Steve Soulsby, the owner of a Persimmon house of horrors, was so shocked by the experience of buying a new build that he has set up a website to share his experiences with prospective buyers.

Totley Hall Drive sounds charming and looks immaculate. But beneath the surface, things aren't quite as perfect as they seem. The estate in Sheffield was built in 2000 by Westbury Homes, a company that's now part of Persimmon Homes - the UK's biggest house builder.

It got off to a bad start when they held back the keys for 4 hours after receiving our funds at 1 o'clock. We didn't receive keys till 5.30 having booked a van and given notice on our rented property at the time and booked holiday from work.

Getting the keys to a brand-new house that no-one but you has lived in before is a tempting idea. And there are lots of people for whom that dream comes true each year. Last year around 160,000 new homes were built, with the total set to increase by 50,000 a year.

Eyesore, soul-sapping housing that short-changes the people who have to inhabit it is not the exception but the norm, according to a new report.

Residents on a Lancashire estate have slammed house builders Redrow, saying roof tiles have fallen off homes they built for the third time in two years.

Barratt have not even completed the first house on the estate the are working on at Newbiggin by the Sea in Northumberland but already have the residents of the only access road up in arms.

We bought our house new from Persimmon in July 2000. Since then we have had problems with internal and external cracking which for four years Persimmon refused to take seriously or investigate the root cause.

Are you being treated unfairly by a retailer, company, organisation or local council? Are you caught up in a bureaucratic storm or being wrapped up in red tape? Have you complained, but feel like you’re getting nowhere?

Builders Bellway Homes North East jumped into action when I asked for an explanation about Andrew Hutchinson's complaint.