A self-employed dad, Sam Marshall, says he has endured a “year from hell” after the new home he bought failed to materialise when promised.
The house, part of the Highbrook View Phase Two development in Stoke Gifford, was supposed to be ready in November 2024.
Originally told to expect completion by 17 January 2025, Sam says the date was pushed back several times, each time with assurances the home would soon be ready.
Trusting those assurances, Sam gave notice on his rented accommodation, only to end up spending more than a year living in temporary housing. Since August 2025, when he left his rental, Sam and his nine-year-old daughter have shared a single room.
The delays have caused serious emotional, practical and financial strain. Sam estimates that, thanks to repeated postponements, he has spent thousands on rent, storage and extra costs, money that could have gone toward paying off his mortgage.
Most painful of all, he says, has been the impact on his daughter: the uncertainty, the moving around, and the broken promises have left her upset and unsettled.
The new property is being built by Crest Nicholson on behalf of Sovereign Network Group.
A Sovereign spokesperson said that they understood the difficulties Sam was going through. However, they said customers should always wait until a moving in date was fully confirmed before giving notice on any existing accommodation.