A guide to living in West Yorkshire

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

The range to local shops is excellent. The property is basically central to lots of amenities. Though parking is limited but the property is very close to different transport facilities.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Right on time and there are always available to attend to service users

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Basically, I wish there were more parking spaces for the whole apartment but owing to the number of apartments, it’s practically impossible considering the location

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

We reported serious problems with our Bellway home, including an extremely cold living room, mould, condensation, cracking and deteriorating skirting beside the patio doors. Bellway did not inspect the property, so we paid approximately £700 for an independent thermographic survey. It identified eleven significant thermal anomalies, including a surface temperature of approximately 6.4°C and suspected missing or displaced insulation and air leakage. When the skirting was removed because mould and deterioration were appearing around it, we discovered a substantial unexplained void beneath and behind the internal wall lining at the wall-to-floor and patio-door junction. A measuring tape can be inserted more than four metres horizontally into this void, and the accessible area also extends approximately 50 centimetres downwards below floor level. There is mould, cracking and deterioration directly above and beside it. Despite receiving the report and photographs, Bellway has confirmed in writing that it has no intention of carrying out an independent investigation because its two-year warranty has expired. It will only attend if NHBC arranges an inspection. NHBC has already declined part of our claim concerning the cold areas, insulation, mould and condensation, and no inspection has yet been confirmed. Bellway has also failed to answer whether the affected room is safe to use while we wait. We live here with our young child and are understandably extremely worried. We purchased a new-build home expecting the builder and the ten-year Buildmark warranty to provide meaningful protection. Instead, Bellway refers us to NHBC, while NHBC has so far declined part of the claim without inspecting the newly exposed area. Our experience of Bellway’s aftercare has been appalling. I would strongly advise prospective buyers to research what protection they will actually receive after the first two years. We will update this review if Bellway or NHBC finally arranges a proper technical inspection and resolves the problem.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

We reported serious problems with our Bellway home, including an extremely cold living room, mould, condensation, cracking and deteriorating skirting beside the patio doors. Bellway did not inspect the property, so we paid approximately £700 for an independent thermographic survey. It identified eleven significant thermal anomalies, including a surface temperature of approximately 6.4°C and suspected missing or displaced insulation and air leakage. When the skirting was removed because mould and deterioration were appearing around it, we discovered a substantial unexplained void beneath and behind the internal wall lining at the wall-to-floor and patio-door junction. A measuring tape can be inserted more than four metres horizontally into this void, and the accessible area also extends approximately 50 centimetres downwards below floor level. There is mould, cracking and deterioration directly above and beside it. Despite receiving the report and photographs, Bellway has confirmed in writing that it has no intention of carrying out an independent investigation because its two-year warranty has expired. It will only attend if NHBC arranges an inspection. NHBC has already declined part of our claim concerning the cold areas, insulation, mould and condensation, and no inspection has yet been confirmed. Bellway has also failed to answer whether the affected room is safe to use while we wait. We live here with our young child and are understandably extremely worried. We purchased a new-build home expecting the builder and the ten-year Buildmark warranty to provide meaningful protection. Instead, Bellway refers us to NHBC, while NHBC has so far declined part of the claim without inspecting the newly exposed area. Our experience of Bellway’s aftercare has been appalling. I would strongly advise prospective buyers to research what protection they will actually receive after the first two years. We will update this review if Bellway or NHBC finally arranges a proper technical inspection and resolves the problem.

What is the best feature of your home:

We reported serious problems with our Bellway home, including an extremely cold living room, mould, condensation, cracking and deteriorating skirting beside the patio doors. Bellway did not inspect the property, so we paid approximately £700 for an independent thermographic survey. It identified eleven significant thermal anomalies, including a surface temperature of approximately 6.4°C and suspected missing or displaced insulation and air leakage. When the skirting was removed because mould and deterioration were appearing around it, we discovered a substantial unexplained void beneath and behind the internal wall lining at the wall-to-floor and patio-door junction. A measuring tape can be inserted more than four metres horizontally into this void, and the accessible area also extends approximately 50 centimetres downwards below floor level. There is mould, cracking and deterioration directly above and beside it. Despite receiving the report and photographs, Bellway has confirmed in writing that it has no intention of carrying out an independent investigation because its two-year warranty has expired. It will only attend if NHBC arranges an inspection. NHBC has already declined part of our claim concerning the cold areas, insulation, mould and condensation, and no inspection has yet been confirmed. Bellway has also failed to answer whether the affected room is safe to use while we wait. We live here with our young child and are understandably extremely worried. We purchased a new-build home expecting the builder and the ten-year Buildmark warranty to provide meaningful protection. Instead, Bellway refers us to NHBC, while NHBC has so far declined part of the claim without inspecting the newly exposed area. Our experience of Bellway’s aftercare has been appalling. I would strongly advise prospective buyers to research what protection they will actually receive after the first two years. We will update this review if Bellway or NHBC finally arranges a proper technical inspection and resolves the problem.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

I lived at Pin Yard for around 2.5 years and had a very positive experience. The location is excellent and extremely convenient. I only moved out because I wanted to move into a house with a garden. The development is around a 7-minute walk from the train station, which is particularly convenient if you do not have a car or need to travel to different locations. The city centre and main shopping areas are approximately 15–20 minutes away on foot, Crown Point is around 10 minutes away, and Costco is approximately 15 minutes away. There is also a Tesco Express just a 4-minute walk away, which is very convenient for late-night or everyday shopping. Bin collections were never an issue for us, and we experienced very little traffic or noise pollution. Overall, the area felt safe, secure and well connected.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

The Pin Yard management team has been very helpful whenever we raised an issue. Grace, Chloe and Jessica were particularly supportive and always tried to resolve problems as quickly as possible. Most issues were dealt with promptly, while anything requiring a handyman was generally resolved within one or two days. The Pin Yard team consistently went above and beyond to help residents and supported us whenever we needed assistance. Overall, we were very happy with the level of service and responsiveness from the management team.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

There is nothing significant that I wish I had known before moving in, as our overall experience was very positive. The property is relatively expensive, but considering the excellent location, security, facilities and convenience of being close to the city centre, I felt the cost was reasonable. I would recommend Pin Yard to anyone looking for a secure and convenient place to live.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

It is a very lovely to live in and convenient to nearby supermarkets. Area is quiet at night which is good for residence to wind down the night.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Every response has been great, actions were taken promptly. However, during the process of moving in, TURAs email system was having an issue and we did not get updated about our move in status, which was a bit of a hiccup, leaving us a little uncertain. Despite that, everything was sorted within a few days.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

More clarification on electric provider and water provider.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

The building is situated near the Wellington place office blocks so you are on the doorstep of Sainsburys local, coffee shops and restaurants. Plus, the canal is just behind offering walking routes to cafes and bars on the river.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Promptly and efficiently. Being a new build there has been a couple of snags, however they have responded and fixed them very quickly. They are also great at completing alterations requests.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Views from the apartments are great and parcels are safe in a parcel room.