But this is no luxury cruise liner – it is the reality of living in their “luxury” new build apartments which combined cost them almost £2m but are now deemed worthless after being plagued with a catalogue of problems.
However, the properties are now valued at zero as they are riddled with defects and as a result, they are unmortgageable and uninsurable.
Even though Ms Druzhinin was the first one to move into the block of flats in March 2019, she has never used the bath and is too scared to invite more than a couple of friends over at the same time.
“I don’t have parties or have more than one or two friends over as I am worried that too many people in my flat might lead to some sort of collapse.”
Alexandra Druzhinim is so scared of her apartment collapsing, she has never had a bath in it (Photo: Tom Pilston)“Where will we live if something happens? How much longer does this building have in its life span? We can’t move anywhere else because all our money is tied up in this building.”
Ms Druzhinin and Mr Bruce are sharing their ordeal with The i Paper as part of a new miniseries to highlight the issues people face with the quality of new build homes across the UK, as the Government attempts to deliver its target of building 1.5 million homes by the next election.
@theipaperDan bought a £1m flat in Keir Starmer’s Camden constituency, now it’s cracking, leaking, and worthless. He says Starmer promised action in opposition, but now calls it a ‘private matter.’ Is this what new builds look like under Labour? KeirStarmer, NewBuildNightmare, HousingCrisis, Camden, UKPolitics, Mould, Damp, Cracks, StarmerConstituency, Homeownership, BrokenPromises, #LabourGovernment
♬ original sound – The i Paper – The i Paper“I viewed it multiple times, everything looked fine, it was brand spanking new and I had a survey done ,” she recalled. “I had this expectation that new flats would be better built as they would be built to new standards and practices and strict regulations.
Alexandra Druzhinim thought she was buying her dream apartment (Photo: Tom Pilston)Dan Bruce in his poorly built new build flat in Agar Grove, Camden, London (Photo: Tom Pilston)
But shortly after moving in, Ms Druizinin noticed the smell of damp but couldn’t find the source. When she went to redecorate – more issues were discovered.
“The freeholder and developer were trying to deny there was a problem so I ended up hiring people to take the ceiling down and it turned out the entire ceiling cavity was damaged by water ingress,” she said. “When the contractor drilled a hole in the ceiling, black water gushed out and it was running for days and days. The whole ceiling cavity was black with mould.”
But like Ms Druzhinin, he soon discovered his dream home was plagued with problems: constant leaks, mould, cracks and poorly fitted fixtures and fittings.
When a lorry or a train goes by outside, they can feel the building vibrate. There is so much movement in the brickwork, they can actually put their hands between the gaps and wiggle them around.
Alexandra can put her fingers in the gaps between bricks and wiggle them around (Photo Tom Pilston)Dan Bruce showing the movement in the bricks in the walls of the poorly built new build flats in Agar Grove, Camden, London (Photo Tom Pilston)Determined to fight for justice
Ms Druzhinin and Mr Bruce have spent years wrangling with the freeholder and developer, the warranty provider and insurer for their flats to no avail and have wracked up a staggering £400,000 so far between them on legal fees. They fear the fight will eventually bankrupt them.
“I bought a new build because I viewed it through the lens of if you want a TV, you buy a new TV because you get a warranty with that and you can expect that to be built with all the modern features to make a good and safe TV. I don’t understand why that same logic doesn’t apply to new build homes as well.
Dan Bruce and Alexandra Druzhinim are determined to keep fighting for justice (Photo: Tom Pilston)“But in this instance, the manufacturer of the product has got away with all our money and Alex and I are taking the hit. We have lost our money and are trapped in a legal fight.
Some of the damage in Dan Bruce’s flat (Photo: Tom Pilston)
Despite knowing they might lose even more money if they go to court and lose, Ms Druzhinin and Mr Bruce are determined to go all the way.
“We believe that something has essentially been stolen from us and we believe that as we live in the UK – a country with a good legal system – someone should step in to make things right.”
The perpetual cycle of fighting for justice and haemorrhaging money on their legal fight has taken its toll on the pair. Ms Druzhinin says she has sleepless nights and suffers shooting chest pains as a result of all the stress. While she is lucky enough not to have a mortgage, she has to borrow money to carry on funding her legal fight.
Alexandra Druzhinim shows the cracks in the floor (Photo: Tom Pilston)
For Mr Bruce, the anguish has led to him losing patches of hair and suffering from stress-induced conditions including psoriasis. “It has absolutely destroyed me,” he said. “I used to be a confident and fearless person and built a business. I don’t know if I would be able to do that again because I am now nervous of everything.”
‘Politicians have failed us’
Mr Bruce is particularly angry with his local MP, who just so happens to be the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
He also argued that people should be able to rely on warranties to put things right.
Dan Bruce says they have been failed by politicians – and is particularly angered by Keir Starmer (Photo: Tom Pilston)
“If [the Government’s] goal is to build 1.5m new homes but you know there are people trapped because the quality of their homes isn’t sufficient, surely the first thing you should do is put the protection in place for people and then build the homes.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “The situation faced by the innocent residents of Agar Grove is deplorable, and we have been absolutely clear that those who should have helped them have all moved too slowly.
‘New builds are not worth the risk’
“We don’t know anyone who hasn’t had significant issues with a new build, even when they have bought luxury ones,” said Ms Druzhinin.
Dan Bruce views buying a new build like a game of roulette (Photo: Tom Pilston)
The freeholder and developer of the flats, Prime Metro Properties, said the company who built the development, Cite Construction, have now gone into liquidation.
Acasta European Insurance Company Limited, the insurer for the building, said it has underwritten structural defects insurance for apartments at Agar Grove.
“We continue to engage with the relevant property owners regarding progression and resolution of this matter,” they said.
‘Buyers have more rights buying a kettle’
Paula Higgins, CEO of the HomeOwners Alliance (Photo: Jenny Smith Photography supplied by Paula Higgins)More homes are needed in this country and new builds are an essential part of meeting that demand.
But the way new homes are being delivered is broken, says Paula Higgins, CEO of HomeOwners Alliance, which champions the interests of homeowners and those who want to own.
“We hear from people every week who regret buying a new build. Some homes are well designed and energy efficient, yes – but far too many are riddled with defects, handed over incomplete, or come with hidden costs and long battles for redress.
“It is staggering that buyers have fewer rights when buying a new home than they do buying a kettle or a toaster. New build buyers will continue to be let down unless there is an overhaul of the system, which is central to our Campaign for Better New Build.
“We’re not anti-new build – but we are pro-consumer. Building more homes shouldn’t come at the expense of quality, fairness or basic rights.
On the Agar Grove flats, Ms Higgins said: “This utterly unjust situation is exactly why we’re calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the warranty system. It’s simply not right that victims – in this case Camden leaseholders – are forced into a legal battle to seek accountability and compensation. The system is fundamentally unfit for purpose.
“Our current framework – where warranties exist more to reassure lenders than genuinely protect homeowners – is clearly broken. Consumers shouldn’t need deep pockets or endless resilience to stand a chance; they deserve robust, enforceable protection from the outset.”
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