Berkeley Homes accused of damaging man’s £30k conservatory

Sebouh Sarafian lives in a terraced home in Lynmouth Road next door to the old SSE power site in Vastern Road.

Berkeley Homes was given the green light by Reading Borough Council in March this year to build 209 new flats at the site.

But foundational works are already causing problems, according to one neighbour.

Mr Sarafian claims construction work has caused damage to the £30,000 conservatory him and his wife added to the home in 2017.

While there is no visible damage at the moment, he suspects vibrations have caused loosening to its fittings, which has led to water dripping inside the house.

In an email to Berkeley Homes, Mr Sarafian wrote: "It seems that the vibrations from the building work has damaged my conservatory.

"There was a puddle of water on the floor of my conservatory that was due to a slow drip of water after the current rains.

"Will Berkeley Homes accept responsibility and arrange for the repair of my conservatory?"

Mr Sarafian has provided photo evidence of the glass ceiling of the conservatory, a spot where rainfall had come into his house, and video of construction works and the vibrations.

Damage to the conservatory at the home of Sebouh Sarafian, who lives in Lynmouth Road, Reading next to where Berkeley Homes is constructing 209 apartments. (Image: Sebouh Sarafian)

He reported that water from recent heavy rainfall has fallen through, requiring him and his wife to wipe all the water up before it could have a lasting impact on the flooring.

Mr Sarafian said: "We wiped most of the water away to stop our wooden floor being damaged."

He added that while the current damage is minimal, he expects a repair to cost 'a few hundred pounds' - which would involve finding and stopping the leak.

A water leak coming from the conservatory of the home of Sebouh Sarafian, who lives in Lynmouth Road, Reading next to where Berkeley Homes is constructing 209 apartments. (Image: Sebouh Sarafian)

While Berkeley Homes has committed to meeting Mr Sarafian the company has not so far offered to pay him for the damage to the conservatory.

A spokesperson said: "We are aware that a neighbour has reported water ingress to their property. We have responded and arranged a time to meet with them to review the resident’s complaint.

"As with all our sites a precondition survey was undertaken at the property by an independent surveyor prior to works commencing, as such we will be able to review whether the cause was a result of the extreme rainfall we have experienced recently or due to the works on our development.

"We have implemented measures across the site to monitor dust, vibration and noise.

"We will continue to engage with neighbours and the wider local community to ensure they are well informed about our works and have the opportunity to raise any concerns."

Mr Sarafian previously raised fears that the construction work could damage his home.

While an initial version of the project was refused by the council in 2021, it was approved on appeal to the planning inspectorate in 2022.

However, revisions had to be made to add additional staircases to the buildings that would be 18 metres tall, which were approved during the meeting in March.