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Friday, March 29, 2024

New homes full of deficiencies

Norwegians are paying sky-high prices for new homes these days, but all too often aren’t getting what they paid for. New figures from the state consumer protection agency show that fully seven out of 10 new homes are sold with construction mistakes.

The number of complaints from buyers of brand new housing units has tripled just since 2010. Builders are accused of opting for the cheapest construction methods, resulting in everything from leaking windows to uneven flooring and plumbing problems. Pride in their workmanship seems to have disappeared long ago.

“A home is the largest investment most people make in their lifetimes,” Randi Flesland, director of the consumer council Forbrukerrådet, told news bureau ANB. “Such investments should involve much better consumer protection measures than we have today.”

Flesland wants authorities to demand a detailed tilstandsrapport (condition report on the state of the property) from an independent third party when a property changes hands. The current reports known as a takst (appraisal) is far from sufficient, Flesland said. “Many buyers come to find out they were full of deficiencies,” she said.

newsinenglish.no staff

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