Latest news with #LisaKlaver
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Citibank boss sues builders over ‘botched' construction of £3m home
A former Citibank executive and her husband are suing builders for allegedly botching the construction of their £3m home. Lisa Klaver and her husband Tim are taking North Downs Construction to the High Court claiming the property has so many issues it cannot be lived in, according to the Daily Mail. The building firm had agreed to construct the couple's property near Farnham, Surrey, next to an existing property, which was set to be knocked down once their new home was built. They now claim to have found 69 defects including to timber cladding, the terrace, balcony, and lower ground floor roof, external walls, windows and doors, basement tanking, internal and external work, and structural steelwork. Other builders told the couple they will not be able to finish the work unless they knock the new property down and start from scratch, which would cost around £3.4m. The couple are suing for more than £3m as well as damages for distress, inconvenience and loss of amenity. Work on the project began in July 2021 and the couple moved in a year later. After they moved in, their architect spotted defects but they had already paid £836,000 towards the builders' bill at this point, it was said. The architect asked the builders to fix a problem with the exterior timber cladding, which did not conform to the contract or good building practice. 'Inadequate remedial action' Further issues led to the couple withholding a payment of the July 2022 invoice, High Court documents said. Vernon Blake, of North Downs Construction, said the firm would withdraw from the site immediately unless it was paid immediately, and then did so. No further work has taken place since then. The couple claim the builders did not take adequate remedial action and terminated the contract in April last year. They say the firm was responsible for the work until the contract ended and the builders did not finish the job within the agreed 50 weeks, or ask for a time extension. Rain and floodwater got into the house in late 2022. While the firm came to accept some of the defects, and put forward proposals for fixing them, it did not address more serious ones in the structural steelwork, according to the claim. The couple claim redesigning the new house to fix the defective work is not their job and that the building firm has refused to meet any of the costs of doing so. The couple and North Downs Construction did not comment when approached by the Daily Mail. The newspaper said the firm was expected to defend the claim. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Former Citibank boss sues builders over ‘botched' construction of £3m home
A former Citibank executive and her husband are suing builders for allegedly botching the construction of their £3m home. Lisa Klaver and her husband Tim are taking North Downs Construction to the High Court claiming the property has so many issues it cannot be lived in, according to the Daily Mail. The building firm had agreed to construct the couple's property near Farnham, Surrey, next to an existing property, which was set to be knocked down once their new home was built. They now claim to have found 69 defects including to timber cladding, the terrace, balcony, and lower ground floor roof, external walls, windows and doors, basement tanking, internal and external work, and structural steelwork. Other builders told the couple they will not be able to finish the work unless they knock the new property down and start from scratch, which would cost around £3.4m. The couple are suing for more than £3m as well as damages for distress, inconvenience and loss of amenity. Work on the project began in July 2021 and the couple moved in a year later. After they moved in, their architect spotted defects but they had already paid £836,000 towards the builders' bill at this point, it was said. The architect asked the builders to fix a problem with the exterior timber cladding, which did not conform to the contract or good building practice. 'Inadequate remedial action' Further issues led to the couple withholding a payment of the July 2022 invoice, High Court documents said. Vernon Blake, of North Downs Construction, said the firm would withdraw from the site immediately unless it was paid immediately, and then did so. No further work has taken place since then. The couple claim the builders did not take adequate remedial action and terminated the contract in April last year. They say the firm was responsible for the work until the contract ended and the builders did not finish the job within the agreed 50 weeks, or ask for a time extension. Rain and floodwater got into the house in late 2022. While the firm came to accept some of the defects, and put forward proposals for fixing them, it did not address more serious ones in the structural steelwork, according to the claim. The couple claim redesigning the new house to fix the defective work is not their job and that the building firm has refused to meet any of the costs of doing so. The couple and North Downs Construction did not comment when approached by the Daily Mail.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
High flying ex-Citibank executive sues builders who 'botched' her dream home for £3million
A high flying investment banker and her husband are suing a construction company for more than £3million - claiming their dream home was built so poorly it must be demolished. Lisa Klaver, who used to advise the ultra-rich in Singapore, and her husband Tim are taking North Downs Construction to London's High Court claiming their brand new house is so riddled with issues it is uninhabitable. The builders had agreed to construct the couple's sprawling property near Farnham, adjacent to an existing property, which was set to be knocked down once the other home was completed. But the wealthy couple have accused the firm of negligence, finding 69 defects and claiming it has not been built to proper standards. Problems in the home included issues with the timber cladding, the terrace, balcony, and lower ground floor roof, external walls, windows and doors, basement tanking, internal and external work, and structural steelwork. The heartbroken couple have now been left in limbo as without a housing guarantee they have been unable to get a mortgage - or sell the property. Other contractors have said they will not be able to warrant the complete construction of the home unless it is completely demolished first, according to the claim submitted to court. Knocking the house down and starting over is estimated to cost the couple £3.4million. Lisa and Tim Klaver claim they will have to knock down their sprawling dream home (pictured) near Farnham, Surrey, after North Down Construction built it so poorly The older property (pictured in front of the new build) was set to be destroyed once the family moved into their mansion Mr and Mrs Klaver (pictured) have accused the firm of negligence, finding 69 defects with the property, claiming it had not been built to proper standards Reducing costs slightly, the builders would be able to keep the foundations of the building and the lower ground floor at a cost of £2.9million - but Mr and Mrs Klaver do not think option is possible. It has led Mrs Klaver, 44, founder of Lightbox Wealth and Lightbox Wealth Consulting, and her husband to take NHQ Ltd, trading as North Downs Construction Company, to court. They are suing the Guilford-based firm for damages of more than £3million - as well as damages for distress, inconvenience and loss of amenity. North Downs Construction had begun working on the project in July 2021, with the couple moving to the property a year later. It was only after they moved in May 2022, that their architect noticed defects and upon further investigation, dozens more were been found, it is claimed. At this point, the couple had already paid £836,000 towards the builder's bill. The architect began by asking the builders to fix a defect in the exterior timber cladding, which did not conform to the contract or good building practice. Other issues were then raised in various other reports with the Klavers asking for them to be fixed. It led them to withholding a payment of the July 2022 invoice, High Court documents said. North Down Construction's Vernon Blake said that without payment, the firm would withdraw from the site immediately, and did so. No other work has taken place since then. Mr and Mrs Klaver say the builders failed to take adequate remedial action, and as a result they terminated the contract in April 2024. The couple insist the firm was responsible for the works until the contract was terminated, especially for ensuring the completed works were safe and watertight. They add that the builders did not finish the job within the agreed 50 weeks, or ask for a time extension. Rain and flood water got into the house in October and November 2022 and while the firm later admitted some of the defects, and provided proposals for putting them right, it failed to address many more including more serious ones in the structural steelwork, the claim says. Mr and Mrs Klaver claim it is not for them to re-design the new house so that the defective work can be remedied. They added North Downs Construction has refused to meet any of the costs of doing so. Mrs Klaver used to work for Citi Private Bank, the private arm of Citibank but set up her own firm with her husband Tim last year in May 2024 Work on the new property first began in July 2021 with the couple's architect only noticing defects once they had moved in May 2022 Mrs Klaver, who seemed emotional about the ongoing case when approached by the Daily Mail, used to work for Citi Private Bank, the private arm of Citibank. At one time she headed the team advising on ultra-high net worth investment in Singapore, before becoming managing director and global head of platform innovation program for the bank. In May 2024, she set up her own firm helped by husband Tim. Mr and Mrs Klaver declined to comment. The building firm North Downs Construction were also approached for comment. It is understood that they will defend the claim.
