Frustrated homeowners have told of their “living hell” inside new-builds riddled with damp and deemed unsellable.

Neighbours Hayley Northwood and Michelle Henry both paid more than £190,000 for their two-bed ground-floor flats in Repton Avenue in Ashford when they were built in 2018 by Persimmon Homes.

But from the start, they noticed mould forming on the walls and skirting boards, and an independent surveyor has now highlighted problems with the way the homes have been built.

This includes blocked “air bricks” wrongly installed at ground floor level, allowing water into the cavity walls and leading to damp.

Clothes, carpets and furniture - including Miss Northwood’s two-year-old son Henry’s cot - have been damaged by mould in the properties.

Despite raising the issues with Persimmon within weeks of moving in, and the surveyor's findings, both families are yet to have their homes fixed.

Miss Northwood told KentOnline: “It has been nearly six years of living hell in this place and it's not somewhere my family should be.

“I put my entire life savings into my first home, which should be my dream home, but Persimmon has completely ruined it.

“They shouldn't be able to build these houses substandard. These are people's lives they are playing with.”

Persimmon has carried out three lots of remedial work to Miss Northwood’s property, including stain blocking, uncovering the air bricks and installing cavity trays, but the issues have continued.

Miss Northwood said: “Within two weeks, the builders were still on site and they gave us an industrial dehumidifier which we had to run at our own expense but it didn't solve the problem and it has continued to spiral out of control from there.

“There was mould along all of our skirting boards. We were constantly wiping it off with mould remover spray.

“Within the first six months, we noticed items of clothing and shoes were being damaged by mould and excessive condensation in windows.

“Persimmon said to us it was because we don't have the vents open on the windows but they have been open the whole time.”

Miss Northwood, a former teaching assistant, and husband Ashley, who works in e-commerce, paid £2,000 for an independent surveyor to assess their home. A number of defects were found which could be leading to the issues.

The report by chartered surveyors Dawson and Associated says the “external ground level is too high” in relation to the damp proof course.

It means the ground outside should be 150mm lower than it currently is.

It also found that blocked air bricks below ground level could be contributing to the damp.

In the report, Charles Dawson adds: “I am also concerned with the lack of cavity trays as identified and possible debris in the cavity.

“The blocking or obstruction of air bricks will be detrimental to the structure in time with the potential of wet and dry rot being associated with such poor sub floor airflow.

“It is my opinion that despite trickle vents and mechanical ventilation, the level of condensation identified by high moisture meter readings is compounded by other sources of damp ingress.

“That is to say the moisture internally is a result of external ingress, not as a result of condensation which would have a nominal effect in this instance.”

Miss Northwood explained: “When it rains, the water goes in through the air bricks and into the cavity walls, so no wonder we are damp.

“One part of me was glad an issue had been found and I was relieved it said it needed to be fixed.

“But part of me was angry that this has even been allowed to happen.

“Naively I thought that would be a way of getting things mended but we are still fighting.

“The report was a significant financial payout for us which we shouldn't have had to do.

“My solicitor and I sent the report to Persimmon, who requested a meeting with the surveyor to further understand the report.

“We were happy to do that but Persimmon wanted me to pay for the meeting, which was something I'm not able to do.

“Now we are just stuck at them refusing to do anything and they are daring us to take them to court, so they have left me with no other option than to take the legal route to get my property fixed.”

Miss Northwood says the home is now unsellable, leaving her family stuck in a faulty property.

“My solicitor has told me I can't sell this property knowing the defects,” the 28-year-old explained.

“I could then be liable [if] it was not sold in good faith.

“I want to sell this property correctly and I want to make sure the work is done properly.

“If we hadn't had all these issues, it could have been a lovely first home but Persimmon has ruined it for us so it is time for somebody else to enjoy it without the horrible issues.

“We just want them to fix the flat in line with the surveyor's report.

“If they genuinely don't believe there is a problem with my property they can buy it off me at market value and I'll go, because legally I cannot sell this flat now knowing the significant faults.

“The only thing I have done wrong is buy a Persimmon home because I have had so many problems which haven't gone away.”

Miss Northwood’s neighbours – teacher Michelle Henry and her son Adrian – were among the first residents to move into their block in 2018.

Before her carpet was even laid, Ms Henry too noticed a significant problem with damp.

“There has been a lot of back and forth but nobody has ever come out to look at the property,” she said.

“I have had to move everything away from the walls so nothing gets ruined.

“Living here has been a nightmare. I just want them to fix it and not try to pass the buck.

“I paid money for this flat but it is shoddy.

“I have considered solicitors but I'm not able to financially. This is a brand-new building and it shouldn't be like this.”

Miss Northwood has sent an official complaint to Persimmon using guidelines from the National House Building Council (NHBC), to which the developer has 30 days to respond.

Depending on the NHBC’s findings, Persimmon could be ordered to carry out remedial works.

The housebuilding giant - which in 2022 had an underlying operating profit of just over £1 billion - has made an offer of compensation to Miss Northwood but is waiting on proof of purchase for items damaged.

A spokesman for Persimmon said: “We have been working with the residents living in Repton Avenue regarding the issues they have been experiencing.

“Works have been carried out to install cavity trays at the properties to resolve some of the issues and we are keen to continue working with the residents to complete the internal repairs and redecorate where necessary to ensure their homes are of a standard they would expect.

“We are currently awaiting further communication from the resident’s legal representative so we can then proceed with these works.”