing mould issues within weeks of moving in.

“The skirting boards collected moisture which has caused a massive mould problem in the house,” the couple, who have asked to remain anonymous, told The Star. “The carpet is mouldy and the walls behind the kitchen are mouldy.”

It has been a kick-in-the-teeth for the couple, who got the keys in March 2024, well behind the original July 2023 completion date, they claim.

“The stress has been horrendous,” they said. “We’re having to take time off work and keep staying with family as more work is completed.”

The property in question is one of Avant Homes’ developments on Moorthorpe Way in Owlthorpe.

The couple added: “Both our new neighbours have got the mould on their skirting boards as well and previous houses built on the estate have before... People should know what their money is going towards.

“It’s not sorted yet. At the minute, we still need to have the carpets replaced and the kitchen done.”

The couple hope this will be the final part of a drawn out process with the housebuilder.

They said: “It’s not been great from start to finish. It was meant to be ready in July last year and we got in in March this year.”

“Up until this issue, they had been really difficult with us and we’d had nothing back from complaints,” they added. “Now, the head of construction has come round and things are getting done.”

A spokesperson for Avant Homes said: “We are continuing to liaise closely with the customer to remedy the situation in her home. This has included replacing the skirting boards and some carpet which was affected.”

The firm says three homes have been affected.

“We have experienced some localised issues with some mould growth in three plots on the development. Upon investigation we have traced the issue to a consignment of skirting boards used on the plots affected. We consider this matter is now resolved and will not re-occur,” the firm said.